I love eating home-cooked meals. I grew up in a home where my parents lovingly prepared delicious meals from unique recipes they have concocted and reinvented traditional meals with a twist. But preparing home-cooked meals is a different story. I stayed away from preparing meals because I get stressed about having to clean up after the preparation and cooking. And the lingering smell of chopped garlic that stays on my fingertips. Pfffft. But for my family, I'd gladly cook their favorites, even if it means I'd smell like garlic.
Starting in 2014, I had to "survive" with zero household staff and my husband suggested that I plan meals that "cooked on their own" instead of having to stand by the stove from start to finish. The solution I found was to prepare oven-baked meals that can be timed. So instead of using our La Germania gas oven, it was time to maximize our Imarflex 3-in-1 Convection and Rotisserie Oven. I borrowed one of my Dad's marinade recipes to cook my husband's favorite baby back ribs and a lot of our family and friends who've tasted this homespun kitchen creation liked it as well. For those of you looking for a no-fuss meal, here's the recipe of our Baked Soy-Ginger Baby Back Ribs / French Chops, serving good for 2 to 4 people:
- 1 to 1.2 kgs of pork baby back ribs or french-cut porkchop blocks
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- sliced fresh ginger (the whole piece should be the size of your thumb at minimum)
I buy these Montana brand baby back ribs / french-cut pork chops at S&R. Sometimes we get 50% free ribs during Members' Sale! Try to pick out the cuts that have the least amount of fat. The key step to making the meat soft and juicy is to soak the meat (for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight in the refrigerator) in a brine solution: 1 to 2 liters of water with 1 to 2 teaspoons of dissolved rock salt. This promotes osmosis and I think that the water absorbed by the meat helps cook it to the bone as the oven heat brings it to beyond-boiling temperature, without drying it out.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade: soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger in a separate bowl or in the baking dish. Once the sugar is dissolved, soak the meaty part of the ribs/chops for 30 minutes. Don't leave it too long because the meat will get too dark and the taste will be too strong if it absorbs too much soy sauce.
Pre-heat the oven at 175ºC for 5 minutes before placing the ribs/chops. I prefer to have the meaty part soaked in the marinade for the first 40 minutes in the oven before flipping it up for approximately 10 minutes or until it's golden brown. I remove the excess marinade and make sure only the bony side of the ribs is touching the drippings before serving.
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