Ribs with Spicy "Pickled" Cucumber, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Sesame Paste Green Beans

Um, what can I say. The ribs were rubbed with almost every spice in the pantry and finished with some barbecue sauce from Whole Foods. I regret not making my own sauce, but Monday night is not the ideal time to be experimenting. The cucumber was marinated with brown rice vinegar, turbinado sugar, salt, garlic, chili paste, and sesame oil. The slaw was red cabbage, red onion, and carrot in a light dressing of lemon juice, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard seed, mustard, and a little mayonnaise. The green beans were simply blanched and served with a sesame paste dipping sauce (sesame paste, sesame oil, garlic, brown rice vinegar, turbinado sugar, salt, and soy sauce). It's probably my favorite way of eating green beans...totally reminds me of my childhood.

HOW TO:

Start with a rub. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, turbinado sugar, curry powder, a little cinnamon, cayenne, and cajun seasoning. I probably forgot something. There may have been a little chili powder as well. Marinate overnight in a ziploc. In the morning, add some barbecue sauce and marinate until dinner time. Bake at 325ºF covered with foil for two hours, flipping and basting halfway through. Raise the temperature to 475ºF, remove the foil, baste one last time, and bake for 15 minutes.