What a fine day down South. Its Her day off and we had an excellent sunrise walk out in the woods, 2.5K through the forest where we keep the bees. The pepperbush ( clethra ) is just starting and there are red bays blooming here and there. Then back to raid the garden.watermelonbasket.jpg Edamame, sweet red peppers, tomatoes, habaneros and the best watermelon I’ve ever grown. We had messy watermelon snacking on the porch.

To add to the fun its ribs night at the farm and I’m making a cha siu barbecue with a rack of ribs from one of our neighbors’ pigs. Cha siu is the Chinese contribution to the world of barbecue and has been adapted, with local variations, throughout SE Asia. Our version of it is altered, as usual, by the substitution of honey for any other kind of sugar and habanero for any other kind of chili. Here’s how I do it:

Brine or dry salt ribs for two to three days.

Parboil with bay, star anise and lemongrass. 30 to 40 minutes is plenty.

Marinate for some hours with the following:

1/4 cup light soy
1/4 cup whatever cooking wine you have
1/8 cup honey
3/8 cup hoisin
1/8 cup vinegar
8 cloves garlic minced
6 cm ginger or galangal root, minced
2 ripe habaneros, minced ( hey, I know, but that’s how we like it…. newbies have expressed shock and horror, leave it out or try a couple of Thai chilis instead )
1/2 tsp 5 fragrant spice powder
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1/2 Vidalia onion, barbecued and chopped

Grill, covered over a slow charcoal fire. As they near completion (20 to 30 minutes ) brush with a glaze of soy, sesame oil and honey in the ration of 1 to 1 to 2, three times, a few minutes apart.
Let sit under a foil tent for ten minutes and serve.

Alternative cooking methods:

South Georgia smoker:
Eliminate the parboil, marinate seasoned ribs overnight, start fire and heat up the smoker, burning off the bark and first smoke. Cook for 2 1/2 hours at about 230F. Glaze as above.

Conventional gas oven, marinate overnight, bake in a slow oven ( 250 - 300F ) for two hours, glazing as above towards the end. Turn off oven let the ribs sit till you’re ready to serve.

Notes on the ingredients.

Its hard to find decent soy sauce in the US. I like the Thai Dragonfly brand ‘Thin Soy Sauce’, try your local Asian market. Pearl River Bridge is a more authentic Chinese taste.

Asian recipes always specify rice wine vinegar. I’ve tried many vinegars and, like the wine, whatever you have, white, cider or wine is fine. Don’t use balsamic.

5 Fragrant Spice powders vary widely. Look for one that smells of anise rather than commercial cinnamon. If you’re as crazy as me you’ll end up mixing your own.

Whenever we barbecue I put on three large yellow onions after I take the meat off the grill. When the meal is over run out and take them off. They will be charred on the outside and soft on the inside and very fragrant. Kept in the fridge they are a fine addition to all kinds of cooking including this.