RECIPE: Barbecued pork ribs

It is no secret that Ugandans love pork and it is sold almost everywhere! Delicious as it may be, pork must be thoroughly cooked or else you risk being infected by parasites found in the meat such as tapeworms and roundworms. This is why if you are a pork lover, its best to cook it for yourself at home. Properly cooked pork is an off-white colour. If fresh pork is still pink after it has been cooked, it is not well done.

Ingredients

• Serves 4
• 2 kg fresh pork ribs
• 3 cm piece fresh ginger
• 2 large onions
• 150ml soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ground black
• pepper
• Salt
• 1-2 small red chillies
• A little oil for brushing

METHOD

1. Finely chop the onions, crush the garlic, peel and finely slice the ginger and finely chop the chillies if using. Add the soy sauce, black pepper, honey and 1 level tsp of salt. Blend all ingredients together and process in blender adding a little water if necessary, to form a thick paste. If you don’t have a blender, use a mortar and pestle to pound ingredients to a paste. Add a little water if necessary to make to a thick consistency.

2.Wash the pork ribs and drain off the water. Put in a large saucepan and pour the paste over the ribs. Mix well to ensure that each rib is well coated. Allow to marinate for about 20 mins or more. Add about 150ml of water to the pork and mix well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30 mins, adding a little more water if necessary.

3.Put the pork ribs in batches on sheets of aluminum foil, pour a little sauce over and seal well, to make aluminum foil parcels. Cook on a clean metal rack over a barbecue grill or a large charcoal stove, after the coals have turned an ashy-white. Cook each side of the parcels for 20 mins.

4. Finally, brush the metal grill with oil. Remove the ribs from the parcels and grill each side on the rack until dry. Serve hot with a vegetable salad of your choice.