Polish-style ribs (żeberka wieprzowe) with a rich caraway-infused sauce are a unique way to enjoy baby back ribs. Tender and falling off the bone, these ribs will make you wonder why you ever bothered cooking a whole slab on the barbecue. This one-pot meal takes just under three hours start to finish with mostly hands-off time while the ribs slowly braise at low temperature.
Jump to RecipeThe elements of Polish-style ribs żeberka wieprzowe
Three things set this dish apart from other back ribs recipes I’ve tried. The first and second are that the ribs are cut into pieces and then braised. Third are the unique ingredient elements: onions and caraway. Those three things are I think what give this dish its unique character, its Polish-ness. You’ll find them common to most of the recipes for this dish you come across. The fourth element isn’t about the dish per se but the fact that it is often served alongside sauerkraut. As with any recipe, there is always room for embellishment, subtraction or substitution. If you don’t care for caraway, for example, you can substitute allspice. If you don’t like sauerkraut, serve these ribs with mashed potatoes. Or maybe you want to add some stewed tomatoes to the braise for an even richer, umami experience. Go for it!
Wash and pat dry a rack of ribs. Cut it into 4 serving pieces of about 2-3 ribs each. I like to brown any meat in a braise first to develop more intense flavor through caramelization, though this step is not strictly necessary. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a dutch oven (I like enameled cast iron for this sort of dish). When hot, season the ribs with salt and pepper and sear them on all sides until browned.
Building the braise
Add a peeled and chopped carrot, a chopped celery rib, a large sliced onion and a few cloves of garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of whole caraway seeds (or ground allspice) and place a few sprigs of fresh thyme into the pot. Add about two cups of water–not enough to completely submerge the ribs. We’re not trying to boil them. Cover the pot and put in an oven heated to 275°F.
Check for doneness after 2½ hours. If not tender enough, cook an additional ½ hour. Transfer the cooked ribs to a serving platter and let rest while you prepare the sauce. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon; reserve if serving them or discard.
The sauce Polish-style ribs żeberka wieprzowe
Ribs have a lot of fat–too much to make a nice sauce. I recommend using a gravy separator to remove some of it. Pour the braising liquid into a gravy separator (or skim it with a spoon), to remove the fat. Pour back all of the cooking liquid you can, minus the fat, into the dutch oven. In a glass measuring cup, dissolve two tablespoons of flour in a cup of cold water, whisking to remove any lumps. Heat the braising liquid to boiling and slowly stir in the flour slurry. Stir to make a gravy. Taste it for seasoning–maybe add a pinch of salt. It probably won’t need additional spices.
Pour the gravy over the meat and vegetables on the platter. Heat up a jar of well-drained Polish-style sauerkraut and serve with the ribs. Or substitute mashed potatoes on the side.
Polish ribs Żeberka wieprzowe
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork back ribs or 3-4 pounds country style ribs
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 carrot cut into 1-inch lengths
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 1 large onion halved then sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp whole caraway seeds see note
- 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 Tbsp flour optional, for gravy
- 1 pound sauerkraut drained
Instructions
- Heat oven to 275°F.
- Wash and dry ribs. Cut into sections of 2-3 ribs each or about four portions.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven. Season ribs with a sprinkle of salt and pepper then brown on all sides in the dutch oven.
- Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and place sprigs of thyme. Add about 2 cups of water but not enough to completely submerge the ribs.
- Cover the dutch oven and put in the preheated oven for 2½ hours. Check for tenderness and cook an additional ½ hour if needed.
- Transfer ribs to a serving platter to rest. Remove the vegetable solids from the liquid. Reserve (if serving) or discard. If you'd like to make a gravy/sauce for your ribs, continue with next step.
- Pour liquid into gravy separator or skim excess fat from the top. Return braising liquid to the dutch oven, avoiding as much of the fat as you can. Dissolve about 2 tablespoons flour in a cup of water. Heat the braising liquid to boiling on the stovetop and slowly stir in the flour slurry to make a gravy. The liquid should be fairly well seasoned already so you may not need to add any additional seasoning; taste to confirm.
- Heat well-drained sauerkraut (preferrably Polish-style) and serve with a rib section and the braised carrots and onions.
Some of the best ribs I’ve ever eaten!
I added tomato as Tom suggested, about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Also added some marjoram.
Delicious!