Shaking things up with some Thai Style Baby Back Ribs and a smashed cucumber / quick pickle salad today!
I’ve pretty much devised the most epic Labor Day menu and one thing is certain… there will be no shortage of food. It’s coming next week – get ready! And you can bet that these ribs will be on it!
The ribs themselves are actually pretty easy. Just pop them in the oven as the instructions say and let them cook for about 2 hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Once that happens, they get glazed with the most delectable sweet and spicy thai sauce and grilled until just charred. I topped them with peanuts and fresh herbs because that’s obviously the right thing to do. And then I serve them up with some smashed cucumbers that act as half salad and half quick pickle. They are the perfect accoutrement to the decadent Thai Style Baby Back Ribs as they are light and bright and a little acidic. Legit perfection. You won’t want to miss these 🙂 People will be licking their fingers and asking for more!
Thai Style Baby Back Ribs (with Smashed Cucumber Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back ribs about three to three and a half pounds total
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced red fresno chiles
- 3 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass
- 3 tablespoons torn basil
- Peanuts to garnish
For the Smashed Cucumber Salad
- 1 pound Persian cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
- 3 scallions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- Chili flakes
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the ribs on a large baking sheet and season with salt and pepper and. Pour 1 cup of water into the baking sheet, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours, until the meat nearly falls off the bone
- Prepare your grill to medium high. When the rib racks come out of the oven, let them cool for 20 minutes and then cut them into individual ribs. In a large bowl combine all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Divide in half (place half on the side for drizzling) and toss the other half with the ribs to coat. Transfer the coated ribs on the grill and char for 5-7 minutes total. Sprinkle with extra basil and serve.
For the Cucumber Salad
- Gently smack cucumbers with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pot until they begin to break apart. Tear into bite-size pieces. Transfer to a colander; toss with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let sit 10 minutes to drain excess liquid.
- In a medium bowl whisk the scallions, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and chili flakes. Add the smashed cucumbers. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and top with cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson // Recipe by Gaby
Can’t wait to have this finger licking good dinner!!
Would this also taste god with beef back ribs
of course!
Looks amazing! Can I omit fish sauce or substitute with something else?
you can just omit and add a bit more soy sauce
Ty! So yummy! It was great! I also added sliced plums to the cucumber salad because We had 1 million of them and it was awesome. Great recipe Gabby thank you
We made this for Labor Day and it was incredible!! Thankyou!!
Are you kidding me? These are PERFECT. And those smashed cucumbers… epic.
Looks awesome! Is the sugar in this a deal breaker? Could I omit it or will it change the whole flavor?
you could omit!
What would be a good sub for the Fresno chili’s?
you could just omit and use some red pepper flakes
What is a good side to go along with this dish? Besides something like rice!
the butter lettuce salad from my blog is great!! Or any of the grilled veggies
Hi Gaby,
I have St. Louis whole pork ribs in my freezer from Butcher Box. Do you think I could use these in your recipe?
This looks absolutely delish! Can’t wait ti make it!!
Unbelievably delicious and super easy to make! My NEW, FAVORITE recipe!!
Made this recipe recently and it was amaze! I think it serves 4? I’m wanting to double the recipe for a dinner party this weekend. Will it still cook through ok if I’m baking on two oven racks?
totally!
Really tasty ribs! It was super easy too. Having those 2 hours oven time made the prepping very much stress free. I took my time to get the sauce and cucumber salad done. I don’t have a grill and just put it under the boiler for 5-7 min and it came out very delicious!
The sauce for the ribs was delicious, and even better with char on them. My husband grilled, and next time, he said he would leave the ribs whole, as it would be easier to grill. The cucumbers were delicious as well.
The ribs were fall off the bone good and the taste was amazing! 🙂
Delicious Thai flavors, similar to the amazing larb bowls but with ribs. Obsessed with this one.
Can you finish in broiler if you don’t have a bbq?
Yes, absolutely!
I’m commenting on the cucumber salad. Fantastic! These ribs are excellent too, but I have a Goghuchang recipe I like a bit better. I make this salad with many things and am making it this week with the Bo Ssam from Momofuko with the chili crisp glaze.
Can you share your Goghuchang Rib recipe? I want to make both.