This is the first French Fridays with Dorie recipe I have been really excited about in a while. Initially because I had read rave reviews for it. My excitement grew when I read Dorie's intro because her recipe was based on a dish made by a chef that had spent time here in my home state of Kentucky and while here developed a fondness for barbecue and cola. I hadn't expected to see any mention of our lovely state in her cookbook and was thrilled when I did.
The recipe comes together easily enough, but does need some babying while cooking. Chinese five-spice powder is a new ingredient for me and I was eager to try it. The remaining flavors; orange, lemon, apricot, and cola are all favorites of mine so I expected to love these ribs.
It wasn't love, but like for me. My husband thought they were really good which I was surprised by but for me, they were just OK. The ribs weren't as tender as I had hoped and the Asian flavor was a bit off-putting for me. Not bad, just not great either.
PS - Sorry for the bad picture! It is so hard to get good photos of meat!
I agree, the ribs cooked well with that method, but the flavor was
ReplyDeletenot nice, Neither Tricia nor I cared for this recipe. Looking forward
to the next recipe which should be simple. I have never cooked or eaten rhubarb, so this is going to be interesting.
I agree it is tough to take good pictures of some meats. I wish I had made these ribs in the grill instead of baking them; they would have been awesome!
ReplyDeleteI think I am where you are - I liked them, but I didn't love them. I agree - meat is never pretty in pictures!
ReplyDeleteI like how your photo has steam coming the ribs. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYes, the photo was real difficult but not as difficult at getting over my distaste for cola! I did it and I liked the ribs 'cause I'm really not a fan of regular bbq sauce.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ribs were pretty good for pork (not something we eat a huge amount of at home). Hey like is better than yuck, right?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your take on this recipe. I was thinking it was the flavor I didn't like, but I think they just weren't tender enough. It was worth the try though. I'm looking forward to the rhubarb next week.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed these ribs, but I also braised them instead of roasting them in an open pan (I guess I'm just too lazy for the clean up!). It's good they were a hit with someone in your household, though.
ReplyDeleteYou weren't the only one who didn't quite fall in love with this recipe. In fact, I didn't even fall in 'like', as something about the flavors was off. Okay, I did sub my ingredients like mad so maybe that was the real reason, haha! Your ribs looked good though and at least your husband was into them :-).
ReplyDeleteSounds like a smashing recipe for dinner! I'd love to try this one out. (PS. I totally agree taking meat photos are difficult, but you've done well )
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised at Dorie's usage of these strong Asian spices too. They're usually used in small amounts to enhance flavous. At least you didn't dislike the ribs. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't been by your site in forever, but was really eager to see what you thought of the most recent FFwD recipes. I'm curious about the ribs, haven't made them yet, and am worried that we might not care for them with the 5 spice powder. It certainly is an expensive recipe to make and not enjoy. I'm glad to hear that you're husband enjoyed them. It gives me hope! ha ha
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