From Our Kitchen to Yours: Ras el Hanout Ribs with Salsa Verde

This is one of those dishes that brings family and friends together. A beautiful piece of meat, braised on the bone until it melts off, rich, salty, and delicious. The secret to this delicious short rib dish is in the spice. Loosely translated, Ras el Hanout means “top shelf.” This exotic blend is used heavily in Moroccan cuisine.  

Combining the ribs with the spice rub helps the meat develop a crust on the outside of the meat while it slow cooks. I recommend serving it with a fresh green salad and basmati rice.    

Ras El Hanout 

Ingredients  

• 1 tsp each fennel, cumin, and coriander seeds, toasted 
• 6 cardamom pods, seeds reserved, toasted 
• 3 whole cloves, toasted 
• 1 tsp each ground turmeric, cinnamon, sweet paprika, and chili powder 
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice 
• 1/4 whole nutmeg, finely grated 

Directions

Combine all ingredients and 1/2 tsp each of salt flakes and ground black pepper in a small food processor until finely ground.  

Beef Plate Ribs  

Ingredients  

• 3 lbs bone-in Plate ribs  
• ½ cup kosher salt  
• Ras el Hanout     
• ½ cup white wine  
• ½ cup beef stock  
• 1 head of garlic, halved  
• 2 lemons, halved  

Directions 

24 hours prior to cooking the ribs, prepare them by cutting them into individual rib sections. Then, salt them generously and rub them with Ras el Hanout. Leave them on a wire rack uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. 

1. Remove ribs from the refrigerator about 2 hours before cooking and allow them to come to room temperature. 
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. 
3. Drizzle olive oil into a roasting pan over medium heat until the oil is shimmering, but not smoking. 
4. Sear the ribs until caramelized on all sides, adding lemons into the roasting pan to caramelize as well. 
5. Once the meat is browned, transfer from roasting pan to a plate.   
6. Add wine to pan to deglaze it, scraping any browned pieces stuck to the pan into the liquid.   
7. Increase heat to bring the wine to a boil, cooking off the alcohol.   
8. Add the garlic head to the liquid and slowly add beef stock.   
9. Allow the temperature of the stock/wine mixture to come to a simmer and add the ribs back to the roasting pan.   
10. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, transfer to the oven, and bake for 3-4 hours, depending on your desired texture.   

For a ‘fall off the bone’ tender, bake for 4+ hours.

If you want to finish them on the grill, bake for about 3 hours.

In all cases, once the time has passed, remove from oven and allow to rest before putting ribs back in the broiler or on the grill.  

• If you are grilling the ribs, remove from the braising liquid and rest on a wire rack while you heat your grill to medium heat. 
• If not grilling, turn on the broiler in your oven.

Once the grill is hot, lay the ribs on the grill, bone side down, and close the lid for 10-15 minutes. This will further render the fat, basting the meat from the interior.

Turn the ribs fat cap side down and grill over open flames for 5-10 minutes with the lid open, monitoring them without disturbing. 

Once your ribs are in the oven, you can begin your Salsa Verde preparation. 

Salsa Verde  

“Salsa Verde” may make you think of the tomatillo based Mexican salsa, but it is a general term for a variety of different green sauces used to garnish meat dishes. Preserved lemon is a Moroccan ingredient that can often be found at specialty grocery stores in the olive section, or you can make your own!

Either way, this is going to be a punchy, fresh green pop to the deeply caramelized beef ribs!    

Ingredients  

• Flat leaf parsley  
• ½ cup olive oil  
• 3 cloves garlic  
• Preserved lemon  
• Kosher salt  
• 2 Tbsp capers   

Directions 

1. Begin by coarsely chopping the flat leaf parsley. Add to a bowl and mortar if you want a more integrated sauce.   
2. Drizzle olive oil over the parsley.   
3. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, chopped preserved lemon, and 2 tablespoons of capers and stir vigorously.   
4. Salt to taste and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld before removing it. 
5. Bring to room temperature and season to taste with salt and pepper. It should be lemony and acidic, but herbaceous.  

Once the ribs are charred to your liking, remove from heat. Cut into servings, drizzle the Salsa Verde, and garnish with chopped raw parsley and baked lemons.  

Serve with a fresh green salad and basmati rice.