Sweet and sour baby back ribs

Celebrate pork month in Alberta with this recipe for ribs

Beef, in the form of steaks, burgers and hotdogs, may be the go-to meat in the summer, but don't forget about all the things you can do with pork. Passion for Pork, in partnership with Alberta Pork, wants you to celebrate pork month with this recipe from Anju restaurant. Chef Roy Oh uses Asian ingredients like ginger, soy sauce and gochugaru for a Korean flair so you can take a break from the same old barbecue sauce.

Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs
salt, to taste
1 tbsp grated ginger
black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs.

Season the pork with salt, grated ginger and black pepper. Cover, and refrigerate.

Lay ribs on two layers of foil, shiny side out and meaty side down.

Lay two layers of foil on top of ribs and roll and crimp edges tightly, edges facing up to seal.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 2½ hours. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Once cool cut each rib individually and set aside.

 

Sauce

2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced onion
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2-1/2 tbsp potato starch

Add canola oil to a pan over high heat. Add minced garlic and minced onion. Add in carrots and peas and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir frequently.

Add 1 cup of water, vinegar and raw sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add soy sauce for colour and season with salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl, mix potato starch with ⅓ cup of cold water. Add a little more water if potato starch is not completely dissolved.

Add the starch mix to the sauce slowly on low heat. You can add more starch mix if needed. Aim for a consistency that is a little thicker than pancake syrup. Mix well and let it simmer on lowest heat to keep it warm.

Assembly

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
rice flour, as needed
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fine grind gochugaru
1/2 cup shaved red onion
mixed sesame seeds, to garnish

Preheat vegetable oil in a pot or in a deep-fryer for deep-frying (350 °F or 180 °C). 

Whisk together, buttermilk and eggs. Lightly dredge the pork ribs in the rice flour, add to butter milk/egg mixture then coat again with rice flour. Add to the pre-heated oil one by one. Deep-fry pork for about 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper when done.

Serve on a plate and pour the sauce on top. Drizzle with soy sauce, dust with gochugaru and garnish with shaved red onion and sesame seeds.

Tip:

  • The amount of oil depends on what kind of pot you use and how much meat you are frying.
  • Make sure there is enough oil for a few ribs to be completely immersed when frying.
  • To see if the oil is ready, you can drop in a small piece of pork. If it floats to the surface in a couple of seconds, it’s hot enough.
  • Don’t deep-fry too many at once. It will lower the temperature of the oil and the meat will take longer to cook and become greasier.