Spare Ribs, Cabbage, and Sauerkraut

Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork spare ribs, bone-in
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 32-ounce jar of sauerkraut, drained
• 4 cups thinly shredded cabbage
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 bottle of your favorite beer
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

Directions

1. Coat the spare ribs all over with the garlic, caraway seeds, and cracked black pepper. Cover them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if your schedule allows; if not, you can move right along.
2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take the ribs out of the plastic wrap, then season them with salt and pepper. Enclose the ribs in aluminum foil, set them in a roasting pan, and cook at 400 degrees F for 1 hour 15 minutes, until they are tender. Take the pan out of the oven and set the ribs aside.
3. Add the sauerkraut, onion, caraway seed, brown sugar, and cabbage to a Dutch oven. Pour in the beer, water, and chicken stock, then stir everything together and season with pepper to taste. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F, cover the Dutch oven, and bake the sauerkraut and cabbage mixture for 3 hours.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Arrange the ribs on top of the sauerkraut, cover the pot again, and bake for 1 hour more. If the pot looks dry, add more liquid as needed.
5. Serve the ribs with the sauerkraut. Boiled potatoes are a good match.