Barbecue Pork Rib Slab with Sesame and Chive

Headnote
This dish is built around the deep, lacquered character of pork ribs, balanced by the sweet intensity of barbecue sauce and the quiet sharpness of chive. Sesame seed brings a dry, nutty finish that keeps the glaze from reading heavy. The result should be glossy, tender, and exact, with the meat yielding cleanly from the bone.

Recipe essentials
Dish category: Main course
Cuisine or origin: Barbecue
Course type: Dinner
Yield: 2 servings
Serving size: 210 g
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Equipment
Heavy roasting tray
Wire rack
Small saucepan
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer
Sharp knife
Mixing bowl

Ingredients
Pork rib, 420 g
Barbecue sauce, 120 g
Soy sauce, 18 g
Brown sugar, 24 g
Garlic, finely grated, 8 g
Black pepper, freshly ground, 2 g
Sesame seed, 12 g
Chive, finely sliced, 8 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C. Set a wire rack over a heavy roasting tray.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the barbecue sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper. Warm over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth and fragrant.

3. Place the pork rib on the rack. Brush lightly with a little of the warm glaze, then roast for 1 hour 15 minutes, brushing once more halfway through. The surface should darken gradually, and the fat should begin to render cleanly.

4. Increase the oven to 220°C. Brush the ribs generously with the remaining glaze and return to the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the surface is deeply lacquered and the edges are sticky and slightly charred. The internal temperature should reach 90°C to 92°C, and the meat should pull back from the bone.

5. Remove the ribs from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.

6. Toast the sesame seed in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until pale gold and aromatic.

7. Slice the chive finely. Cut the rib slab into portions, then finish with the sesame seed and chive while the glaze is still tacky.

Plating and serving
Arrange the rib portions cleanly on a warm platter, with the lacquered surface facing upward. Scatter the sesame seed and chive evenly over the top so the finish remains elegant rather than crowded. Serve immediately, with the glaze set but still supple.

Professional notes
A slow roast is essential for tenderness; the final high heat is for sheen, not for further cooking. Do not allow the glaze to scorch before the ribs are properly rendered. The finished meat should be juicy, yielding, and firmly attached to the bone, with a balanced sweet-salty finish and a crisp aromatic edge from the sesame and chive.