my first grill-out in vancouver

since arriving here last winter time, i've been waiting for the hottest days of the months. they tell me that it will be so annoyingly hot that even if you leave the doors and windows open, all you get is steady air! but where is it? it's already july!!!!

well, last weekend, we had a clear and warm day. cool winds are still there but none of the annoying stuff. we slept over with some friends and we had the chance to grill! yeah! grill! my first here in vancouver!

we're with friends and i have to make some ribs with marinade from anything i can find available. i used here a mix of italian seasoning, a dab of oyster sauce, a little soup stock to make the marinade runny, salt and pepper. marinade is not extra rich and thick as i want my ribs not to be over-powered by a heavy sauce.

ribs were pre-boiled to make it tender and easily grilled without waiting several hours to cook through. i also found some onions, a piece of corn, and two slices of pink salmon in their fridge. i decided to grill them too to have a little variety.

easy baked ribs - anything goes

baked ribs is one of the best great looking and great tasting food to serve for a group. it will definitely be the main conversation piece on any gathering. they would think that you are an oh-so-perfect master of the kitchen. well....there's a trick. just go through the refrigerator, check what's left of it, mix everything, then...voila!!! this meal was done as i saw the ribs on sale at a downtown supermarket. I got the slab for just $2.50.

Baked Ribs - anything goes

fresh ribs for baking

onions

garlic

celery

salt and pepper

baking marinade:

oyster sauce

catsup

left over barbecue dressing

soy sauce

salt and pepper

rosemary

garlic

onions

to start of, use a pressure cooker! haha! gotcha! there's no 900 hours of slow roasting here! on the pressure cooker, saute garlic till golden, add onions. stir through till onions are soft. be generous with the onions as this will add flavor to the meat. place the rib in the pot. add enough water to cover. add a few chopped celery. sprinkle a little salt and pepper. cover and pressure cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

for the marinade, mix the oyster sauce, catsup, leftover bbq dressing, a little soy sauce, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. i have some dried rosemary and i added it to the marinade. mix well. consistency should be a little runny and not too heavy, similar to a regular bottled catsup. marinade will dry up when baked. we want the sauce thick and flavorful after baking.

after the ribs are done, remove it from the pressure cooker and drain. keep the broth as you can use this for soups and other stuff as meat stock.

brush the tender ribs with the marinade. make sure that the ribs are coated generously.

slice onions thickly. on an oven-proof dish, place a bed of onions. gently position the ribs on top of the bed of onions. pour extra marinade on top. if you have olive oil, drizzle olive oil on the ribs.bake for about 10 minutes or until the ribs are magically browned. serve well!