Ribs are popular in the Bacolod Area of the Philippines. Many native Filipino restaurants have back ribs and spare ribs on their menu, which are grilled to perfection. Often the barbeque sauce is soy sauce and kalamansi, which is the local lime. Depending on my mood, I can enjoy the local BBQ Sauce but I also make my own BBQ Sauce. I have three. One is vinegar based, one is red based and the other one is white based.
I made the red based BBQ sauce for today’s lunch of grilled ribs. To make the BBQ sauce native, I suggest using some banana ketchup instead of all tomato ketchup to get a nice consistency with the two kinds of ketchup and add some Tanduay Rhum. The ingredients include banana ketchup, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of Tanduay Rhum, finely chopped onions, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a little mustard, a dash or two of black pepper and honey. Depending on how many ribs you will need to baste, you will adjust the amount of ingredients and also adjust according to your taste. If you really like sweet BBQ ribs, add more honey!
I started with a rack of pork ribs bought fresh this morning at the nearby public market. For the freshest meat, buy early in the morning at this particular market. Boiling the ribs or putting them in the pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes tenderizes the ribs before grilling. I like to grill the ribs after the first step but not completely. I like to finish the ribs by applying the BBQ sauce and putting the ribs in aluminum foil but loosely closing for finishing on the grill. WoW! Fabulous juices from the ribs, together with the BBQ sauce, will be saved in the bottom of the foil. You will want to brush this on the ribs before eating for a wonderful flavor.
Tito Gary’s Ribs
Grillin’ and Chillin’ with family and friends is one of my favorite activities in the Philippines. We often go to one of the many beaches in our area for a Sunday BBQ.
Gold Eagle Beer
My beverage of choice with any kind of food but especially with BBQ! San Miguel Pilsen is the National Beer of the Philippines and Gold Eagle is made by San Miguel Brewery. Many farmers in the province drink Gold Eagle because it is cheaper and it does not hit them hard like Pilsen. I acquired a taste for Gold Eagle when socializing with other farmers in the province since we also have a farm there with rice, sugar cane, chickens, pigs, carabao, goats and cattle. Eagle is the beer of choice for family gatherings.
Just One More Time
Tito Gary’s Ribs! I have many nieces and nephews in the Bacolod Area and I am fondly known as Tito Gary. Some who are not my nieces and nephews also refer to me as Tito Gary.
I hope you can enjoy the ribs recipe, as it has a native Filipino touch with the sauce but still the red based type sauce for those who like it.
All Around Bacolod 