Recipes

Special Spice Spare Ribs

For the sparerib and beef recipes, I used Bruce Banner buds at 24 percent THC. I love smoking this strain for its potency and uplifting high without any associated raciness so it makes sense for me to infuse foods with it. Know, however, that after infusing foods with specific strains, the differences in effect compared to smoking are considerably subtler.

—Laurie Wolf

  • 2 teaspoons decarboxylated cannabis
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 1×2 inch pieces orange peel
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 pounds pork spare ribs, cut in 2- to 3-inch pieces
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • ½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
  • 1 cup rice wine
  • 2/3 cup fermented black beans with garlic
  • ½ cup hoisin sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
  • 1 cup pork or chicken stock
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 F. Place the cannabis, black peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon stick and orange peel in the center of an 8×8-inch piece of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle using kitchen twine; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil and sear the ribs on all sides; transfer to a platter. Lower heat, remove excess oil and saute garlic, ginger and chili pepper.

In a medium bowl combine the rice wine, black bean paste, hoisin, water, soy, oyster sauce and honey if using; add to the skillet and scrape the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and cheesecloth sachet.

Return the ribs to the pan. Cover and braise until fork tender, about 2 to 3 hours. Stir a few times.

Puree the sauce in a blender before serving. Moisten the ribs with the sauce, sprinkle with green onions and serve extra sauce on the side. Makes 8 servings.