5 Pork Ribs Recipes to Try

Pork ribs, whether it's the baby back ribs, the spareribs, or the main ribs, are delicious pork cuts. These are actually succulent cuts that are cooked with the bone on so you're assured it's flavorful.

You can enjoy nibbling on tender pork ribs if it was roasted, grilled, or baked in the oven. However, you don't need to wait for a special occasion to use ribs in a dish. Plus, it doesn't need to be cooked in the oven to be delicious! 

However, before eagerly cooking it, you need to remember that you have to remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. This is best done when the ribs are whole. You can actually leave this membrane on the ribs if you would rather not remove it. However, it becomes a plasticky piece of the pork cut that isn't exactly edible, so if you have a few minutes to spare, take the time to remove it.

Photo by Shutterstock

You can also request your butcher to remove this for you while you're in the store. Ask them to do this before slicing it up into serving pieces. 

It's easy to do if you didn't have your butcher do it for you. Here's how to do it:

1. 1 Flip the ribs over so the not meaty side of the ribs is exposed. (You should be able to see the membrane against the ribs part.) 
2. 2 Use a knife to make a shallow incision in the membrane. Make one deep enough so you can grasp the membrane with your fingers. (You can also use a kitchen towel if you need more traction or grip on the membrane.)
3. 3 Slowly pull the membrane away from the rib bones. Continue doing so until the meaty part of the ribs is exposed and most if not all of the membrane has been removed. If necessary, make more incisions to get a grasp of any remaining membrane.  

Once you have this membrane removed, you're ready to prepare it into any of these dishes that don't require an oven: 

Photo by Majoy Siason

1 Spicy Pork Ribs Caldereta Recipe 

Caldereta is traditionally made from goat or kambing. This classic preparation was often the result of ensuring that the gaminess of the goat was masked by the powerful flavors and seasonings using caldereta. If you swap the goat for the less gamy beef or even pork, you don't need to worry about any of those off-flavors affecting your dish. Instead, you can play around with the dish.

In this version, pork ribs are used to mimic the kind of boniness you might find in the original goat version. 

Photo by Majoy Siason

2 Pork Ribs Adobo Recipe 

Adobo is undoubtedly one of the best dishes to have the recipe memorized. This classic Filipino recipe can be made using almost any ingredient, including beef, tofu, fish, and even vegetables. It's such a versatile combination of seasonings that it can turn anything delicious! 

That's what makes these pork ribs adobo so delicious. Not only do you have the adobo seasonings to make sure that your pork dish is delicious but you also get the secondary flavor from the pork itself. Keep it saucy or make it dry, either would make a delicious pork adobo dish. You can even swap the pork with beef ribs for this!  

Photo by Patrick Martires

3 Sweet and Spicy Spareribs Recipe 

These spareribs are sure to get you hooked. This recipe uses spareribs but there's no worry if you use the main ribs in place of the softer spareribs. What you're after is the amazing way these meaty pieces are treated to create a super flavorful sauce that coats each pork piece. If you love the combination of sweet and spicy, you're sure to fall in love with these ribs. 

Photo by Majoy Siason

4 Pork Ribs Tinola Recipe 

What's tinola but a ginger soup made super tasty with its meaty ingredients? That's what this tinola is all about. Chicken is substituted with pork ribs and the resulting soupy dish is just as satisfying in flavor but with more meaty tastes from the switch of meat. 

5 Salted Egg-Crusted Pork Ribs Recipe 

Are you a fan of salted egg or itlog na maalat, specifically the golden yolk? If you are, then you'll love this version that takes this once-popular trend and coats these succulent pork ribs with its flavor and texture. 

What pork ribs recipe do you want to see? 

*** 

Thinking about what to cook next? Join our Facebook group, Yummy Pinoy Cooking Club, to get more recipe ideas, share your own dishes, and find out what the rest of the community are making and eating!

Got your own version of the classic dishes? Pa-share naman! Get your recipe published on Yummy.ph by submitting your recipe here.