Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown ribs on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.

Pour off all but 1 tsp of fat from skillet, add onion, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, cinnamon, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and reserved juice. Nestle ribs into sauce along with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, turning ribs occasionally, until meat is very tender and falling off the bones, about 2 hours.

Transfer ribs to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred meat into bite-sized pieces using 2 forks; discard excess fat and bones. Using wide, shallow spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Stir shredded meat and any accumulated juices into sauce and bring to simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tbsp salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce and parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Serve with parmesan.

VARIATION: Rigatoni with Minted Lamb Ragu. Substitute 1 ½ lbs bone-in lamb shoulder chops, trimmed, for short ribs, 1 tsp minced fresh oregano for thyme, and 3 tbsp minced fresh mint for parsley. Increase ground cinnamon to ¾ tsp and ground cloves to ⅛ tsp.