You can make your own mild chile powder for this recipe by lightly toasting and grinding whole dried sweet chiles such as Anaheim or ancho.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　2 slabs pork spare ribs (about 3 pounds)

　　Salt

　　Fresh-ground black pepper

　　2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground

　　1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground

　　3 teaspoons mild chile powder

　　2 teaspoons sweet paprika

　　Olive oil

　　

Step 1

Season, the night before, if possible: 2 slabs pork spare ribs (about 3 pounds) with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.

　　

Step 2

Mix together: 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground, 3 teaspoons mild chile powder, 2 teaspoons sweet paprika.

　　

Step 3

Pat the spice mixture onto both sides of the meat. Refrigerate. Bring the ribs to room temperature before cooking. Prepare a wood or charcoal fire. Drizzle the ribs with: Olive oil.

　　

Step 4

When the fire is medium-hot, put the meat on the grill and cover loosely with foil. The ribs should cook slowly. If they grill too quickly, the meat will toughen and the spices can burn and become bitter. Turn each slab of ribs every 10 minutes or so until they are well browned and cooked through, about 1 hour. Tend the fire to maintain a steady temperature. Cut between the bones to separate the ribs and serve.

　　

Variations

Step 5

Roast the ribs on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 1 hour, turning every 10 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Replace the chile powder and paprika with dried chile flakes and add whole fresh thyme leaves, rosemary, and sage to the mixture.

　　The Art of Simple Food