Jamaican Jerk Braised Riblets

This is one phenomenal recipe that I found while researching Jamaican cuisine. Of course, I took it, recreated it and added my own personal twist to it. The meat is so tender and moist it absolutely falls off the bone. The spice is just right, not too hot and not too mild but you can adjust it to your own personal tastes. This dish has a dark rum sauce with a deep, rich flavor that takes time to develop in the braise and it is worth it. Braises are really pretty simple once you get everything into the pot you let is just cook low and slow for a long time. I hope you enjoy.

Jamaican Jerk Braised Riblets

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 lbs. ribs, skirt trimmed off, visible fat removed and ribs cut individually into 2" pieces or in half depending on their size

1 tsp. canola oil

Spice Rub:

2 Tbsp. ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

2 Tbsp. Splenda

1 tsp. molasses

2 cloves garlic, chopped very fine or into a paste

4 scallions or green onions, chopped very fine

2 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. water

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

black pepper

Braise:

2 cups low sodium beef stock

2 Tbsp. orange zest

1 1/4 cup water

1 1/3 cup dark rum

2 Tbsp. Splenda

2 tsp. molasses

Blend all jerk rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Coat riblets with the mixture and brown in canola oil in a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot on medium high heat. Remove and reserve.

Add stock, water, zest. Bring to boil. Replace riblets, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours, until tender.

Remove riblets from dutch oven and add rum, Splenda and molasses and simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy. Return riblets and coat with the reduced sauce to serve.

Note ~ For a lower fat version use boneless and trimmed center cut chops and braise whole. This has 8.6 g total fat for 3 ounces compared to 26.6 g total fat for 3 ounces of spare rib meat only.

Nutrition Facts
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 378.1
Total Fat 26.6 g
Saturated Fat 9.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.8 g
Cholesterol 102.9 mg
Sodium 260.0 mg
Potassium 455.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 6.1 g
Dietary Fiber 0.9 g
Sugars 2.0 g
Protein 25.7 g