Tag: pork ribs

Superb baby back ribs at Racks, Changkat Bukit Bintang.

One day, we found ourselves at Racks, a newly opened restaurant at Changkat Bukit Bintang. Thanks Winnie for the invite! I suppose there’s no need for guessing what Racks specialises in ;)

# – The interior of Racks.

# – Racks has booze too.

Yeap, they’ve got plenty of booze. In fact, they have test tube shooters going for RM200 for 12 tubes. The Molotov – consist of vodka, tequila, Jack Daniels and Tabasco, which I didn’t try due to sheer fear.

Test Tube Babies on the other hand were made with vodka, peach schnapps and a dash of cranberry…it was smooth and delicious! Illusion is mixture of Midori melon, pineapple juice and vodka, which was pretty tasty too…and potent ;)

# – Think I was posing with Test Tube Babies.

As for the food….yummers! First brought out were appetisers called Special Pigs in Special Blankets which were essentially spiced oxford sausages wrapped in speck ham. Served alongside Peaches N Parma, grilled sweet peaches wrapped in thin savoury parma hams, they made a great medley of flavours.

# – Special Pigs in Special Blankets (RM24) & Peaches N Parma (RM22).

Next was Angels in Parma, which were live pacific oysters wrapped in oysters. This was a winner for me as I LOVEEEEEE oysters!

# – Angels in Parma (RM32).

At this point, I was a little fearful of the lack of fibres on the menu but my fears were unfounded as they then served Asparagus Under Prosciutto. The asparagus were fresh, young, crunchy and was a great vehicle to deliver the prosciutto into my mouth :D

# – Asparagus Under Prosciutto (RM22).

Obviously, Racks believed we haven’t been fed with enough meat for they popped out with a huge cold meat platter. My mouth couldn’t stop watering. Lovely cold cuts served with jam, pickles, mustard and fresh bread – all made in-house. It was delicious and an interesting dish as every mouthful was different from the one before.

# – Cuts, Pickles, Jams, Mustards & Breads

And then, out came the burgers and sandwiches. They were all pretty good. My only complaint was that the Pulled Pork Burger was not moist enough. The flavours were superb but I like my pulled pork moist and messy.

# – Pulled Pork Burger (RM28).

The pork burger was amazing. Juicy, flavoursome, thick pork patty, topped with sun dried tomatoes and crispy bacon sandwiched between two soft buns AND then topped off with more crispy bacons. The picture is not much, but you’ve got to try it!

# – Racks’ Pork Burger (RM28).

Finally, they served their namesakes…the baby back ribs! The ribs were braised and glazed on the spit to perfection. The meat literally fell off the bones, it’s that good. I found the pricing really reasonable too, RM52 for a full rack while 1/2 rack goes for RM32.

The Hot & Spicy racks is more like a typical BBQ racks with a special sauce they call “Torture Sauce”. Hmmmm. It’s good but my favourite was actually the Sticky & Sweet, serve with marmalade glaze.

# – Hot & Spicy 1/2 rack (RM32).

# – Sticky & Sweet Full Rack (RM52). IT’S HUGE!

I’d definitely go back again, especially for the ribs! I hope they would come out with more flavours too…what we’re lacking in KL is a place that has proper baby back ribs!

Thank you Racks for a great time and the superb food :)

# – High and happy.

Racks Bar & Baby Backs,
18-1, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2110 1550

Read more about the place from my friends:

Huai Bin
Horng
KY
Michael
Zee
Winnie

Honey mustard baby back ribs recipe.

Going to steal a line from KFC here. These ribs were finger lickin’ good!

The method of cooking these ribs is quite similar to my first attempt, the sweet and sticky ribs. I wanted a marinade that doesn’t have so much sugar and after a bit of research I stumbled upon a recipe supposedly by Julia Child (I can’t be sure) which is only sweetened by honey.

# – Honey mustard baby back ribs.

For the pork ribs:

  • 2 pieces of 350-500 grams baby back ribs
  • 4 star anises
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 100 ml of light soya sauce
  • Enough water to cover the ribs in a pot

    • For the marinade/sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons of water
  • 2 tablespoons Tabasco
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • 1.5 cup of olive oil
  • Black pepper, to taste

    • # – First, pour the light soya sauce into the pot of water (enough to cover the ribs) over medium heat.

    # – Then add the cloves, star anises and cumin seeds into it.

    # – When the liquid has started simmering, add the ribs. Let it boil for 1/2 hour and then turn off the heat and leave it be for another 1/2 hour.

    # – In the meantime, make the marinade. Add the mustard, honey, tabasco sauce, balsamic vinegar, oil, black pepper & water (not in picture).

    # – Whisk all the ingredients together till combined. The marinade/sauce is now done.

    # – Take the ribs out of the liquid and lay them bone side down on a roasting tin lined with foil (to avoid too much cleanup!). Brush the marinade all over the ribs. Reserve the rest of the marinade.

    # – Cover and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.

    # – When ready to cook, stick the tin into a preheated oven at 200 degrees celcius for 40 minutes.

    # – While the ribs are roasting, brush more marinade all over the ribs for every 15 minutes.

    # – After 40 minutes, take the ribs out and pour all the remaining marinade over the ribs. Stick it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

    # – Serve with a side of steamed vegetables and roasted root vegetables.

    # – Honey mustard baby back ribs, DONE!

    I really enjoyed making this, it’s so stress free (both preparation and cleanup). The ribs were juicy and tender; meat was practically falling off the bones! The sauce was addictive…a little sour, a little spicy and a little sweet. I can’t think of better dishes to cook for and impress a party!

    Sweet and sticky baby back ribs recipe.

    I am extremely pleased with this recipe! It’s quite simple to make really and the baby back ribs were juicy, succulent, flavourful and practically falling off the bones.

    It was so delicious, I honestly wish I had made MORE! It made me want to eat baby back ribs everyday!

    # – Sweet and sticky baby back ribs.

    The surprising thing was I used frozen ribs (bought them fresh but due to bad timing I had to freeze them for a few days) and seriously, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

    For the rib preparation:

    • 2 pieces of baby back racks, about 400-500grams each
    • 100ml soy sauce
    • Enough water to cover the racks in a pot

    For the marinade:

    • 100g of soft brown sugar
    • 100ml of Shaoxing wine or any chinese rice wine
    • 100g of ginger , peeled and finely grated
    • 3 pieces of garlic cloves , peeled and crushed
    • 200ml of tomato puree (you can use ketchup too)
    • 1 tablespoon of mustard
    • 100ml of soy sauce

    # – First, submerge the ribs in a pot of water. Then pour in the soya sauce.

    # – Bring to a simmer and let it boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down for 1/2 to 1 hour.

    # – In the meantime, prepare the marinade. Pour the Shaoxing wine into a heated pan, followed by the brown sugar.

    # – When sugar has dissolved, add in the finely chopped ginger and garlic. Bring to a gentle simmer.

    # – Then, squeeze in a dollop of mustard.

    # – Followed by the tomato puree or ketchup if you should fancy. Stir to combine.

    # – Pour marinade into a bowl to cool down slightly.

    # – Place the ribs in a tray that you’d be roasting them in. I suggest lining it with foil for easy cleanup later.

    # – While the ribs are still warm, brush about 1/4 of the marinade all over them, coating evenly. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade.

    # – Cover the ribs with foil or clingwrap and stick it in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight is best. I did mine just 2 hours though and it was so good…imagine if it had marinaded overnight!!!!!

    # – When ready to cook, stick it in a preheated oven at 220 degrees celcius for 40 minutes, curved sides up.

    # – Brush the marinade all over the ribs at every 15 minutes for 2 times.

    # – After the 40 minutes mark is up, turn the oven down to 180 degrees celcius, brush the last remaining marinade all over the ribs and leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes. This is to ensure that the ribs have sticky and gooey sauce to eat with :D

    # – Sweet and sticky baby back ribs, DONE! Serve with baked potatoes and homemade cole slaw.

    # – DELICIOUS!

    # – I love ribs!

    This recipe was actually adapted from the recipe that belongs to one of my favourite TV judges, John Torode. Thank you for gifting me with simple to make but stupendously awesome baby back ribs.

    /sniffs