Chilli pork ribs (Maeun doeji galbi)

These oven-grilled pork ribs, shared by Kenny Son, are marinated in soy, gochujang (Korean red chilli paste) and gochugaru (Korean chilli powder), making a sweet, savoury and spicy dish.

Chilli pork ribs (Maeun doeji galbi). Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

At Sáng, we serve this dish with finely chopped, pan-seared garlic, which adds an element of gamchilmat to the finished ribs. This dish is best eaten with your hands – it’s definitely worth getting your fingers messy.

Ingredients

• 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) American-style pork ribs (see Note)
• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli powder)
• 1 tbsp ganjang (soy sauce)
• 20 g (¾ oz) sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp minced ginger
• 10 garlic cloves (2 minced, 4 sliced and 4 finely diced)
• ½ tsp olive oil

Resting and sitting timer: 35 minutes. Marinating time: 3 hours.

Instructions

1. Slice the rack of pork ribs into individual ribs and put them into a large bowl filled with water to rest for 30 minutes. Drain the ribs and let them sit in the colander for 5 minutes, then dry them thoroughly with paper towel.
2. Put the gochujang, gochugaru, ganjang, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and minced garlic cloves into a large bowl and mix well.
3. Put the pork ribs into the bowl with the marinade and coat well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F).
5. Transfer the ribs to a roasting tin and cook for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure thorough cooking. The ribs should look slightly charred on the outside when done.
6. Preheat a frying pan to medium and add the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and cook until golden brown, around 20–30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Repeat the process with the diced garlic, cooking for 10–20 seconds.
7. To serve, place the ribs on a plate and scatter the slices of fried garlic around the ribs. Top with the diced garlic.

Note

Thicker ribs are better cooked slowly to ensure they are properly cooked through.

This is an edited extract from Sáng by Kenny Yong-soo Son (Hardie Grant Books).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.