12-Spice Pork Spareribs

Chilled Herbed Long Grain & Wild Rice Salad with Chives and Red Pepper

I have for some time now had a favorite, go-to mix of spices that I use as a dry rub just for pork. This mix of a total of 12 spices and seasonings — salt, white pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar, onion powder, cumin, ginger, ground cloves, smoked paprika, cayenne powder, ground sage, and ground cloves — has elevated grilled chops, roasted pork shoulders, ground pork burgers, and even pan-grilled bacon. 

So of course they successfully accentuate a full rack of pork spareribs, which today I brushed with fish sauce and cider vinegar, dry-rubbed with my 12-spice mix, and let cook slowly in the oven at 200°F for 8 hours.

I served the balanced, layered, flavorful, aromatic, and, yes, fall-off-the-bone ribs (to only myself) with a side of chilled, herbed long grain & wild rice salad spiked with chopped chives and diced red pepper, finishing the comfortingly tasty dish with bright snaps of cornichons.