Thai Barbecue Ribs Recipes

THAI PORK RIBS (SII KHRONG MUU TAI NAAM)

Steps:

• Paste: Prepare ingredients to make the paste. Peel and thinly slice galangal and turmeric; thinly slice cilantro roots. Trim lemongrass stems, then discard tough outer layers; slice into thin coins. Slice chiles into ½-inch pieces. Peel garlic cloves, then roughly chop.
• Place the mortar and pestle on a towel to keep it sturdy. Chef Ricker advises adding ingredients from hardest to softest texture when making a paste. Place dried chiles into the mortar along with a pinch of salt; pound until chiles are flaky. Add peppercorns and continue pounding, followed by galangal, turmeric, and cilantro root. As the ingredients are added, a rough paste will begin to form. Continue by adding lemongrass, garlic, and green chiles. When all of the ingredients have broken down to a rough pulp, the paste is ready. Makes about ⅓ cup.
• Ribs: Place rack meat-side down on a cutting board. Cut into individual ribs and place in a bowl. Stack lime leaves, roll like a cigar, slice very thinly (this is called a chiffonade), and set aside. Season ribs with a pinch of salt, fish sauce, sugar, and MSG (optional); toss to coat with your hands. Add the paste and 1 teaspoon sliced lime leaf, reserving the rest for garnish, and massage the ingredients into the ribs until they're evenly coated. Let rest uncovered at room temperature, 1 hour.
• Add oil to a pot over medium-high heat; when it's smoking, add ribs meat-side down in an even layer. Turn heat to medium-low (to prevent paste from burning) and brown the ribs, 6-8 minutes.
• While ribs are browning, add 5 pounds ice cubes to the bowl, along with enough water to cover the ice. When ribs are browned, turn them over and reduce heat to low. Place the bowl with ice slurry on the pot so it completely seals off the top. The steam will rise and condense on the cold surface of the bowl, then drip back onto the ribs, creating a self-basting cooking environment.
• Garnish: While ribs are cooking, trim and thinly slice the scallion. Roughly chop cilantro. Fold sawtooth leaves in half and julienne into ⅛-inch slices. Mix together scallion, cilantro, and sawtooth and set aside, along with remaining lime leaf.
• After 15 minutes, remove bowl from pot and turn the ribs over. Pour out melted ice slurry and replenish with another 5 lbs ice cubes and water. Add a pinch of salt to the ice water to keep it cold a little longer. Place bowl over pot and continue cooking, 15 more minutes.
• After 30 minutes of total cooking, remove the bowl. Continue cooking ribs uncovered to reduce the cooking liquid in the pot, 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt, sugar, and fish sauce; remove from heat. Place ribs on a serving platter, and spoon paste from the pot over them. Garnish with chopped herbs (scallions, cilantro, sawtooth) and lime leaves. Serve.

THAI-STYLE BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill; when the coals are all covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium-low (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 7 seconds), you're ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium-low.)
• Sprinkle the ribs generously with salt and pepper, place them on the grill directly over the coals, and cook until a peek inside shows that the meat no longer has any pink at the center, about 10 to 12 minutes per side.
• When the rib racks come off the grill, cut them into individual ribs and place in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, toss to coat, season with more salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

MARINATED THAI-STYLE PORK SPARERIBS

Steps:

• 1. Put the shallots, scallions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process to a loose, finely chopped paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
• 2. Place pork ribs in a large bowl or a pair of heavy resealable plastic bags. Thoroughly coat the ribs with the marinade, massaging the paste into the flesh for a minute or so. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours or up to 5 hours in the refrigerator, tossing the ribs once or twice during this time.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the ribs out, bone-side down, on two large, parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until ribs are deeply colored and very tender but not yet falling from the bone, about 11/2 hours, occasionally rotating the pans to encourage even cooking. Remove from the oven and serve with small bowls of Thai Chile-Herb Dipping Sauce .

THAI-STYLE SPARE RIBS

Steps:

• Lay the ribs flat in a roasting pan. (You will have 4 long pieces.) Season lightly with salt on both sides.
• Make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, tamarind paste, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne. Add the wine and 1/4 cup hot water and whisk well.
• Pour marinade over ribs to completely coat. Marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, turning once or twice, or cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 250 degrees. Transfer the roasting pan, uncovered, to the rack. Roast ribs for 1 1/2 hours, basting with pan juices and turning ribs over every 20 minutes or so. If pan juices seem to be drying out or burning, add a little water to the pan. (Alternatively, cook ribs over indirect heat in a covered charcoal grill, turning ribs every 20 minutes or so.)
• Pour juices from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Spoon off fat from surface of sauce, then simmer sauce for a few minutes until slightly thickened, then use the juices to paint the ribs.
• Turn up oven heat to 400 degrees. Return ribs to oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until nicely glazed. (Alternatively, return ribs to the grill to glaze.)
• Use a sharp knife to divide ribs, cutting between the bones. Pile ribs onto a platter, sprinkle with garlic chives and cilantro, and serve.