The super spice you need for the ultimate grilled pork ribs

Mary Sue Milliken’s grilled pork ribs are bold, spicy, herbaceous, slightly sticky and sweet-sour, lightly cured with a homemade seasoning — the recipe for it has evolved over several years — and glazed with balsamic vinegar and drippings.

“They are pretty much all-in addictive,� says Milliken. “You make these at home, and I promise you are going to have a lot of fans.�

The legendary Southern California chef, TV show host, cookbook author and activist has fast hands. She quickly strips the leaves from sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme; peels and grates garlic; and grinds fennel seeds using a mortar and pestle. Mixing spices, chiles and aromatics with olive oil, she stirs nonchalantly with her fingers and moves so deftly … who needs a spoon?

Grabbing a nearly three-pound rack of pork ribs, she says: “After all these years of being a chef I’ve learned a lot. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but when I do eat meat, I love a really good quality and I love to treat it with so much respect.�

Chef Mary Sue Milliken’s pork ribs at the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen in El Segundo, CA on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)

She sprinkles salt and pepper carefully all over the ribs — into “every little nook and cranny,� including the ends of the bones — and slathers them with her rub of spices and herbs, then lets them sit overnight uncovered in the refrigerator so that they dry a little and all of the flavors concentrate into the meat.

Inspired by a recipe from meat expert Bruce Aidells’ “Complete Book of Pork,� Milliken has added her own twists and has upped the herbs and spices by three or four times, she says. Adaptability is built into the recipe, allowing for cooks to follow their palates.

The thing that really makes the spice rub sing? “In my opinion it’s the fennel,� Milliken says. “And it’s a lot.�

With a mortar and pestle (at home it’s a green marble one she bought at a local Thai market 40 years ago for $15), she crushes the seeds, releasing their herbaceous, anise-y scent and flavor.

She says it reminds her of the rigatoni once served at City Cafe — the first restaurant she opened with longtime friend and business partner Susan Feniger (they have since opened many more, including Socalo in Santa Monica, Border Grill in Las Vegas and Alice B. in Palm Springs) — stuffed with chicken and fennel mousse.

“I think one thing people don’t actually realize, though, is they’re a little bit afraid sometimes of spices, and they don’t realize that we chefs use a lot of spices and a lot of garlic and a lot of chile and a lot of herbs,� she says. “And when people come and eat the food, they love it. So don’t be afraid ... of really pushing the boundaries.�

Find the full recipe for Milliken’s ribs, along with more grilling favorites, below.

You can watch Milliken make the ribs in the latest installment of L.A. Times Food’s “Chef That!� video series.

Check out Socalo at L.A. Times Food Bowl on Sunday, Sept. 22, noon to 3 p.m. at the Paramount Pictures Studios backlot.

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Mary Sue Milliken’s Fennel And Herb Grilled Ribs

Mary Sue Milliken ups the spices and herbs for maximum-flavor ribs. Cure them overnight. Then take the time to roast the ribs on the barbecue with indirect heat, glazing them with an aged balsamic vinegar. Milliken was inspired by a recipe from meat expert Bruce Aidells but upped the seasoning, and the result is supercharged flavor.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus overnight curing time. Makes 1 rack of ribs.

(Stephanie Breijo/Los Angeles Times)

Greek-ish Grilled Half Chickens

This half-chicken is marinated in a creamy dressing of oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, garlic and lemon zest. The egg helps the marinade cling to the chicken while grilling so its flavorings penetrate the chicken.
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Cook time: 2 1/2 hours, mostly unattended. Serves 4 to 8.

(Silvia Razgova/Silvia Razgova )

Poc Chuc (Orange-And-Lime-Marinated Grilled Pork)

Cookbook author Rick Martinez says, “The first thing that drew me to this dish is how beautiful it is — charred onion, fresh radish and avocado give a pop of color to the citrusy, charred pork steaks. The flavor of the meat is so bright and immediately takes me back to Valladolid, a beautiful town about an hour and a half inland from Tulum. It was there that I first tried poc chuc.� It’s a signature dish of the Yucatán with Mayan origins. Martinez slices the pork very thinly so that it absorbs the fresh orange and lime marinade quickly and thoroughly. It also means a quick cook time on a hot grill. Ask your butcher to thinly slice your pork shoulder.
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Cook time: 45 minutes, plus 2 hours 30 minutes resting. Serves 6 to 8.

(Ren Fuller/Ren Fuller)

Grilled L.A. Kalbi

Kalbi marinade is sweetened with a blend of pear and maple syrup so that it caramelizes onto the meat. Serve the short ribs over steamed rice and with shiso leaves for wrapping and chiles and scallions for topping. Potato salad is also great on the side, says former L.A. Times cooking editor Genevieve Ko.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak With Pistachio Gremolata And Charred Balsamic Broccolini

Chef Vartan Abgaryan’s steak is served with a floral herb and citrus gremolata, teeming with sweet poached garlic cloves and a side of grilled broccolini dressed in a tart balsamic vinaigrette. Ask your butcher for a 3-inch-thick bone-in rib-eye steak, cut from the chuck end. Because these steaks are so large, it is important to remove them from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook them, so that they cook evenly.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 50 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

(Los Angeles Times)