Cookbook Classified: Sticky Honey Garlic Ribs

Lately I’ve been very interested in actual, tangible cookbooks. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Kindle, and I do utilize a lot of e-content with that device, but there is something to be said about a real book with real pages. So my most recent purchases have been Cravings by Chrissy Teigen and The Seasoned Life by Ayesha Curry.

I want to focus on Mrs. Curry’s book for now because OMG. I have made several of her recipes, and every one of them has been fantastic. I’d say Chrissy’s dishes are a bit more complex. Ayesha’s, however, are approachable, consistent, and just plain good. I’ll likely get back to Chrissy’s soon to explore further (and I only compare the two naturally because they are both celebrity moms breaking into the cooking world and separating themselves from their husbands’ careers – RESPECT). But first, let me tell you about these ribs.

I have never made BBQ ribs before in my life. I made these during the winter, so this was an indoor job, but that’s neither here nor there. They were incredible (if I do say so myself).

I won’t post the recipe (or any of her full recipes) because 1) it’s Ayesha’s, and 2) you should go BUY HER BOOK. But anyway, it starts with a deliciously sweet and tangy Asian-flavored sauce.

J really works Jung Boo market on Kimball here in the city, so his atypical ingredient game is STRONG.

This sauce gets poured over a slab of pork ribs that have been cooked in the oven.

Cover with foil and back into the oven it goes!

This is where the magic happens…. You bake the ribs without the foil on high heat for a little bit at the end to get that beautiful caramelization. YUM.

Now there are a few things you need to know about this recipe. As BOMB as it is, you are going to make an epic mess if you don’t do the following:

Please, please, please buy a foil pan to make these ribs in. They get so sticky that you will literally have to throw your cookie sheet or pan in the trash afterwards (spoken from experience…
Open your windows! Somehow I couldn’t stop that sauce from dripping into the bottom of the oven, and there was smoke everywhere! Turn on the exhaust fan over the stove as well. Yikes.

Trust me, you won’t miss summertime grilling after devouring these.