Conclave Baby Back Ribs

Marinated baby back ribs served with a garlic and sapa sauce and roasted onions

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City/Region: Italy

Time Period: 1570

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We actually know a fair bit about what was served at the 1549 papal conclave thanks to one of the first celebrity chefs, Bartolomeo Scappi, who was in charge of the food. In his incredible book, Opera dell’arte del cucinare, or Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi, he includes not only recipes that would have been served to the cardinals, but illustrations showing the many steps for preparing and transporting the food.

Dishes like these ribs would have been tested for poison, inspected for secret messages, put in special containers, and delivered via a sort of turntable.

A lot of hassle, but these ribs would be worth it. They’re so tender and the flavors of the rub and sauce are complex and delicious. It’s not as sweet as a modern barbecue sauce, but strikes a lovely balance between the sweetness of the sapa (reduced grape must) and the sharp and savory flavors of the vinegar, garlic, and coriander seeds. You could certainly make more sauce, but I think this amount is really nice.

“Different ways to cook the back ribs of a domestic pig
If the pig is young, the ribs can be roasted on the spit with the rind, or without, and with onions split in the pan, which are cooked with the fat that drips from the meat as it cooks…and before it is put on the spit, it is sprinkled with salt and ground coriander seed. You could also let the ribs stand in a marinade of vinegar, grape must syrup, garlic cloves and coriander, and then cook it on the spit in the above way, serving it hot with a sauce on top made of the same seasoning…”

— Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi, 1570

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Ingredients:

Ribs

• 1 rack, about 2 lbs (1 kg) baby back ribs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2-3 small onions, I used white

Marinade

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sapa/saba*

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons sapa/saba*

*See notes below.

Instructions:

1. To prepare the ribs: If your ribs still have the silver skin on the back, you can remove it if you’d like. This isn’t necessary, but it makes for a more pleasant texture in the end. To remove the silver skin, carefully pry it up with a sharp knife (often easier said than done), then you should be able to peel it off. A paper towel is helpful for getting a better grip on the silver skin.
2. Sprinkle the salt evenly over both sides of the ribs and rub it in, then do the same with the ground coriander.
3. For the marinade: Crush the garlic, then whisk it together with the ground coriander, red wine vinegar, and sapa.
4. Set the ribs on a large piece of aluminum foil. Brush the marinade evenly over both sides of the ribs, using all of the marinade. Wrap the ribs up tightly in the foil and place them in the fridge to marinate overnight.
5. To cook the ribs: Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Place a wire rack on a baking sheet.
6. Peel and chop the onions into quarters. Unwrap the marinated ribs and place the onion quarters underneath the ribs.
7. Rewrap the ribs tightly and place them on the wire rack and baking sheet, and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
8. When the meat is falling off the bone, they’re done. For extra authenticity, you can open up the foil and place the ribs under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to darken them and better emulate Scappi’s open fires.
9. To make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the pan along with the ground coriander. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the red wine vinegar and the sapa and bring it to a simmer, then simmer for 2 minutes. The sauce will be fairly thin, much thinner than a modern barbecue sauce.
10. To serve: Pour the sauce over the ribs, carve them as you like, and serve them forth with the onions.

Notes

• Saba, or sapa, is grape must that has been reduced down to a syrup. It can be expensive, so you can reduce some grape juice instead to about 1/3 of your starting amount. It won't be as complex as saba, but it will work just fine.
• Link to saba: https://amzn.to/4jpZeJ8

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