When you live—and cook—in Kentucky, you need to know your ribs. Chef Edward Lee starts his baby back rib recipe with a classic dry rub, then cooks the racks low and slow in a sauce spiked with spicy gochujang, a nod to his Korean roots. (Note: Ribs need to chill overnight in the fridge, so plan ahead!)
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Deselect All
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups gochujang, Korean fermented chili paste, available at Asian markets or online
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika, sweet or smoked
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 racks baby back ribs, about 3½?4 pounds
Instructions
- BBQ sauce: In a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a simmer over low heat. Cook uncovered, 1–2 hours. (Note: Sauce can also be made while the ribs are baking during the first hour, Step 3.)
- Ribs: Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Place ribs on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle rub all over the ribs, using more on the meaty side. Massage the rub into the meat (tip: wear non-latex gloves for easy cleanup). Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Remove ribs from refrigerator and wrap each rack tightly in foil. Place them in a roasting pan side by side and bake 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can smoke the ribs, uncovered, in a smoker at 220 degrees F for 1 hour.)
- Take the ribs from the oven and remove the foil. Return the ribs to roasting pan; pour any liquid in the foil over the ribs. Pour the BBQ sauce over the ribs. Loosely cover pan with foil and bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, basting halfway through.
- Assembly: Remove ribs from oven and place on a cutting board. Cut into two-rib portions and serve stacked on a platter, with extra sauce from the pan on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 22 servings |
| Calories | 312 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 78 mg |
| Sodium | 397 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 22 servings |
| Calories | 312 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 78 mg |
| Sodium | 397 mg |
Reviews
For something as labor and time-intensive as ribs, it sucks when you get a bad recipe. But this one was bad. I followed the directions verbatim, even let the dry rub sit overnight, and I ended up with ribs that were way too tough. The sauce itself was not great; it was too heavy and ketchup-y. I wish it had been good. But part of the reason I tried this out was because of the good reviews; this is just my review saying: this ain’t the one.
I used this rub and sauce recipe on bone-in country style ribs. EXCELLENT!
Fantastic
Really good. I cut the gochujang in half because my family doesn’t like too spicy, but the sauce is excellent. Cooked them on the grill for same time and temp as the recipe. Next time will cook them on the smoker and for longer.
So, so, so good! My daughter was craving Korean ribs, so we made these today. We did do a final caramelization on the grill. We couldn’t stop eating them.
All I can say is, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR !!!
BEST RIBS I EVER HAD !!!
BEST RIBS I EVER HAD !!!
It sounded really good.
INSANE!!!!! HERE I THOUGHT MINE WAS THE BEST LOL!!!
THANK YOU.
Awesome!!!