Thai Ribs Recipe

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 02/17/22
Thai Ribs

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings

This Thai ribs recipe creates ribs that are sticky-tangy good! Great for dinner or as a finger food. They're easily made in your oven, and there's no messy parboiling involved— just stir together the marinade with the ribs and let them bake slow and long (the secret to tender ribs!). While they're baking, stir up my special Thai sauce, which makes these ribs taste simply divine. Great for everyday eating, and also terrific for a party where they'll be devoured in no time. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 pounds pork ribs

For the Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce

  • 1/2 cup tomato ketchup

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

  • 3 tablespoons sherry, or cooking sherry

  • 1 fresh red chile, minced, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

For the Thai Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

  • 1 fresh red chile, minced, or 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce, or 3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed

For the Garnish:

  • 2 to 3 green onions, sliced finely

  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Chop up the ribs, being sure to leave on the fat (helps flavor the dish). Pack ribs into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or pan.

  2. Combine marinade ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar, and pour over the ribs. Turn to saturate all sides. Marinate at least 10 minutes while you warm up the oven (or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, covered).

  3. Preheat oven to 325 F. The marinade should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep around the ribs. (If your baking pan is larger, you may need to add up to 1/4 cup water to achieve this.) Cover with lid or foil and bake 1 hour.

  4. Remove from oven. There should be at least 1/2 inch of sauce in the pan. While you have the dish out, turn over any ribs that look dry, ensuring most of the meaty parts are covered with sauce. Cover and return to oven for 1 more hour.

  5. While ribs are baking, combine Thai Sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium (it will smell rather pungent as the vinegar burns off). Boil 10 to 12 minutes, or until sauce has been reduced by 1/3 and has thickened.

  6. Remove from heat and add 1/2 tablespoon lime juice. Once it has cooled, do a taste-test: it should be tangy, with strong sweet, sour, and spicy tones, plus a little salty. Adjust the flavors by adding more sugar if you find it too sour, more cayenne if you'd like it spicier, or more fish sauce if you'd like it saltier. Add more lime juice if too sweet or salty. Note that it will taste strong now, but will be delicious when combined with the ribs.

  7. When ribs are cooked to your liking, transfer to a serving bowl or platter (bring some of the marinade with them). Now drizzle over the tangy Thai sauce and top with the green onion and coriander. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!

Glass Bakeware Warning

For premade casseroles or leftovers that are in a glass baking dish and have been refrigerated, do not place directly into a hot oven as the glass can shatter. Instead, place any cold glass bakeware into a cold oven to warm up while it preheats. Or allow the bakeware to rest outside of the fridge for 30 minutes to reach room temperature while the oven preheats.

Tips

  • The secret to tender ribs is to bake them long and slow. The longer you bake them, the more tender they become (there's no need to parboil them first).
  • If you like your ribs lightly browned (e.g., BBQ-ed), after ribs have finished baking, transfer them to a foil-lined pan and pour over half the Thai sauce. Set under the broiler for five to six minutes. When lightly browned, serve up the ribs with the rest of the sauce poured over. Top with the green onion and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1416 Calories
105g Fat
43g Carbs
76g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 1416
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 105g 135%
Saturated Fat 32g 158%
Cholesterol 357mg 119%
Sodium 3475mg 151%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 5%
Total Sugars 34g
Protein 76g
Vitamin C 29mg 143%
Calcium 136mg 10%
Iron 6mg 35%
Potassium 1327mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)