I love pork. I love pork ribs. Low and slow BBQ ribs are a wonderful thing. But they aren’t the only thing. That’s what I don’t get.
Thai ribs are a great way to mix things up
Why limit yourself? Do you know more than one way to cook chicken? Is there only one way to prepare fish? And yet when you think about ribs you only go to one place? How does that make any sense? This is different. Thai flavours. Dipping sauce instead of BBQ sauce. Grilled, not smoked. But the result. Delicious ribs. Something new. Something good. The dipping sauce is a mix of hot from chili flakes and sambal oelek. Don’t know sambal oelek? It’s a better sriracha. Try it. Or don’t. It’s optional. A little rice vinegar for tang and sugar for sweet. Simple. But unexpected. The ribs get what amounts to a wet rub treatment. Big south East Asian flavours. Bold but not overpowering. A little cilantro. Some fish sauce. Garlic. A bit of chili. And a good dose of coarse black pepper. I like butcher’s grind if you can get it. Awesome here. And awesome for classic Texas BBQ. Just works.
Internal temperature is how you make perfect ribs every time
The only other thing to think about is internal temperature. BBQ – any BBQ – is about getting the meat to the point where the collagen melts and everything gets moist. Fall short and the meat is overcooked. Overshoot and you lose the magic of the collagen. Nail it and everything works. Get an instant read thermometer. The pros use them. There’s a reason. Its cooking science. These are not the famous Pok Pok ribs. Those ribs are crazy good too. But you really need a smoker to pull them off. These are easier. Faster. And they are still wicked good. I’m not saying these ribs will make you forget about good BBQ. That’s just crazy talk. But these Thai ribs will make you want to eat more ribs. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing. Nothing at all…
