August 24, 2020

Simple Gochujang Ribs

Name: Simple Gochujang Ribs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 375 min
Ingredients: 2 rack back ribs; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp ginger powder; 4 tbsp gochujang sauce (to taste); 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp mirin cooking wine; 1½ tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ can beer or soda pop (for steaming in wrap (hour 4-5))

Home Cooked Feast for all!

Fusion BBQ is back

It’s BBQ season and it’s time to eat some meat! Vibrantly red and deliciously smoked, these simple Gochujang ribs are sure to impress!

The sauce

Gochujang is a Korean staple and you will recognize the delightfully tangy, spicy, sweet flavour from bibimbap or as a dipping sauce at Korean BBQ. Admittedly, so far in life, I have never made my own gochujang. But, I understand it is quite simple. Gochujang consists of Korean chili flakes, miso, maple syrup, garlic and oil blended together in a delicious paste.

Jump to Recipe

For the purposes of these simple gochujang ribs recipe, I’ll assume either you bought your gochujang (like I did!) or that you made your own (congrats!)!

With gochujang, soy sauce and sesame oil, this sauce recipe is very simple and delicious. Use it for these simple ribs or toss them into some chicken wings for a deliciously sweet and savory meat delight (on the grill or in the smoker). This sauce is a great way to elevate your dish and wow your guests with something beyond the ordinary.

If you like this sauce on ribs, try it on wings!

On the grill and oven these ribs should soften up in about 2-2.5 hours, but if you have the luxury of smoker, take the extra time and take these fusion BBQ ribs for a nice slow-smoked ride for 4-6 hours!

The 3-2-1 Method

I resisted this technique when I first learned of it, but after trying it the last couple of times, I can now attest that it makes a notable difference. The night prior, salt or rub your ribs however you wish. On the day of, once your smoker is to temp, do 3 hours open, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour (final hour) unwrapped and sauced.

When smoking meat, obviously, allowing smoke to penetrate the meat is super important and the majority of smoke will enter in the first 2 hours of the smoke. So, the 3 first hours are when the smoke will enter the meat. This will give the meat the smokey flavour right down to the bone.

Second block, add some beer (or coke or root beer, whatever you choose) and wrap medium-tightly in foil. This second block steams and tenderizes the meat and will give it that fall-off-the-bone softness.

Finally, for the last hour, this is when you would unwrap and sauce the ribs. The sauce will develop a smokey flavour too, but the main goal on this step is to hold all the moisture in the meat and bake in that nice flavour sauce.

This same method can be done with any flavour rub or sauce, but here I’ve done it with my gochujang sauce. This sounds more complicated than it is. Remember, if I can cook it, so can you!

This recipe is easily scaled, so feel free to double, triple or more! This makes a rack or two of ribs, so scale accordingly depending on the size.

Simple Gochujang Ribs

Give yourself tons of time for this deliciously vibrant fusion BBQ delight! Use this sauce on baby back ribs, back ribs, beef ribs, chicken thighs… delicious sweet and savory for anything going into the smoker!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 6 hrs

Total Time 6 hrs 15 mins

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian Fusion, Korean

Equipment

Smoker

Ingredients

2 rack back ribs

Rub (day prior)

1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ginger powder

Sauce (day-of)

4 tbsp gochujang sauce to taste
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin cooking wine
1½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
½ can beer or soda pop for steaming in wrap (hour 4-5)

Instructions

Rub (night prior)

If membrane is present on the inside of the ribs, remove.
Mix all rub ingredients together. Add, substitute or subtract any ingredients you may also like to add. This is a very basic rub and can easily be modified to whatever you have in the pantry! Salt is the only non-optional component. Salt will bring some of the liquid forward from the meat, so don't skimp on the salt!
Apply rub evenly to all ribs, both sides. Cover and place in fridge overnight (minimum 2 hours). From here you will see moisture begin to come out of the meat. This means the salt is penetrating the meat and that's a good thing.

Day-of (in the smoker)

Preheat smoker to 205-225°F
In a multi-rack smoker, the heaviest smoke will collect in the top racks, while the lower racks are closer to the element are will be marginally hotter. Since we want the most smoke in the first phase, place closest to top shelf as possible.
Smoke directly for 3 hours, unwrapped, adding your favorite wood chips or pellets each hour, or whenever needed (mine is cherry!)
Try to minimize opening the door or lid in order to preserve smoke capture.
After 3 hours, using beer or coke, wrap each rib section as tightly as possible in aluminum foil, with 2-3 tbsp of liquid per wrap. This stage can be done in either in the smoker or in the oven, but since the smoker is already preheated and on, I prefer smoker. Leave cooking in wrap for 2 hours.
After 2 hours in the wrap, remove wrap and apply sauce. Smoke for 1 more hour. This will bake the sauce into the meat.
After the total of 6 hours (3, 2, 1), you're good to remove meat from the smoker!
Remove and rest for minimum 5-8 minutes before cutting and serving.

On the Grill

Preheat BBQ grill on low heat (250-300°F)
Take rubbed ribs and lather with sauce.
Bake on grill on low heat for 1-2 hours, flipping occasionally – avoid burning. Once cooked through, remove from heat, let rest minimum 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

How important is the rub? Salt is the only non-optional component. Salt will bring some of the liquid forward from the meat, so don’t skimp on the salt!

The second stage, the baking, can be done in either in the smoker or in the oven, but since the smoker is already preheated and on, I prefer smoker. Leave cooking in wrap for 2 hours.

In a multi-rack smoker, the heaviest smoke will collect in the top racks, while the lower racks are closer to the element are will be marginally hotter. Since we want the most smoke in the first phase, place closest to top shelf as possible.

Keyword 3-2-1 ribs, asian bbq, asian fusion ribs, bbq ribs, easy asian fusion, easy ribs, gochujang, gochujang ribs, korean bbq, simple ribs

Rubs and Smokes

What’s in a Rubs: How important is the rub? Salt is the only non-optional component. Salt will bring some of the liquid forward from the meat, so don’t skimp on the salt!

Make up your own rub: Rub whatever you want! Add, substitute or subtract any ingredients you may also like to add. The above rub is a very basic rub and can easily be modified to whatever you have in the pantry! Salt is the only true must-have/non-optional component in the rub.

The second stage, the baking, can be done in either in the smoker or in the oven, but since the smoker is already preheated and on, I prefer smoker. Leave cooking in wrap for 2 hours.In a multi-rack smoker, the heaviest smoke will collect in the top racks, while the lower racks are closer to the element are will be marginally hotter. Since we want the most smoke in the first phase, place closest to top shelf as possible.

MEMBRANE AND RUB NOTES:

Membrane: Don’t forget to the remove the membrane! It’s not the end of the world if you don’t but it creates this chewy layer on the inside of your ribs and while the smoking process does tender it up a little, it’s just better to do it right.