Recipe: IBM Watson's Fennel-Spiced Ribs
This past summer, in collaboration with Bon Appetit, IBM released an app titled "Chef Watson with Bon Appetit," which allows home cooks to draw on the advanced cognitive capabilities of its Watson supercomputer, to create entirely new recipes, using novel combinations of flavors and textures.
The following recipe was created in conjunction with Chef Watson.
Fennel-Spiced Ribs with Tangy Apple-Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
Ribs:
1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 Racks baby back pork ribs (about 6 lb.)
Sauce and Assembly:
¼ cup apple juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. hot Chinese mustard
Preparation:
Ribs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast coriander and fennel seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then finely chop with a knife or coarsely grind in a spice mill. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in salt, oregano, rosemary, sugar, chili powder, and paprika.
Place each rack of ribs on double-layered sheets of foil; sprinkle spice mixture all over ribs. Wrap and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake ribs until very tender but meat is not falling from the bone, about 2 hours.
Carefully unwrap ribs (there will be a lot of steam) and transfer to a platter; let cool. Pour any cooking juices from foil into a heatproof measuring cup; set aside.
Do ahead: Ribs can be baked 3 days ahead (the flavor will intensify and the cold ribs will hold together better when reheated). Cover and chill juices. Cover ribs and chill.
Sauce and Assembly:
Prepare grill for high heat. Whisk apple juice, vinegar, oyster sauce, bourbon, brown sugar, oil, Dijon mustard, and Chinese mustard into reserved rib juices.
Grill ribs, turning and basting with sauce often, until heated through, glazed, and charred in spots, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut racks between bones into individual ribs. Transfer to a platter and serve with remaining sauce alongside.