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Gochujang Baby Back Ribs

by:
July 19, 2019
5
6 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Serves 3 to 4
Author Notes

My dad goes nuts over my baby back ribs. I’ve upgraded from the bottled supermarket stuff of yore to my own creation, a homemade gochujang sauce. The ingredients here are traditional in many Korean meat dishes, but the proportions are amped to mimic more classic, American BBQ flavors. You can cook the ribs in advance, and broil or grill when ready to serve (and reap that parental praise you’ve been searching for). —Irene Yoo

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Ingredients
  • Baby back ribs
  • 1 teaspoon gochugaru
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 whole rack baby back ribs (about 2 pounds)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Gochujang BBQ sauce
  • 1/3 cup gochujang
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 250°F. In a small bowl, combine the gochugaru, ground ginger, and garlic powder and mix well.
  2. Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs if it hasn’t already been removed. Place the ribs on a piece of aluminum foil, and salt and pepper both sides generously. Sprinkle the dry rub all over, rubbing in with hands to distribute evenly.
  3. Wrap ribs up in the foil so the seam is on top. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Meanwhile, mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
  5. Remove ribs from oven and open up the foil. Pour sauce all over the ribs, spreading to cover the whole top and sides. Rewrap and place back in oven for 30 more minutes.
  6. Remove ribs and preheat the broiler. Open up the foil, and spoon residual sauce over the ribs to coat. Broil for about 5 to 10 minutes until well-charred. Cut into individual ribs and serve. (These ribs are even better the next day!)
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This Recipe is Featured In:

These Sweet & Spicy BBQ Ribs Will Rock Your Sauce-Loving World

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Irene Yoo is chef and creator of Yooeating, a Korean American food channel that explores Korean home cooking, street food, and culinary history. She has developed recipes and penned essays for Food52, Food Network, and Bon Appetit, and previously presented about Korean culinary history at The Korea Society and The Museum of Food and Drink.

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9 Reviews

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Shortrib November 20, 2021
These were really good! But I admit I did tweak the method based on other comments and my own experience: I baked for 4 hours at 225F, drained off the juices and cooked them down in a saucepan before adding sauce ingredients, and just opened packets at the end before basting and broiling ie I didn't try opening, saucing, and resealing. Not too sweet and not too hot but very good with rice and cucumber pickle!
Marissa S. December 13, 2020
I just made these last night and they were delicious! However, mine didn't look like yours :( A few tweaks I would make for next time:

Before adding the BBQ sauce, drain and reserve 1/2 the liquid that accumulated in the foil. Use 2/3 of the bbq sauce to pour over the ribs, then bake again for 30 minutes. Then, uncover the ribs from the foil, brush with the remaining 1/3 of the BBQ sauce, then broil for 3-5 min until browned.
Irene Y. December 21, 2020
Ah, good pivoting! This has happened to me – I've noticed that there is some variables depending on what kind of ribs I use. Sometimes those shrink wrapped ribs give out a LOT of water so you did a great job adjusting.
Adam T. September 9, 2019
Made this with two friends and it came out great, first try. Easy to make and very rewarding!
Sarah B. September 9, 2019
YUM just made these for dinner and was shocked at how easy to assemble and how perfect they came out! These are the new go-to ribs.
Fran M. July 30, 2019
Can regular chili powder with hot pepper powder and smoked paprika be substituted or would that not work?
Irene Y. July 30, 2019
I think so! Gochugaru is considerably less spicy than hot pepper powder so if it's mixed with smoked paprika, that would help cut the heat and also add that subtle smokiness you get from the Korean gochugaru. Let me know how it goes!
Dasel127 July 27, 2019
These ribs were such a hit, and they came out so moist!
Irene Y. July 30, 2019
Thanks so much Dasel, glad you enjoyed!