Meat on the side meal #1

Well dinner last night didn't turn out just as planned but it was still good.
I ended up making the chick pea spinach pilaf with peppered smothered country style pork ribs and caramelized onions. I know what you might be thinking onion as a side,  onions have amazing nutritional value they are low in cost and way tastier then just a topping or accompaniment.
So onto the recipe

Chick Pea and Spinach Pilaf:
2 tbls olive oil
1 medium onion,  small dice
1 tbls of minced garlic
2 cups of brown rice
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 1/2 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 can or 1 1/2 cup cooked dry chick peas
16 oz of frozen spinach
1/2 cup of cheese,  I used mozzarella

Peppered Smothered Country Style Pork Ribs:
Serving 8. 6 oz servings
3 lbs country style pork ribs, I cut them in half so the portions were 4-6 oz each
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls butter
Brine:
1 gallon of water
3/4 cup of salt
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of Apple cider vinegar
2 tbls of cinnamon
1/4 cup of pepper
2 tbls celery flakes
Peppered Gravy:
4 tbls of flour
2 tbls pepper
2 cups of milk

Caramelized Onions
3 large onions, 1/4 inch slices
S & P to taste

Instructions for pork and onions
Mix all of the ingredients of the Brine together bring to boil and let it cool Once cool add pork let set 4 hours.
Take out of the fridge and rinse throughly set on paper towels to dry.
Heat a heavy bottom pan once hot add butter and oil.
Place pork ribs into pan but don't crowd the pan I did two batches. Once done place the pork on a cooling rack and put in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while making the onions and gravy.
Once pork is fully cooked add the onions to the drippings and use the onions to scrape the bottoms.
Once softened remove leaving as much of the oil as possible and add the flour once it smells slightly nutty add the milk and pepper.
Once thickened add the pork ribs back and cook on low for 10 minutes

Instructions for the pilaf:
Heat a covered pot up and add oil,  once hot add onions and sauté until softened about 5 minutes,  add garlic and rice stir and cook for 10 minutes add liquid don't stir and let cook for 45 minutes once cooked add the rest of the ingredients and let cook an additional 10 minutes and serve.