Vietnamese Braised Pork Ribs
Published February 16, 2016
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer layer removed, lightly smashed and very finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as Red Boat)
1 tablespoon hot chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon grated garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped or grated ginger
3 to 4 pounds baby back ribs
4 scallions, slivered or chopped, for garnish
Cilantro and mint sprigs, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
17 grams carbs; 274 milligrams cholesterol; 964 calories; 27 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 65 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 3 grams fiber; 1155 milligrams sodium; 79 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the marinade: In a small bowl, put the shallots, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile paste, salt, sugar, five-spice powder, garlic and ginger. Mix well.
- Step 2
Put the meat in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and add marinade. Using your hands, coat ribs well. Let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, well wrapped. Bring back to room temperature before proceeding.
- Step 3
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 cups water to the pan, cover tightly with foil and place pan in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 1 hour more. When done, the meat should be very tender, nearly but not quite falling off the bone. Remove cover and return to the oven for about 15 minutes until the ribs are nicely browned.
- Step 4
Remove ribs from pan. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and skim fat. Reduce over high heat until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, divide ribs with a sharp knife and pile them onto a platter.
- Step 5
Serve family style with steamed rice and pan juices. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and mint sprigs.
Private Notes
Comments
OK, this is amazing! I cooked as directed with a $10 rack of baby back ribs. As to some of the comments, I deleted the salt, and on finishing it was not salty enough. I used sweet chili sauce (I didn't have sambal) so it could have been spicier. Regardless, this is a fall off the bone tender preparation and I one I will cook again and again. I served with basmati rice with added peas and topped off with cilantro and green onions. May be the best recipe I have cooked from NYT.
This recipe sounds like it would work with "sous vide" replacing the braise step and without adding water to the marinade. Since the hardware is now pretty widely available and not expensive, perhaps you could add sous vide cooking notes where appropriate?
Added another 15 min with cover on, and after the 15 uncovered placed these under the broiler for a minute or two for a browned crispy finish, other wise follow as written.....delish
This sounded great. I followed this recipe to the letter and marinated overnight, but the ribs lacked flavor and were on the tough side. And the marinade took a lot of time to make. A few weeks ago I made ATK's slow cooker sweet and sour ribs. Much better and a lot less work. Enjoy this complimentary ATK recipe—no login required—for the next 30 days. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/10753-slow-cooker-sweet-and-sour-sticky-ribs-for-two?gifted=fe07e28a-349e-4cee-aadb-a941aaafb5c4
Followed the recipe to the “T”. Wasn’t sure how to use the lemongrass so I watched a video. Not sure what flavor profile it gave the marinade. But, the flavor was good overall. I had two racks so I doubled the recipe. After reducing the sauce it took about 20 minutes to get it syrupy. I broiled it for 8-10 minutes after brushing sauce all over. Sauce was pretty salty and I used about 3 teaspoons kosher in the marinade since I was doubling. I think next time I’ll reduce the salt to one tsp for two racks and low sodium soy sauce. I put all the ingredients except the sugar in a food processor and just chopped it all up together. Really cut down on the prep. I used gochujqng instead of the red chili paste and I’m not sure it made a difference. I also made a mango jicama slaw to go with it. Mango, jicama, carrots all julienned with one lime juiced , one lemon juiced, bit of honey to taste. Salt. Pepper. Chopped cilantro. Chopped green onions. Turned out great! I wonder if grilling them the last 15 minutes would make a difference in flavor. Might try it next time. I don’t know if I’d say these were the best ribs ever, but they had a good unique flavor that everyone liked. If you like Asian flavors, this one is pretty good.
The hype is real- this is an excellent recipe. I made as directed but used low sodium soy sauce and flavor was perfect. I reduced the sauce as directed and then slathered some on the back and broiled about 3 mins til a little crispy and did the same to the front. Dinner guests lived it- will make again in a heartbeat.