Gochujang BBQ Ribs

Theophan · January 2018

I tried a new recipe today, and it was really good. A little salty, and I think if I make these again, I may cut back a bit on the salt in the rub. I tried a different recipe with a Korean influence a couple of years ago, and I'm not sure, it's been a while, but I might have liked the other one even better. That one had a thicker BBQ sauce flavored partly with gochujang, and this one had a thinner, almost NC/Korean vinegary mop instead of a sauce. They both were really good, though.

Gochujang Barbecue Ribs, adapted from: Chef Joseph Lenn, of J.C. Holdway in Knoxville, Tenn, via Jane Black, NY Times
FOR THE RIBS AND RUB:

3 racks St. Louis-style spareribs (2 1/2 pounds each)

½ cup kosher salt

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup ground black pepper

FOR THE GOCHUJANG BARBECUE SAUCE:

½ cup gochujang

1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon chile powder, such as ancho

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

FOR GARNISH:

1 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS:

The day before you plan to cook the ribs, use a paper towel to help you pull the silver skin off the backside of the ribs. Combine salt, light brown sugar and black pepper to make a rub, then generously season ribs with the rub on both sides. (You may have some rub left over.) Place on a rimmed baking sheet, wrap in plastic, put in the refrigerator, and let sit overnight.

For the sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk until brown sugar is dissolved. (You can use a hand mixer if you'd like.)

The next day, prepare a charcoal grill (preferably a kamado, the egg-shaped ceramic grill) and warm it to 225 to 250 degrees. If your grill doesn't have a thermometer, use an oven thermometer to try to keep the temperature consistent. Place ribs on a rack so they are not sitting directly on the grate. Cook 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning and basting ribs with barbecue sauce every hour.

Glaze the ribs with the sauce once more before serving. Cut the ribs and then sprinkle with peanuts and scallions and serve.