Baby Back Ribs with Tamarind Glaze
from https://www.bonappetit.com/

Tamarind is sweet, sour, and quite tart and provides the ideal base for this finger-licking glaze. This recipe is from Gunpowder, an Indian restaurant in London.

FMM: We made this recipe differently than is written and were quite happy with the results. We made a marinade for the baby back ribs as written and marinated them overnight. We then cooked the ribs on the outside grill (it was mid-summer and too hot to turn on the oven) and made the glaze on the stovetop using the leftover marinade. We did not have habanero chiles, which are extremely hot, and used jalepenos instead. Once the ribs were cooked we took them off the grill, put them in the pan with the warm tamarind glaze, and coated them liberally. We did not make the salad although it sounds like a great compliment to spicy hot ribs made with habaneros. The tamarind glaze was extremely good and I would like to make them again with the habanero chiles and the salad. This recipe is definitely a winner.

Ribs
2 racks baby back pork ribs (3½–4 pounds total), halved crosswise
5 ounces ginger, peeled, chopped
1 orange wedge (about ⅛ of orange)
5 star anise pods (we didn't add this)
2½ cups unfiltered apple juice
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal or 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
3 habanero chiles, halved lengthwise, seeds removed if desired, divided
¼ cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar

Glaze
Braising liquid from ribs
3 habanero chiles, seeds removed, chopped
⅓ (lightly packed) light brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup tamarind concentrate
3 tablespoons honey

Salad and Assembly
Vegetable oil (for grill)
Kosher salt
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ serrano chile, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Micro cilantro and/or cilantro sprigs and lime wedges (for serving)

Ingredient Info
Often labeled “concentrate cooking tamarind” or “paste,” tamarind concentrate can be found at Asian markets and online.

Ribs

Place ribs in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Add ginger, orange wedge, star anise, apple juice, salt, half of chiles, and ¼ cup brown sugar. Pour in water just to cover pork and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat so liquid is at a very gentle simmer, partially cover pot, and braise, turning racks a few times, until meat is fork-tender and nearly (but not quite) falling off the bones, 1½–2 hours. Chop remaining chiles while ribs are cooking and set aside.

Carefully transfer ribs to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool. Cut between ribs to create 2-rib pieces.

Glaze

Meanwhile, crank up the heat under the Dutch oven to high and add ketchup, vinegar, tamarind concentrate, honey, remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar, and reserved chopped chiles to braising liquid. Cook, stirring often, until glaze is thick enough to coat a spoon (it should be reduced to 1–1½ cups), 30–45 minutes. Strain into a large measuring cup; discard solids. Let settle so oil rises to surface. Pour off oil into a small bowl; set aside.

Do Ahead: Ribs can be braised 1 day ahead. Let cool in liquid; cover and chill.

Salad and Assembly

Prepare a grill for medium heat; oil grate. Working one at a time, dip ribs into glaze to coat. Grill ribs, turning several times, until glaze is lightly charred, about 5 minutes total. Transfer ribs to a platter; season with salt. Drizzle with remaining glaze and reserved oil.

Toss cucumber, onion, chile, and lime juice in a medium bowl to combine; season with salt. Scatter salad over ribs and top with micro cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

4 servings