Richard Hales, chef and owner of Midtown hotspot Sakaya Kitchen, spoke with Short Order about his love for Thailand and about the trials of food trucks. He then was kind enough to share with all of us a recipe for a dish worth trying to make at home.
Dae Ji Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Dry Rub Spice Blend
1/2 Cup Lite Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 2.5 Lb Rack Baby Back Ribs
Dae Ji Sauce
1 Cup Kochujang
4 Stalks Green Onion
1 Tb Organic White Miso
1 Tb Roasted Sesame Seeds
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Tb Water
1 Cup Light Soy Sauce
1 Tb Chopped Ginger
1 Tb Chopped Garlic
1 Tsp Light Brown Sugar
Pinch Black Pepper
Garnish
Sliced scallions
Roasted Sesame Seeds
1. Mix all spices for dry rub and seal in an airtight container.
2. Rub dry spice blend on baby back ribs, wrap and leave overnight in refrigerator.
3. Combine Kochujang, green onion, white miso, roasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, garlic cloves and water in a blend and blend until smooth.
4. Empty blender into a mixing bowl and add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, light brown sugar and a pinch of black pepper and mix until smooth. Reserve one cup of sauce for marinating and basting, one cup for sauce.
5. Set oven to 350 degrees, remove ribs from wrap and discard any excess liquid. Marinate ribs with dae ji sauce for 30 minutes and place on oiled sheet pan.
6. Roast ribs for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, reduce temperature to 325 degrees and baste ribs with sauce. Roast ribs for another 90 minutes, basting to keep moist and until tender. Cover if sauce begins to burn.
7. Remove ribs once tender and cool (ribs can be cooked a day in advance).
8. To serve heat grill to medium high, mark meat side of ribs on the grill until caramelized. Remove from grill to serving platter, cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and scallions.
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