Classic & Korean-style baby back ribs

I love me some ribs.

But sometimes, after going through the same rotation of meals for the umpteenth week, you stare at a rack of ribs and think, "I wanna try something different." Which is why, my friends, I present to you the Korean-style baby back ribs.

Image 1. Ribs with brown sugar & paprika rub

Of course, I needed to insure myself for potential damages (i.e. if my Korean ribs suck), so I divided the ribs in half and cooked up a batch of classic baby back ribs as well, complete with homemade barbecue sauce from scratch. That's right. You get two recipes in one post.

Image 2. Dat BBQ sauce.

So let's get started!

First, we have to make a marinade for the Korean ribs. As you may already know, Korean ribs already exist as a legitimate Korean food (LA galbi), but the ribs are beef and cut laterally instead of along the bone.

Some brief research will reveal that Korean beef dishes such as galbi and bulgogi require Asian pear or apple puree. To that I say, ain't nobody got time for that. My solution to this predicament was applesauce! Just be sure to purchase the unsweetened kind with no additional flavors.

My applesauce-infused marinade recipe is as follows:

• 3 lbs of baby back ribs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup alcohol (soju, rice wine, cooking wine, etc) - I used cabernet
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• water

While you soak the ribs in water, mix all the ingredients (except for water) in a large tupperware (or any other container large enough to contain the ribs). Rinse the ribs and place half of them in the container (the other half will be used for the second recipe), then fill with water until fully immersed. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Image 3. Marinating

Meanwhile, make some rice in your rice cooker. This is mine. It sings to me.

Meanwhile, make your dipping sauce for the side veggies (also called ssamjang). The ingredients for this dip are typically only found in Asian supermarkets, so feel free to omit this step if you want.

• 2 tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
• 1 tbsp hot pepper paste (gochujang)
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Just mix thoroughly until it looks like this:

Image 4. Ssamjang

Now for the classic baby back ribs. You have two options; you could either a) slow cook them for 2 hours at 300F or b) boil them first, then cook them for only 1 hour at 300F. I chose the latter because I was hungry. Either way, you need to smother them in a rub before popping them in the oven, which consists of something like this:

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder

Once that's in the oven (it should look like Image 1 above), it's time for the homemade barbecue sauce, which is sinfully simple. You just need:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (use apple cider if you have it)
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp mustard (use 1 tsp dry mustard seed if you have it, I obviously did not)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• water

Place all ingredients in a pot and simmer for 1 hour. Add as much or as little water as you like depending on the desired consistency.

When the ribs are ready, take them out of the oven. They should be pretty well cooked, like this:

Image 5. Baked ribs

Pour the finished BBQ sauce over the ribs, and cook at 425F for about 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to seep in.

That's about it for the classic ribs. As for the Korean-style ribs, take the marinade-infused ribs out of the fridge and grill them over medium heat.

I actually ended up adding a little bit more soy sauce, then reducing the liquid to pour over the ribs after they were done. I served them with the white rice, veggies, and the ssamjang I prepared earlier.

Image 6. Korean-style baby back ribs, done!

The taste was more like bulgogi than galbi, to be completely honest. That doesn't mean they weren't delicious, though. :)

The baby back ribs turned out exactly as you would expect: nice and tender with a healthy dose of BBQ sauce. I served them with frozen pierogies & applesauce as well as veggies & ranch dip!

Image 7. Classic baby back ribs, done!

They were both great, so if you can't decide between the two, just try both the way I did. Good luck!

P.S. Do you guys like the video clips I've incorporated into my recipes? I thought they would accurately depict certain aspects of the cooking process that don't translate well into photographs (at least, they don't on mine because I suck at taking pictures). Let me know! :)