Spice-Crusted Pork Spareribs

CARLA LALLI MUSIC

We wanted to feature Carla Lalli Music because of her dedication to the home cook, and making every meal as joyful to cook as it is to eat. She has a recipe for every stage of the week- from quick low-mess recipes to lazy summer Sunday recipes to really dig into. We love the bright and intense flavors she packs into this super approachable sparerib number. Break out the grills! (Pro tip: drink some of the Weingerten field blend while you crush up the herbs and get the grill hot. Pop the cork on the “Encinas” Mencia to give it some air as you prep. Once the ribs are done you’ve got the perfect red pairing.)

FROM THAT SOUNDS SO GOOD

Now on to the recipe!

Grilling over medium heat is the saner, wiser approach to cooking fatty cuts of meat. Rather than jumping all around your backyard like a maniac while flames shoot vertically from your grill grates, a lower temperature lets you savor the outdoor cooking experience without incinerating dinner. As these ribs cook, the spices clinging to their surface will slowly toast and darken while fat from the ribs sizzles around them. The only trick is to make sure you’ve got a generous bed of coals when you get started, since they become valuable to you only as their heat is waning. As much as I love using 100% lump hardwood, ordinary charcoal briquettes are really useful here—they burn steadily and evenly for a long time. Gas grillers: Dial into medium heat and stay there.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 slabs St. Louis–style pork ribs (5 to 6 pounds total)

3 tablespoons kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Handful cilantro and/or mint, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

The process:

Roughly crush the coriander seeds, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, making sure to preserve some discernible texture.

Cut between the bones to separate the rack into individual ribs. Place them on a large rimmed baking sheet and season all over with the salt (use every bit). Season evenly with the spice mixture, turning to coat. Drizzle ribs with olive oil and turn again to coat. Refrigerate the seasoned ribs, uncovered, for up to 2 days. Alternatively, let sit at room temperature until it’s time to grill, up to 2 hours.

Prepare a grill for medium direct heat with a generous amount of coals. I usually fill up a charcoal chimney, light it, and spread out an equivalent amount of coals in the grill kettle. When the coals in the chimney are glowing orange, I pour them over the unlit charcoal and wait until everything has burned down enough that I can hold my hand 6 inches above the grates for a few seconds without recoiling in pain. That’s medium hot! (If you use a gas grill, set it to medium heat.) Clean and oil grill grates. Grill the ribs, turning them every 3 to 4 minutes, until evenly and deeply browned, and crisp, 28 to 32 minutes. Regardless of whether you find yourself cooking on a fire escape or perched atop a vast rolling hill, this is enough time to joyously commune with nature while the aromas of smoky pork fat and toasted spices waft through your hair. Enjoy your special moment.

Transfer ribs to a platter and top with herbs (*and your Get Graza Olive Oil of course!). Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.