A Delicious Soy Sauce Back Ribs Recipe

Written by Jaden Min

It’s extremely challenging to describe the magical taste of soy sauce boiled continuously from when the pot was full until it barely touched the rib. Even after you swallow slices of soy sauce-boiled rib, it feels like the meat is still lingering on your tongue. The unimaginable depth is not a piercing depth that you may find in soy sauce for sushi. It’s a feeling that envelops and warms you, like a gentle hug from within.

From the age of 5, soy sauce back ribs have been a dish that brought me back to my food routine. Delivery food is highly idealized when choosing what’s for dinner, but it’s hard to maintain the streak for more than 3 days. The distinct sugary delight from Sweet and Sour pork decays by half with each serving, until I can barely feel sweetness if I don’t drink water every time. That’s when soy sauce back ribs naturally linger in my mind. That’s when I always realize it is time to open the refrigerator instead of opening the delivery app.

Using a "weaker" soy sauce to escape the numbing effect of strong spices may seem funny. It seems like scrunching a tomato after finishing a strawberry ice cream. Or even like swapping an appetizer for the main dish. But it does express the beauty and the irony of sauces. Slow-paced, nuanced, and relatively feeble seasonings stand shoulder to shoulder with rough and distinct sauces.

With this boost, soy sauce back ribs are one of the most infamous rice thieves (밥도둑), a slang used to describe a delicious meal that drains out rice in the kitchen. Its chemistry with rice is excellent, and the grated sauce of the rib fuses with the bland rice, being just as good as fried rice.

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Full Recipe:

Cook Time: ~2.5 Hours

Total Time: ~12 hours, including soaking and marinating

Servings: 4–5 servings

Ingredients:

For the ribs:

• 6 geun of beef short ribs (galbi), about 3.6kg

• 2 onions

• 2 Asian pears (bae)

• 6 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 knob ginger

• Dark soy sauce (jin-ganjang)

• Cooking wine or ginger wine (mat-sul)

• Cheongyang peppers, to taste

For the braising liquid:

• 550ml water

• Pear juice (from the 2 pears above)

• The chopped onion (from above)

• 25 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 6 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 thumb-sized knob of ginger, sliced

• 8 tbsp cooking wine or ginger wine

• 1.5 tbsp sugar

For the vegetables (added later, to taste):

• Carrot

• Chestnuts

• Mushrooms

• Radish

Instructions:

1. Soak the ribs in cold water for 4–5 hours to draw out the blood. (Adding a little sugar to the water lets you cut this down to just 1–2 hours.)

2. Freeze the pears for about an hour beforehand. This brings out even more of their natural sweetness.

3. Blend the 2 pears, then strain through cheesecloth to make pear juice.

4. Cut the onions into bite-sized pieces.

5. In the pot you’ll cook the ribs in, combine 550ml water, the pear juice, onion, 25 tbsp dark soy sauce, 6 tbsp minced garlic, the sliced ginger, 8 tbsp cooking wine (or ginger wine), and 1.5 tbsp sugar to make the braising liquid.

6. Add the ribs to the braising liquid and let them marinate for 6–7 hours. This lets the seasoning soak into the meat, while the pear’s natural enzymes tenderize it.

7. Bring to a boil over high heat for about 10 minutes, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for about 80 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom.

8. Pour off just the broth and let it cool. The fat will rise and solidify white on top. Skim off the solidified fat, then return the remaining broth to the ribs.

9. Cut the carrot, chestnuts, mushrooms, cheongyang pepper, and radish into bite-sized pieces, add them in, and simmer over medium heat for about an hour until everything is cooked through.

10. Adjust with more soy sauce, sugar, or pepper to taste.

Thumbnail Credit:

Jaden Min