It may not be barbecue season, but you can still make fall-off-the-bone ribs at home.
At Juke Fried Chicken, Ribs and Cocktail Bar in Vancouver, owner Bryan Satterford offers these slowed-cooked and deep-fried sweet and savoury ribs in nuoc cham. Make it at home anytime you are craving meaty ribs with a twist.
Rib rub
In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, crush spices until they resemble a fine powder.
Rub the spice mixture evenly on the ribs and allow to sit for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300°F.
Season the ribs with salt, place in a high-sided roasting pan and cover with the duck fat or canola oil.
Confit ribs until tender but still hold their shape, about 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature before removing from the oil, then chill the racks fully in the fridge.
Slice the ribs into single bone pieces before deep frying.
Nouc cham
Place rice wine vinegar, sugar, Thai chili and garlic in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove from the heat and add fish sauce and tamari.
Allow to steep and cool before using.
Pickled chiles
Mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Pour mixture over sliced chilies. Cover container and allow to come to room temperature on the counter before refrigerating.
Assembly
In a large bowl, combine equal parts rice flour and cornstarch mixture.
Using either a counter top deep fryer or a high sided pot on the stove, heat canola oil to 350°F.
Dredge the individually cut confit ribs in the rice flour and cornstarch mixture, being sure to cover them evenly.
Tap off the excess flour and drop into the hot oil, a few ribs at a time, making sure you don’t crowd your pot.
Allow the ribs to fry until they become golden and the center is hot, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove the ribs from the fryer and place on a rack to allow the excess oil to drip off.
Continue frying until all the ribs are cooked, being sure to allow the oil to come back up to temperature between batches.
Once all the ribs are cooked, place in a large bowl and toss them with the nuoc cham and pickled chilies.
Place ribs on a high rimmed platter and top with the herbs, peanuts and sesame seeds.
