Easy Asian-Style Baby Back Ribs

It's the combination of savory and sweet that make this recipe one of my favorites.

Ireland, like a lot of Europe, still has butchers, and while supermarkets can make one-stop shopping easier, I love dropping by one of the local, family-run butchers not just to buy the staples but to get surprised and inspired.  

I ran into the local butcher in nearby Balbriggan to pick up some steaks and noticed they had beautiful meaty baby back pork ribs. There were about 15 rib bones — short, but meaty — and while I had not planned on making ribs for dinner last night, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make something fun and interesting.

This is a combination of recipes from the Interwebs, so you’re authorized to improvise as you see fit.

Ingredients

• One rack of pork ribs, the meatier, the better

• 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil

• 1/2 teaspoon. baking soda

• 1- to 3-tablespoons of chili oil (authentic Lau Gan Ma) or dried chili flake (depending on how spicy you want your ribs)

• 1 two-inch nob of fresh ginger, grated

• 3 cloves of garlic, grated

• 2 scallions finely chopped

• 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey

• 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing cooking wine (or Japanese Mirin or dry cooking sherry)

• Sea or Kosher salt to dry marinate

• Crushed black pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (Optional, but if you want that authentic Chinese restaurant experience, I totally recommend it.)

• Plastic freezer bag

Do yourself a favor, and the next time you’re in an Asian market or in your local Chinatown, pick up a jar of Lau Gan Ma (Lao Gan Ma). It’s an amazing chili oil, it comes in varieties, some with tofu, others with roasted peanuts. All variations are on a basic, rich, spicy, warming chili oil that adds heat and umami to any dish.

If you can’t find Lau Gan Ma, Asian dried chili flakes are a fine substitute. Again, you can get these in most Asian markets. It’s particularly popular in Korean food.

Now, I season the ribs with salt and leave them on the rack in the fridge to dry out for about an hour, it helps keep the meat tender.

Once you’ve got all your ingredients for the marinade, just place them all in a mixing bowl and go at it will a fork or a whisk to incorporate the flavors.

Toss the garlic, ginger, and scallions in a bowl with honey, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili oil or chili flakes, the Shaoxing cooking wine, sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

This is a little secret I picked up watching Asia-based, yet English-speaking YouTube channels like Souped Up Recipes with the delightful Mandy Fu Manli, or Chinese Cooking Demystified hosted by Chris Thomas and Stephanie Li. The baking soda helps the meat break down and become even more tender.

The reason I’ve called this recipe “Asian-Style” is that like a lot of authentic recipes, there are often regional and family traditions that go into the recipe.

Admit it, it looks like savory soup, and, to be fair, you could simmer this into a lovely dipping sauce for fried chicken wings, or spring rolls.

Next, take the ribs from the fridge place them in a large freezer bag, and add the marinade.

Toss the ribs in the marinade. I like to let them marinate for a good two to four hours as I want the meat to begin to break down as well as absorb enough of the sugars to give great caramelization during the cooking process. But you can let them marinate for 20- to 30-minutes and that should be enough.

When you’re ready to begin cooking, pre-heat your oven to C200-F390 degrees for at least a half-hour or you can fire up the charcoal or gas grill.

When grilling, I like to heat the grill to about C200-F390. I have a three-burner gas grill, so when I am ready to cook, I then turn off the middle burner and put the ribs bone-side down on the grill where there is no direct flame.

Unlike using the oven, grilled ribs cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them, I find 10-minutes, bone-side down, then flip them, meat-side down over flame for the last 5 minutes to sear the meat and finish them off.

If you’re using the oven method, use a broiler tray with a grate. Fill the tray, depending on its depth or shallowness, with a 1/2 - to 1-inch of water. Place the ribs on the rack and place them tray in the middle of your oven.

Once you’ve closed the oven door, lower to the oven to C165-F325 degrees and let the ribs cook for a minimum of 30-minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your ribs.

I love even crispiness, so after 20-minutes, I flip the rack. I’ve seen some recipes that you should brush the ribs every ten minutes with your remaining marinade, but these are based on Chinese ribs, not ‘Murican BBQ, so I want a drier, crispier coat when they’re done cooking.

Ribs are always packed with flavor, and this marinade—or a variation of it—helps contain the fatty, juiciness of this cut of meat. Serve it with fluffy white rice, which I think compliments the savory, spicy heat of the ribs. 

Enjoy!