Grill/Barbecue

Mekhong-Style Baby Back Ribs with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

May 22, 2016
4
4 Ratings
Photo by Linda Xiao
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This recipe is adapted from Leela Punyaratabandhu's at shesimmers.com—I adjusted it to be made in your oven, the ribs baked instead of grilled. Mehkong, a Thai spirit, isn't readily available in the United States, so Leela, and we, use rum or whisky instead. Leela is the author of Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2014). —Justin Kennedy

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 slabs of meaty baby back ribs, weighing between 2½ to 3 pounds each
  • 1 cup dark rum or whisky (tequila works too)
  • 6 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns
  • 4 cilantro roots or ½ cup chopped cilantro stems
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce
  • 1/3 grated palm sugar or brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups Thai sweet chili sauce, for serving
Directions
  1. Cut each baby back rib slab in half for easy handling. Place them in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Blend the rum, garlic, peppercorns, cilantro roots in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture over the ribs.
  3. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar to the ribs. Mix well, and then cover and chill 5 to 6 hours to overnight.
  4. Bake the ribs, covered in foil, at 300°F degrees until the outside of the ribs look nicely caramelized and they're fork tender, approximately 2 hours. Then, uncover the ribs and adjust heat to 400°F, basting every couple of minutes, approximately 1 additional hour. (You can also grill over low coals until juices run clear when pricked with the tip of a knife.)
  5. Cut into individual ribs. Serve with Thai sweet chili sauce.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

Samantha W. June 10, 2016
These are so delicious and easy! Sticky, sweet and spicy. The marinade is awesome.