Spice up the grill with Thai-style pork ribs
I don’t need food to be hot. But I do like it spicy. Even comfort food. I add chile flakes to pasta, hot sauce to mashed potatoes, black pepper to scrambled eggs.
The penchant for warm spice stems from college days enjoying skewers of chicken satay and pad Thai noodles with classmates.
Memories of that Thaistyle satay, grilled and skewered highly seasoned meat, inspire these recipes. I skip the skewering and opt instead for meaty, flavorpacked pork country ribs. You can use bone-in or boneless country ribs — whatever you can get at the meat counter or butcher.
For grilling, charcoal adds the most flavor, but a gas grill will suffice. I prepare the grill to have a cooler area so the ribs can cook more slowly to tenderness. A sear over the hottest part of the grill adds a browned flavor that keeps us coming back for more. Be sure to serve the pork with wedges of fresh lime for squeezing over the meat. Bottled peanut satay sauce can be served alongside if you wish. I like to sprinkle lots of fresh cilantro over everything for its fresh flavor.
THAI-STYLE GRILLED PORK COUNTRY RIBS
8 bone-in or boneless country-style pork loin ribs, each about 1-inch thick OR bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 2 3/4 to 3 lbs. total
1/2 small white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T. lemongrass puree or
2 T. finely chopped fresh lemongrass
1 T. ginger puree or grated fresh ginger
1 T. fish sauce (or 2 t. soy sauce)
1/2 small serrano chile, seeded (or 1 t. hot sauce)
1/2 t. each: salt, black pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric Chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, bottled peanut satay sauce
Put country ribs into a large bowl or baking dish.
Put N cup water, onion, garlic, purees, fish sauce, chile, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and turmeric into a blender. Process until smooth.
Pour the marinade over the ribs; turn to be sure meat is coated well on all sides. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Heat a gas grill to medium hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners or arrange coals at sides of grill for indirect cooking.
Put the chops, with marinade that clings, directly over the heat or coals. Cook, without turning, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Flip chops to the cooler portion (not directly over the heat) of the grill. Cook without turning, until meat is almost firm when pressed with the tip of a knife (about 150 degrees), about 20 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter; tent with foil and let stand about 10 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges for squeezing over meat. Pass the peanut satay sauce if you wish. Makes 6 servings.
Variation — Thai-style grilled sirloin steak: Marinate 2 to 2 K pounds boneless top sirloin beef steak (about 1-inch thick) as directed. Grill the steaks directly over the heat the entire time as follows: 6 minutes on the first side and 4 to 6 minutes on the second side for medium-rare.