Georgia! There’s a small town in Georgia called Athens and I believe the popular new wave band called the B-52’s (Rock Lobster) hails from there.
I had some company over. Die-hard Greeks who aren’t too adventurous when it comes to trying out new flavours.
What’s a guy to do? I always try and accommodate the tastes and dietary needs of my guests so I experimented and turned a southern US classic into what could be the rage in Greek barbecue.
I used my tried & tested of applying a dry rub to the ribs, bakes covered in the oven and then finish off uncovered for the last half hour and cut into ribs for a “fall off the bone” finish.
I’m also introducing to you a new ingredient…ground bay leaf! It’s not easy to find but the Portuguese use this alot in their cooking so, look for it a Portuguese market…they’ll have it for sure! It’s aromatic but strong, a little goes a long way.
I can’t wait to serve this to friends and relatives when I visit Greece later this summer. My family and guests were dipping ribs in tzatziki, licking bones, licking fingers, licking their lips!
I handed out some parsley for all to chew on…the garlic breath in the house would have sabotaged any pending business deals the next day!
Baby Back Ribs From the Greek Side
2 racks of pork baby back ribs
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. ground bay
1 tsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. dry thyme
1 Tbsp. seasoning salt
2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
Pre-heated 375F oven
- Using a boning knife, gently scrape the end of the underside of the rib rack. This should loosen some of the silver skin. Pull and tear it off the ribs. Discard,
- Mix all the above ingredients in a jar and stir to mix the contents well.
- Rub the the ribs with the Greek rib mix and work it in with your fingers.
- Allow the rub to penetrate the ribs in the fridge for 3 hours or 1 hour room temperature.
- Allow the ribs to return to room temperature and place on a lined baking tray. Cover the ribs with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
- Cook at for 120 minutes (or until a bone gives away/tender) and then
- Remove the aluminum foil and cook uncovered for the last 20 minutes.
- Serve with some rice, grilled tomatoes and some thick, rib-sticking Tzatziki
We use ground bay leaves here a lot. I think I get them at our grocery store but we have a large Hispanic population so maybe that is why?
These ribs look so good and I love tzatziki way more than bbq sauce any day! DH will love these.
Holy, holy, holy, LORD. Holy shiznit. I’m drooling, I’m dying, I WANT THOSE RIBS NOW. Mutha… ok, I must stop. Seriously, Peter, these look amazing. Dipped in Tzatziki!? You gotta be kidding me? Awesome. Obviously, you don’t know about my absolute love of dipping. I’m also excited about this dish b/c I’m so longing for summer, I am on the verge of crying. Ribs remind me of summer. Greece reminds me of warm weather. And Athens, GA reminds me of REM (another famous band from Athens).
Great post – especially for a cold Friday. – amy @ http://www.weareneverfull.com
I’m licking my computer screen. So far, the ribs only taste like dusty metal. But they look awesome. I’ll have to try it out for the real taste in the near future.
Hi Peter! Looks yumm… yummy and lip smacking rib-a-licious!!!!
I sure will try that out for the summer! err… i think I would have that any season…hehehehe…
You said ground bay leaves? Hmmm, can we use dried bay leaves and ground/crush it using grinder instead? Will the flavor be the same?
Thanks for sharing!
Yuuuuummmm. I’m taking a wee vacay from pork since I’ve been eating so much of it lately (and I’m getting a bit of a tummy on me since quitting smoking), so I will hafta save this for later. But yum.
I know what you mean about ground bay leaf being strong – I forgot to remove one from a rouille once and it got whizzed up with the chilis. It was really bitter and turpene-y. :(
Hey, REM is also from Athens.
BBQ is the best thing on earth… well maybe not the best thing. But GREEK BBQ – that very well may be the best thing on earth. I’ve been obsessing over tzatiki lately, making it for everything from fries to veggies.
Thanks for the moussaka support, if I was smart I would have checked your blog first :) Silly me, not consulting the kalofagas. I’ll not make this mistake again. Thanks!
Ha! Peter, I love this one!!!
Wow, these sure look delicious. Finger lookin’ good for sure!
Just when I thought I had the best rib recipe, you come up with a new one! You are certainly the rib king. All Hail the rib king!
I have photos, sent from all over, from friends and family enjoying your last rib recipe.You should write a rib cook book.
And please..how do you pronounce “tzatziki”?
Pronounced zat-zee-kee. But remember Greece is a large country and there’s always regional variation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H016Jd6tlsM
Now, thats what I call creative cooking…from one Athens to another..very inventive using the tzatziki as a dipping sauce.
I have to look for ground bay leaf. Do you think I can do it myself in a spice grinder, or id there another process involved. Those ribs are to dy for!.
I tried this tonight. Served it to my 91 year old Greek mama who is not a fan of pork. LICKED CLEAN! I ground the bay leaves myself. (Picked and dried them too). I also added some grated fresh lime rind, (because I had a lime)! Very refreshing and helped to mask the pork-y smell for momma! Great recipe. I think I’m going to try that rub on chicken wings! Yum!
Let me guess on the pronunciation of tzatziki: “chot-see-kee’?
Beautiful photos, as usual. I’m guessing this would be a splendid treatment of beef ribs, as well.
OMG… Greek style baby back ribs? I am so completely there.
Judy,you’re probably right, the Spanish use ground bay too.
Amy, theribs were fer shizzle na gizzle!
Psych, see watch you’re missing in TO?
Phoena and Glam, a spice/coffee grinder would work fine…just ensure it’s a fine grind.
Heather, do a little belly dance for us and that pork paunch will be gone!
Randi, don’t hesitate to email me with any Greek queries.
Sam, the natives loved it!
Lori, the plate tasted good too!
MaryANN, I do want to see those photos, grazie.
Pete, Greek food can take many interesting turns.
Marjie, it’s pronounced Dza-Dzi-kee…the Dz as in like suDS.
Ferdzy, Ontario pork all the way!
Oh wow! That is a good looking dish. I just had ribs today, I should’ve come visit your blog earlier :/
Those ribs look good! And the grilled tomatoes. I like the idea of dipping the ribs into tzatziki!
Are you kidding me?? These are to die for!! If that was in front of me right now, I’d be dipping away!!!
Who could resist those ribs. Soon you’ll have the whole neighborhood dropping by Peter.
Peter, Be still my heart! Those ribs look awesome! I’m salivating here! And the tzatziki! I could eat it straight out of the bowl.
Oh my, that last picture with the tzatziki looks amazing.
looks great, but i could like to ask one question – in Greece you know that we cook our meat to a less pinky state – what did you guests think?
Wow, this combination of spices blows me away. No wonder your guests were licking their fingers!
Stop teasing me with your ribs!!! :P Seriously, these sound amazing and now I must get those ribs out of my freezer and attempt the perfect rib recipe for one of the many upcoming fabulous events out there!
Here in Belgium too they sell ribbs like this and i love them, but never tried to make them at home.
Your making us drooling with these juicy ribs. They look great.
Delicious, Peter! You have reminded me that we don’t eat ribs enough. These look SO great.
Did I somehow miss the memo that said “you’re invited for a rib dinner”???? Incredible.
Ben, I thought you didn’t eat pork?
Kevin, it was rib-stickin’ tzatziki.
Marie, if you lived closer, your table setting would have been reserved.
Helene, I do have nosy neighbors when they smell my BBQ.
Happy, these are so easy to prepare.
Ivy, I get ribs in Thes.niki for 1euro/kg…cheap!
Elly, ribs are great in the summer too…enjoy.
Giz, the invite’s on but I’m in Scarberia…Wayne’s World & all!
Sticky, it was delish and screw garlic breath!
Sara, yeah it turned out really good and it was a spontaneous pic.
Cake, these are all greek flavours.
Pixie, they are so good, I might be dubbed St.Pig! lol
Maria, I’m glad you asked this question…they are not rare. In the smoking process the meat develops what is called a ‘smoke ring,’ which is the light pink colored portion of the rib. This is the same phenomenon you see in ham products.
Another amazing recipe — I love ribs and create a spice rub with just a bit of brown sugar to caramelize and give a hint of sweetness. I like the spice mix you’ve put together, especially the ground bay. And the tzatziki is just pure brilliance — YUM. Good job!
Jeez! Greek BBQ! I’m drooling over this. What a cool idea. And I’ve not heard of ground bay leaves, so this might be quite the stoopid question: Are they California or Turkish bay leaves? I always see one or the other in recipes. Do you know?
Oh my! Wow! Damn my teeth hurt because I tried taking a bite of that picture via my monitor :D. Looks incredible and looking at those ingredients I’m sure these ribs are scrumptious.
Oh now this isn’t fair. I just drooled over your osso bucco and now ribs – and with tzatziki no less! You’re killing me Peter!
Oh baby!
Those ribs look so unbelievably juicy and succulent my mouth is watering so much just looking at them!
Dear God these ribs sound heavenly! Tzatziki on ribs? Why don’t I ever come up with these awesomest ever ideas? :P lol Fab-U, Peter. Seriously. :)
Thanks so much for the recipe! – I didn’t have ribs available, but I did have a loin roast that I didn’t know what to do with. I used the rub on that roast, made the tzatziki sauce and warmed some pita breads, and sliced/julienned the roast after letting it rest.
My husband hates pork roast because normally it’s so dry – but he sure was a convert after dinner tonight. :)
Thanks again! :)
Nikki, that’s wonderful news and I’m so happy that it worked well with the pork loin as well.
I do hope you’ll blog about it!
I love Greek ribs. Always looking to vary up pork ribs in our house and this one would be a good addition to the rotation.
Thanks for the recipe!
Ribs? Yum! it can do no wrong.I sure miss the food in Greece…especially the olive oil.
Hi, found you through EatingClub Vancouver’s site. Your recipes make my mouth water.
I’ve been thinking about doing something different with ribs. This looks like the perfect opportunity.
Do you think I could grill them, or even smoke them?
Nate & Annie, thanks so much and welcome.
You could grill and smoke them…indirect heat, low & slow that that the meat falls off the bone.
What is meant by seasoning salt? Like Lawrys? Thanks, Dena
Yes, or something similar.
Thank you for this incredible recipe. We love it. I have made it a few times since I found it on your blog. I serve it with Greek Roasted Lemon Potatoes and a Greek salad, and the use of homemade Tzatziki as a rib sauce is brilliant. That is the only way I eat ribs.