TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Costine di Maiale al Forno alla SardaSardinian Oven-Roasted Pork Ribs
A traditional Sardinian way of cooking pork, descended from shepherds roasting it over mountain wood fires. Ribs are marinated with fennel, rosemary and myrtle berries, or juniper, then crisped in a hot oven. The same rustic approach used by the island’s shepherds makes the meat around the bones the most delicious part.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Pork spare ribsCut between the bones or roast as whole racks1500 g (2 racks)
- Fresh rosemaryStrip and finely chop the leaves4 sprigs
- Fennel seedsLightly crush with your fingers to release the aroma10 g (1 tbsp)
- Myrtle or juniper berriesLightly crush; an emblematic Sardinian spice10 berries
- GarlicGrated or finely chopped4 cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil50 ml
- LemonSqueeze over to finish1
- Coarse salt15 g
Method
Make the marinade
- 1 Finely chop the leaves from 4 rosemary sprigs.
- 2 Grate or finely chop 4 garlic cloves.
- 3 In a bowl, combine the rosemary, 10 g fennel seeds crushed with your fingers, 10 crushed myrtle berries, garlic, 15 g coarse salt, pepper and 50 ml olive oil.
Marinate
- 1 Rub the marinade all over 1500 g spare ribs.
- 2 Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Ready when
Continue when the herbs and salt have settled onto the surface and the meat has darkened slightly.
Preheat the oven and arrange the ribs
- 1 Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- 2 Arrange the ribs on a baking tray, bone-side down.
Roast
- 1 Roast at 220°C for 20 minutes to set the surface.
- 2 Lower the temperature to 160°C, cover with aluminum foil and roast for a further 60 minutes.
- 3 Remove the foil for the final 10 minutes to crisp the surface.
Ready when
They are ready when the surface is crisp and the interior is cooked through.
Portion and finish
- 1 Cut between the bones into portions.
- 2 Squeeze over 1 lemon to finish.
About this dish
Barbagia, in Sardinia’s interior, is a land of shepherds and rugged rocky mountains. Its people have grazed sheep and goats for thousands of years, and its cooking is simple and forceful, with nothing unnecessary. Pork ribs marinated with fennel, rosemary and myrtle and then roasted are the modern version of food shepherds cooked beside wood fires.
Myrtle is a shrub native to Sardinia that grows across the island. Its berries have a distinctive bittersweet aroma and are widely used in Sardinian meat dishes, liqueurs and desserts. They are hard to find in Japan, but juniper berries have a similar aromatic profile and work as a substitute.
Leaving the ribs to marinate overnight before roasting is important. It takes time for herbs to penetrate their thick meat; a few hours flavors only the surface. Overnight, the herbal aroma reaches the interior.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
Bring every dish to the table at its best.
Choose the dishes you want to cook, and Chef Authen handles the shopping list and the day-of schedule. The Tabelia app turns everything from starter to main into one coordinated course in your kitchen.
- One shopping listBuilt automatically from your menu and any substitutions, ready to check off.
- One timelineEvery dish’s waiting and cooking time combined into a single schedule.
- Answers beyond the recipeFrom judging the heat to adapting on the fly, Chef Authen answers with concrete criteria, not guesses.