Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons each garlic powder, onion powder, dried ginger and ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon each cayenne pepper, ground cardamom and ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 2–3 racks (12–14 ribs per rack) St. Louis–style pork ribs, patted dry
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons Frank’s RedHot Sauce or your favorite hot sauce
- 1½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sambal oelek (or substitute with more sriracha)
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- Fresh juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 heads napa or savoy cabbage, ends trimmed and sliced thin
- 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
- 2 tablespoons Asian Barbecue Sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more to taste)
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Preparation
In a large bowl, combine dry rub ingredients, mix well and rub over ribs. Wrap and place in the refrigerator several hours or overnight. Remove ribs from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add hoisin, hot sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, sambal, ginger, lime juice and zest. Whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes on low heat. Gradually mix in the butter, a few cubes at a time. Let cool and reserve. (May be made in advance.)
For spicy cabbage, bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add sliced cabbage and cook for 3–4 minutes, until tender. Drain and place in an ice water bath to cool. Pat the cabbage dry with paper towels. Toss in a mixing bowl with scallions, barbecue sauce, toasted sesame oil, sriracha and 2 teaspoons salt. Top with sesame seeds.
Season each rack of ribs with a few pinches salt. Preheat grill to 300°. Grill, covered, for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. After 2 hours, remove the ribs from the grill. Turn up the heat to 450°. Place ribs on the hot grill to get a nice char, then brush with barbecue sauce. Let sauce bake onto ribs.
(Alternatively, preheat oven to 250°. Bake ribs on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet 3–4 hours, until tender. Remove from oven and increase heat to 400°. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and return to oven for 10 minutes.)
To serve, remove ribs from grill (or oven), coat with additional barbecue sauce and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving with spicy cabbage. Enjoy! Serves 4–6 people, depending on your appetite.
About this recipe
WINE PAIRING: Predator Old Vine Zinfandel, 2013—Lodi, California A no-brainer, slam-dunk pairing! Predator Zinfandel is chock-full of big bold black fruit flavors with chocolate/mocha and Asian notes that match perfectly with this delicious, decadent rib recipe.
—Eric Taylor, Bottles Fine Wines and Spirits, Providence
