Korean gochujang ribs

Gochujang is one of my favorite ingredients. It’s a thick, spicy, dark red paste that’s made from fermented red chilies. Found in the Korean section of your Asian market, it’s a staple in Korean cooking. In this recipe, it finds its way into a sweet, salty and spicy barbecue sauce that’s slathered on tender baby back ribs. I also use it on lettuce wraps  or mixed in with noodles to add a nice level of heat. I keep a tub of it in my fridge at all times and once you’ve tried it, you will too!

One thing I love about this recipe is that the ribs are cooked in the oven ahead of time with salt, pepper and a little beer. They’re then finished on the grill with the sauce. So you can make them ahead for a quick weeknight dinner or a low-effort dinner for guests. I also cut a few ribs off before adding the sauce and put plain barbecue sauce on them for my kids who I knew wouldn’t like the heat.

Korean gochujang ribs

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

2 hours 36 mins

Total time

2 hours 41 mins

 

Korean gochujang ribs are slathered with a spicy sweet sauce.

Author: adapted from Small Victories by Julia Turshen

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Korean

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. baby back ribs
• 1 12-oz. bottle lager or pilsner beer
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup gochujang
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Place ribs in a roasting pan and sprinkle them all over with salt and pepper. Pour the beer around them and cover the pan with foil.
3. Roast for 2 and a half hours or until tender. Cool. Recipe can be prepared to this point ahead and then refrigerated for a few days before finishing.
4. Preheat a grill on high heat.
5. Transfer ribs to a platter and pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the garlic, gochujang, honey, fish sauce and soy sauce. Boil until thickened, about 5 minutes.
6. Brush ribs with some of the sauce and grill them for 3 minutes per side, basting them with more sauce as they cook. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

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