Dwaeji Galbi/Kalbi (Korean-Style Pork Ribs)

For this July 4th weekend, I made dwaeji galbi, pork ribs, which is another Korean favorite BBQ dish. I like to use baby back ribs (aka pork loin back ribs) for grilling because they are tender and take less time to cook than that of spare ribs. This time, I made the ribs with two different Korean marinades. The first one is sweet and savory similar to the beef galbi marinade. The other one is the traditional spicy pork marinade similar to that used in jeyuk bokkeum. It is slightly sweet with a lot of kick. The secret to tasty Korean pork ribs is to use lots of fresh garlic and ginger. I usually roast the ribs in the oven, covered, at a low temperature and then finish off under the broiler or on the grill until they are slightly charred and caramelized. The ribs were a nice change from my usual dry rub and BBQ sauce version.

Ingredients:
Each marinade is for 2 whole slabs (5 – 7 pounds) of baby back ribs.

Sweet and Savory Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine (or mirin)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar (preferably dark brown)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2 medium onion, grated
1/2 medium sweet apple (Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious), grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


Spicy Marinade:
2/3 cup Korean red/hot pepper paste
(gochujang – adjust to your taste)

3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2 medium onion, grated
1/2 medium sweet apple (Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious), grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Prepare the ingredients for the marinade you have chosen to make. Mix all of the ingredients well.

Cut each slab of the ribs into two pieces for easier handling. Rinse the ribs and drain. Coat the ribs well with the marinade, and marinate them for at least six hours (preferably overnight). Turn them over once after half of the marinating time has passed.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the ribs, meat side down, on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Bake them for 1.5 hours. (you can bake them 30 additional minutes if you want fall off the bones tenderness). Remove the foil cover.

At this point, you can finish off the ribs by one of the following two steps:

1. Change the oven setting to broil and preheat for a few minutes. Then broil the ribs for 4 – 6 minutes on each side, or until the ribs are slightly charred, and the sauce is caramelized. Baste the ribs with the sauce while broiling.

2. Preheat the grill and grill the ribs over medium heat for 5 – 8 minutes on each side, or until the ribs are slightly charred and the sauce is caramelized. Baste the ribs with the sauce while grilling.