Today, we’re making Korean Salt Ribs.
In Korea, it’s called Sogeum-Gui-Galbi (소금구이갈비).
Korean Salt Ribs
Typically, Korean-style ribs are marinated with soy sauce.
But for this salt ribs, we’ll skip marinating the meat all-together.
Instead, we’ll enjoy the natural juices and flavors of the meat, alongside a few dipping sauces.
Dipped into Ponzu Sauce
I first tried Korean Salt Ribs at a K-bbq restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul.
Semi-cooked ribs were brought from the kitchen and placed over wood charcoal to finish.
As the ribs cooked, the oils dripped out of the bone tips and sizzled on the grill pan.
A few minutes later, I took my first bite, then another and within a few seconds... the rib was clean.
Korean Salt Ribs - done!
I was so impressed with the simplicity of the ribs - no heavy sauces or overpowering seasoning.
The natural taste of the pork ribs with the chewy texture was great!
Simple & satisfying.
I also tried dunking the ribs into a light, ponzu sauce.
And it was perfect! The tangy, umami of the ponzu sauce with the salty ribs was memorable.
Today, I’ll show you how to make these delicious Korean Salt Ribs at home.
It’s a 2 person recipe - so it try it first, and add more ribs if you like it.
We used 1.2 kg of ribs (2.5lbs) but use up to 1.8 kg (4lbs) for 3-4 persons.
Cooking notes for Korean Salt Ribs:
Remember to remove the silverskin membrane from the ribs if it hasn’t been already removed.
Baby Back Ribs
If you don’t have mirin on hand, it’s okay to skip - but don’t skip any of the other ingredients when boiling the ribs.
Instead of soju, you can also substitute it with cheongju (청주) or sake.
Korean Cheongju (or use Soju)
If you don't have an espresso machine, you can use 1 packet of instant black coffee.
Espresso will provide color to the boiled ribs
If you have a pressure cooker pot, use it to save time:
- Place ingredients into your pressure pot, cover the pot and bring it to high pressure
- When the steam-jiggler starts to go around, set a timer for 10 minutes
- After 10 minutes, take it off the heat and rapidly release the pressure by opening the air valve
- Note: If left for longer (12 minutes), the meat may turn soft and fall off-the-bone… so use a timer and set it for 10 minutes!
- Then carefully open the pressure pot lid, and remove the ribs to cool… then continue to next steps in the recipe
Easy to bite-through, but not fall-of-the-bone tender!
Rubbing the ribs with the sesame oil mixture will not make the ribs taste nutty - don't worry! The olive oil balances the nutty taste of the sesame oil and produces a more elegant taste.
Sesame Oil + Olive Oil
Don’t forget to generously salt the ribs at the end - remember, we haven’t seasoned the ribs with anything else during this entire recipe.
Note: If you don’t have lemon-pepper salt in your pantry, you can also use freshly cracked black pepper.
If the ribs taste slightly bland to you, add on a few more pinches of kosher salt.
Sprinkle with Salt
But importantly, don't forget the Ponzu Sauce.
It's work beautifully with ribs - light, tangy, umami & refreshing.
You can also pour-out some buffalo hot wing sauce as a secondary dip.
Great texture - so appetizing!
Alternate between the two dips - and watch the ribs quickly disappear (heh).