Start to finish: 20 hours, 40 minutes (30 minutes hands-on)
Servings: 8
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped scallions (white and green part)
1 to 3 Scotch bonnet chiles, or to taste
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (low-sodium if you prefer)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 to 6 pounds pork spareribs (preferably St Louis style)
In a blender combine the onion, scallions, chiles, garlic, 2 1/2 tablespoons of the lime juice, oil, soy sauce, thyme, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon and puree until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup for the glaze.
Pull off and discard the silver skin from the bone side of the ribs and cut them into 6- to 8-rib lengths. Coat both sides of the ribs with the pureed marinade and put them in a shallow container. Cover and chill 16 hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the marinade allowing the excess to drip off. Discard the excess marinade. Arrange the ribs, meat side up, on two racks set into each of two baking pans. Put the pans on the middle shelves of the oven and bake, switching the pans midway through the cooking time, until the meat is very tender when stuck with a fork, 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
While the ribs are baking, in a small bowl combine the reserved jerk paste with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Remove the ribs from the oven when they are tender and brush the tops evenly with the glaze. Return the ribs to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving: 1,105 calories; 838 calories from fat; 93 g fat (27 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 272 mg cholesterol; 1,047 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 54 g protein.
Sara Moulton, Associated Press
