Glazed Spareribs with Watermelon-Rind Chutney

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Servings:
4

Watermelon-rind chutney is actually an old-fashioned sweet pickle. It's made modern with ginger and Thai chiles, which enliven the crisp rind's naturally cool qualities. It pairs beautifully with succulent Asian-style spareribs.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Shaoxing rice wine (Shaosing) or dry sherry

  • ¼ cup honey

  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced crosswise

  • ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 2 scallions, pale-green parts only, chopped

  • 1 piece (1 inch) peeled fresh ginger, sliced

  • 1 rack pork spareribs (12 ribs; about 4 pounds), cut into individual ribs

  • 4 to 8 pieces yellow or red watermelon (about 2 1/2 inches square, 3/4 inch thick)

  • 1 half-pint-size jar Watermelon-Rind Chutney (1 cup)

  • Garnish: scallions, pale-green parts only, thinly sliced lengthwise, and fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine wine, honey, hoisin and soy sauces, chiles, oil, garlic, chopped scallions, and ginger. Arrange ribs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat. Cover with parchment-lined foil, and roast until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover, and cook, turning and basting with sauce every 10 minutes, until glazed and cooked through, about 30 minutes. (Sauce should be gooey; add water, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed.)

  2. Serve ribs with 1 or 2 watermelon pieces. Top with chutney. Drizzle with glaze from pan. Garnish with sliced scallions, and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

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