Grilled Ribs With Salt & Pepper

Author Notes

This is my father's specialty—and the single thing he knows how to cook in the world. Growing up in the South, we were surrounded by American families who fed us sweet and saucy baby back ribs, but in our own home, my dad liked his ribs super simple: salt, pepper, grilled. Nothing else. Maybe a dish of sesame oil on the side for dipping. We'd eat these bare-bones ribs with white rice and a spicy scallion salad my mother would prepare—but for the most part, the star of the night was, indelibly, the ribs. What happens when you don't sauce your baby back ribs? Beautiful things, like: 1) You can actually taste the pork and appreciate its gamey flavor and 2) There's no low-and-slow cooking here whatsoever; these ribs grill up hot and fast, perfect for lazy summer weekends with the fam.

For the scallion salad in the photograph, I like this recipe: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/pa-muchim-scallion-salad/ —Eric Kim

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: How to Cook Ribs on the Grill. —The Editors