Partly in deference to friend KB and partly in honor of the summer like temps gracing the Pacific Northwest today and through the weekend, it’s time to break out the smoker and do some ribs low and slow.
Our collective hearts go out to you poor bastards who had to clean snow and ice off the windshield today; let’s face it – weather can sometimes be a karmic bitch. (Having said that, we’ll probably be faced with the seasonal normal 52 and rain in the morning instead of the promised sunshine…)
A friend and I came up with this Thai inspired rib marinade / glaze / sauce a few years ago for a company picnic we were volunteered to cook for.
Not purely Thai, my kitchen buddy came up the idea of using hoisin (a great friend to the pork rib) to give the sauce some body and ‘clinginess’.
We like to minced the ginger, chiles, onion, garlic and cilantro so that the pieces are big enough to add some texture to the sauce – they give little bursts of caramelized flavor when you bite into them.
You can of course grill these babies over low-medium heat if you don’t have the time or patience to smoke them; use real hardwood charcoal and a water pan and go as slow as your fire will allow. Turn every fifteen and baste with the sauce.
See you by the smoker this afternoon.
4 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced fine
6-8 serrano or thai chiles, stemmed and minced fine
5 green onions, white and green, minced
6 garlic cloves, trimmed and minced
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, minced
Juice from three limes
1 1/2 tbsp. grated lime zest
1 cup hoisin
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 fish sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 tbsp. grape seed oil2 racks nice baby back pork ribs
Make the sauce / marinade. Dump all the ingredients into a mid-size mixing bowl; stir to combine well. Split into two equal portions.
Prep and marinate the ribs. Remove the rib membrane, rinse off the bone dust and pat dry. Spoon half the marinade over both sides of each rack; cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
Fire the smoker and go to it. Fire the smoker (think oak and a fruity wood – cherry or apple – here) and tune to 220-225. Smoke for 3-4 hours until done.
Serve. Pull from the smoker and serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side. Your fellow diners will be fighting over the last ribs on the plate.
Enjoy.
