Adventures in Recipe Testing: Guajillo Chile-Crusted Baby Back Ribs

Testing recipes is simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking. Its exciting because you are cooking someone elses recipe that will be published somewhere. And its nerve-wracking for exactly that reasonyou are cooking someone elses recipe that will be published somewhere.

When I am tasked with testing a recipe, which I do from time to time for different publishers, I constantly repeat the following mantra in my head: follow the recipe, follow the recipe, follow the recipe.

I am notorious for making tweaks and substitutions when I cook. Im all about using what I have; I dont hesitate for a second to swap out one kind of mushroom for another or use a different herb than specified. Butin these instancesthe results depend on me following the recipe exactly.

In this case, I was testing Chef Jason Franeys recipe for Guajillo Chile-Crusted Baby Back Pork Ribs that would appear in the Winter 2015 issue of Edible Monterey Bay. I have to be honest: when I read the ingredient list, my eyes might have glazed over and I might have asked myself, What did you just sign on to cook?

There are multiple steps and several items that are not common pantry items. His recipe is definitely not for the faint of heart or anyone who is easily deterred. There were times in the process that I actually declared aloud, I think I would rather just go to 1833 and have him cook it for me!

What? Are we going to 1833? asked my husband, excitedly.

No, not tonight, but it would be easier, I answered.

The adventure began when we needed to downsize the recipe. Chef Franeys recipe serves 60. We modified the amounts to serve 12. And his recipe, as I know all real chefs do, is written in weight measurements. I know, I knowswitching from volume to weight is an essential and fundamental step in becoming a better cook. But Im not there yet. I have made the switch for baking sweets, but not for savories. So, for the home cook, we decided to provide both the volume and the weight measurements.

The recipe didnt specify boneless ribs; so the first time I went to the market, I picked up a rack of baby back ribs. Then I looked at the photo and suspected that maybe I should have purchased boneless. I went back to the store.

Then it began to get really interesting. Chef Franey called for Yuzu Kosho and Feuilles de Brick. I know what yuzu is and actually had just gotten about a dozen of them. I researched yuzu kosho and made a batch on my own.

Yuzu kosho is a condiment that adds a bold citrusy kick to dishes. Its a fresh paste made with the zest and juice of multiple citrus fruits. Mine included lemon, grapefruit, lime, and yuzu. It also has the addedje ne sais quoiof a little heat, a little salt, and a little sweet. Clickherefor that recipe.

When I began to search for theFeuilles de Brick, I was less successful. I called supermarkets all over town, followed by all the speciality markets. No luck. Only one person was even familiar with it. She had one-up on me. I was scrambling to describe these sheetsthey are sort of like a phyllo dough and sort of like a crpe. I looked at making my own, but was running out of time.

Chef Franey offered to give me some, so I sent my husband to the restaurant. What am I picking up? he asked. Feuilles de Brick.Just tell him youre picking it up for Edible Monterey Bay, I answered.

Because sourcingFeuilles de Brickwas so tough, I talked to the publisher about providing readers with some local substitutes. We agreed on phyllo dough as thats readily available in almost every market.

Once I had all the ingredients, I ended up making three versions because I wasnt sure if the ribs were baby back or boneless. I made Baby Back Ribs inFeuilles de Brick, Boneless Ribs inFeuilles de Brick, and Boneless Ribs in Phyllo dough.

What an incredible dish. Truly. The finished ribswhich are first braised then crusted with a rub made of coriander, fried garlic, shallots, and guajillo pepperswere an amalgam of textures and a wild combination of flavors. Tender meat, crispy wrapper, tangy, zesty, and salty. The sauce. Lets talk about that, too. Teeming with Asian flavors, it includes the yuzu kosho, soy sauce, mirin, and more fish sauce than I have seen used in a single dish ever. The garlic, shallots, and cilantro add even more depth and layers of flavor. It was a delicious, finger-licking surprise. Wow!

But it was a complicated recipe. My husband and two boys were torn on which version they liked the best. I still think I would prefer to go to 1833 and just order it. And now, my appreciation of the dish will be heightened by the knowledge of how much work goes into the dish.

• 6 pounds boneless pork ribs
• 250 grams (1 cup) Coca-Cola
• 60 grams ( cup) sugar
• 250 grams (1 cup) water
• 8 grams (1 tablespoon chopped) serrano pepper
• 40 grams (1/2 of one whole) onion, sliced
• 12 grams (45 cloves) garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 grams (2 tablespoons) whole coriander, toasted
• 32 grams (1 tablespoons) salt

• 12 grams (1 tablespoon) whole coriander, toasted
• 10 grams (1 tablespoons) black whole pepper
• 48 grams (1/4 cup) fried garlic
• 72 grams (1/3 cup) fried shallots
• 16 grams (1 tablespoon) guajillo peppers, dried

• 80 grams (1/3 cup) chicken broth
• 80 grams (1/3 cup) braise liquid, reduced

• 25 grams (2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 110 grams (1/2 cup) mirin
• 20 grams (1 tablespoon) yuzu kosho
• 950 grams (4 cups) water
• 140 grams (1/2 cup) yuzu juice
• 140 grams (1/2 cup) lemon juice
• 500 grams 2 cups fish sauce
• 80 grams (1/3 cup, or about 16 cloves) garlic, sliced thin
• 112 grams (1/2 cup) shallots, minced
• 75 grams (1/3 cup, or 45) serrano peppers, sliced thin

• Clarified (or melted) butter
• 12 sheets of feuilles de brick
• Ribs
• Sauce
• Cilantro