Deliciously Tender Korean BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe

The Korean-marinated baby back ribs are delicate, moist, and delicious! You can choose from two marinades: sweet and savory or spicy.

The ribs are slow-cooked in the oven before being finished under the broiler or grill until lightly caramelized and browned. If you enjoy soft, delicious pork ribs, you’ll love this recipe! The dry rub and BBQ sauce will be a welcome change from the usual menu.

In Korea, grilled pork ribs are especially popular in restaurants where the ribs are partially roasted in the kitchen and finished at the table on a wood charcoal grill (football, 숯불). At home, I use this easy oven method followed by broiling or grilling to get a gorgeous char and good smoky taste.

How to Prepare Baby Back Ribs

I adore cooking with baby back ribs (sometimes called pork loin ribs or back ribs). They are soft, lean, and meaty. I usually buy mine at Costco. Their ribs are properly cut, and the membrane (a thin, tough white/silver skin on the bone side) has already been removed.

If the ribs still have membranes, you will need to remove them to allow the marinade to properly penetrate. Using a paring knife, gently loosen the membrane before taking it away from the bones by hand.

Korean marinade

Each marinade is for two full slabs (about 5 to 7 pounds total), which can be easily divided or doubled.

Spicy: The spicy version includes the popular spicy pork marinade, which is similar to that used in jeyuk bokkeum. It’s slightly sweet with a lot of heat. You can increase the heat by adding more gochugaru without changing any other ingredients.

In either case, the secret to great Korean pork ribs is to use enough of fresh garlic and ginger. For great effects, marinate the ribs in a single day or longer.

Ingredients For Korean BBQ Pork Ribs

For Ribs:
Two racks of baby back pork ribs (about 3.4 pounds)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (to garnish)
Two thinly sliced green onions (to garnish).

For the marinate:

Add 1/2 cup soy sauce.
1/4 cup Korean chili paste (gochujang).
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean pink peppercorns, spices of your choice).
1 tablespoon sesame oil.
1/4 cup of mirin (rice wine).
Add in Asian pears or apples. Six garlic cloves should be chopped.
Begin with mincing. 1 tablespoon ginger and four coarsely sliced green onions.
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional for a sharper flavor).
One tablespoon sesame seeds.

How To Cook Baby Back Ribs

Slow-cook the ribs in the oven, included, at a low temperature, with a few marinade on a baking sheet or dish. This technique gives the ribs a steaming impact, preserving them wet whilst cooking.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Wrap the baking sheet or dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1.5 hours (or 2 hours for fall-off-the-bone tenderness). Remove the foil lid.

The mild version will produce a large amount of liquid after slow cooking the ribs. Pour it into a sauce pan, reduce it to a thicker sauce over the fire, and use it to baste the ribs.

Finish under the broiler or grill until lightly browned and caramelized.

If you have a favorite way to cook baby back ribs, feel free to use it with these marinated ribs.

The ribs can be baked and refrigerated up to one day in advance. Bring refrigerated ribs to room temperature for about an hour before broiling or grilling them.

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