Romanian smoked ribs soup – ciorba cu coaste afumate

Romanian smoked ribs soup
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Romanian smoked ribs soup Ciorbă cu coaste afumate

Traditional Romanian sour coup (ciorba) with smoked pork ribs and vegetables.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Smoking time1 hour
Total Time3 hours
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Romanian
Keyword: borș, lovage, pork ribs, soup, sour, sour cream

Equipment

  • Smoker or grill for smoking
  • Wood chips

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs bone-in pork spare ribs fresh or smoked
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion cut in half
  • 2 large carrots, 1 diced and 1 cut in chunks
  • 2 ribs celery, 1 diced and 1 cut in chunks with leaves
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 6 oz tomato paste or 2 crushed roma tomatoes
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1 small hot pepper optional
  • 1 tsp tumeric optional
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh lovage or celery leaves
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 oz spaghetti or other pasta
  • 1 quart borș or lemon juice or vinegar to taste
  • 1 jar hot peppers for garnish
  • sour cream or smetana for garnish

Instructions

  • If starting with smoked spare ribs, proceed to step 2. If starting from fresh, prepare your grill or smoker for about 45 minutes of smoking. Smoke the ribs on very low, indirect heat for about 45 minutes after your chips have started smoking.
  • Put smoked ribs in a soup pot with about 3 quarts of water. Add bay leaf, half of an onion, 1 carrot in chunks, 1 rib celery with leaves cut in chunks. Bring to a roiling boil then lower heat to a simmer for about an hour, partially covered. Skim any foam that forms on the surface.
  • While the meat is simmering in the stock, dice the other half of the onion and prepare the other vegetables.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan and add the diced onion, carrot, celery and parsnip. Season with salt and pepper. Sautee for 5 minutes.
  • Make a space in the center of the frying pan and put the tomato paste or crushed tomatoes in it. Cook the tomato a couple minutes until fragrant then blend in with the vegetables.
  • Remove the onion, carrot chunks and celery pieces from the meat broth. Remove the meat from the bones, cut into chunks and return to the water. Add the potato cubes to the broth.
  • Stir the tomato vegetable mixture into the broth. Add green onion, red pepper and the hot pepper if using. Season the broth with turmeric and chopped herbs.
  • Cook the soup on a simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the pasta. If using spaghetti, break it into 2 or 3 pieces for easier eating with a spoon.
  • After the pasta cooks about 10 minutes, add the borș or other souring agent. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Before serving remove the bay leaf and hot pepper. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with hot peppers and sour cream or smetana.