Boneless Ribs

The wait is over! It's time to get your "sticky fingers" on!

Like a few posts before this one, this will be more a technique than a recipe. The idea is simple: Butterfly a pork tenderloin, pound it thin, rub it down with spices, sear it, simmer it, sauce it up, bake it, enjoy.

To start, you'll want to trim any silver skin from the tenderloin. Silver skin is stringy and relatively unappetizing, so get rid of it.

Next, you want to butterfly the loin. Simply rub some freshly caught butterflies all over the loin and move on.. jokes! To properly butterfly the loin, slice it lengthways almost all the way through and open it up like a book. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the loin and pound it thin. If you don't have a good meat mallet, just use a heavy frying pan or dutch oven. If your angry, use your fists.

Now its time to get dirty. Mix up your favourite spice rub and slather it on. Using your hands will make you a serious home cook. Using a spoon or brush will make you a wuss.

If you don't have a spice rub recipe, feel free try this one:

1 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

a pinch of cayenne (or more if you like it spicy)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Now, crank a pan up to medium-high heat, add a tsp or two of canola or safflower oil and sear them loins. About 1-2 minutes per side should suffice.

Remove the pork from the pan and toss in a tbsp or so of good quality tomato paste. Allow it cook for a minute or 2 and deglaze with a half cup of good quality stock or beer.

Reduce the heat to low, toss the meat back in the pan with a few cloves of garlic, half an onion and a few of your favourite fresh herbs. Thyme and bay leaves work well here. Cover with a lid and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove the pork from the pan, slather it up with your favourite BBQ sauce and toss under a hot broiler for about 3-5 minutes per side. You want the sauce to be sticky yet gooey, without burning.

Voila, you just made boneless ribs!