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Packed full of amazing flavors like fish sauce, soy sauce, peanuts, cilantro among other awesome ingredients, these Thai BBQ Pork Spare Ribs are also so incredibly easy to make! Marinated and then slow cooked, these pork spare ribs are perfectly juicy and tender.
I am #TeamSlow all the way when it comes to grilling ribs. I love a rack of BBQ pork spare ribs slow cooked over indirect heat for hours until they are just perfectly tender. And juicy. And delicious.
And forget that regular old BBQ sauce (nothing against it, but sometimes you want a little flair in your BBQ!), this Thai BBQ sauce is so incredible. SO INCREDIBLE.
Made with a mixture of peanut butter, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce and cilantro, it really packs a punch. It's got awesome flavor. We spent the rest of the weekend finding things we could dip in the leftover sauce. Yes, there will be a little leftover sauce and you will LOVE it.
Why This Recipe Works
- We use Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork Ribs (see below for more info), which come out perfectly tender and juicy.
- While the cooking takes several hours, the process is incredibly easy, plus there are step-by-step instructions below.
- Wrapping the ribs in foil while grilling helps to keep them juicy and avoids grill flareups.
- Slow cooking over low heat allows a larger margin of error than cooking quickly over high heat. We are less likely to overcook our ribs this way!
- Placing the ribs over higher heat after they have cooked low and slow allows the crust to caramelize (Maillard reaction) and develops a deep wonderful flavor.
Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork Ribs
We used Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork Spare Ribs for this recipe. The ribs are extra tender and juicy, and contain no added hormones or steroids. Even if you've never grilled ribs before, making these ribs is sure to impress your guests!
It is so easy to grill the perfect rack of ribs when you use Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork Spare Ribs. Get some great tips for grilling pork spare ribs below, as well as step by step instructions for making Thai BBQ Pork Spare Ribs.
These ribs can be purchased at Walmart (see photo below):
Step By Step Instructions
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the ribs, flipping to make sure the surface of the meat is covered. Let sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight (preferred).
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Heat the grill to 250 degrees. Wrap the marinated ribs tightly with aluminum foil (use several layers of foil to prevent leakage) and place on the grill.
Cook for 2 ½ hours at about 250 degrees, flipping every 30 minutes to keep the ribs juicy. Remove the ribs from the grill and take the foil off. Turn the grill up to 400 degrees.
Brush the Thai BBQ sauce over the ribs and place them directly on the grill. Cook for about 7-10 minutes per side, or until sauce has caramelized.
Remove from the grill, slice with a cleaver or kitchen shears, and serve brushed with additional BBQ sauce and crushed peanuts.
Grilling Instructions and Times
To slow cook spare ribs on the grill, you do need to commit some time (think about 3- 3 ½ hours). But don't worry, it's not hard at all.
The temperature needs to be low, about 250 degrees, for your ribs to cook to perfection. I turn my gas grill on pretty much as low as it goes.
I prefer to wrap the ribs in foil so when I flip them on the grill, the juices can redistribute back through the ribs instead of dripping into the fire. Plus, it helps to avoid flareups which can burn the ribs.
Every 30 minutes or so, flip the ribs over. Once they've cooked for about 2 ½ hours, remove them from the grill and let them sit for about 20 minutes. While the ribs are resting, turn up the grill to about 400 degrees.
Remove the foil and baste the ribs with BBQ sauce. Place the ribs back on the grill and let the sauce caramelize for about 5-10 minutes, being careful not to let it burn. Flip and repeat. Remove from the grill, let cool enough the cut them and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- When slow cooking, always grill with the lid down;
- Ribs should be grilled on indirect heat, i.e. place the ribs on the side of the grill opposite from the burner (or coals) that are on;
- Check the grill periodically to ensure it is staying around 250 degrees. Cooking the ribs low and slow is the key to tender, juicy, perfect ribs.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between spare ribs and baby back ribs? Spare ribs are longer than baby back ribs, and are cut from the belly of the animal. They have a higher percentage of fat, which tends to make them more flavorful than baby back ribs.
- How long does it take to BBQ ribs? To slow cook ribs on the grill, it takes about 2 ½ hours on low heat to cook the ribs until they are tender and juicy. Then an additional 10-15 minutes to place directly on the grill with BBQ sauce to let them caramelize.
- How do you know when ribs are done? You can take a toothpick and insert between the bones. If it slides in relatively easily, they are done. The meat is fully cooked when it reaches 145 degrees, but that doesn't always mean they are tender. Typically, the meat becomes tender enough when it reaches about 190-200 degrees. That means the collagen has had time to break down.
Smithfield® Sweepstakes
In 2019, Smithfield will feature recipes and tips from Award-Winning Pitmaster Tuffy Stone #TeamSlow and Smithfield No. 10 race car driver Aric Almirola #TeamFast as they compete to show how easy and versatile fresh pork can be on the grill.
Don't forget to enter the sweepstakes to learn whether you are #teamfast or #teamslow. Plus, when you enter the sweepstakes, you will entered to win a $500 Walmart gift card and other prozes as well.
Don't forget to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 Walmart gift card!!
Did you make these BBQ Pork Spare Ribs? Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know how they turned out!
Thai BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs. Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork Spare Ribs
- Crushed peanuts optional for garnish
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
Thai BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon cilantro minced
- 4 tablespoon peanut butter
- 4 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the ribs, flipping to make sure the surface of the meat is covered. Let sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight (preferred).
- Combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Heat the grill to 250 degrees. Wrap the marinated ribs tightly with aluminum foil (use several layers of foil to prevent leakage) and place on the grill.
- Cook for 2 ½ hours at about 250 degrees, flipping every 30 minutes to keep the ribs juicy.
- Remove the ribs from the grill and take the foil off. Turn the grill up to 400 degrees.
- Brush the Thai BBQ sauce over the ribs and place them directly on the grill. Cook for about 7-10 minutes per side, or until sauce has caramelized.
- Remove from the grill, slice with a cleaver or kitchen shears, and serve brushed with additional BBQ sauce and crushed peanuts.
Expert Tips:
- When slow cooking, always grill with the lid down;
- Ribs should be grilled on indirect heat, i.e. place the ribs on the side of the grill opposite from the burner (or coals) that are on;
- Check the grill periodically to ensure it is staying around 250 degrees. Cooking the ribs low and slow is the key to tender, juicy, perfect ribs.
Nutrition
PB
Thank you for the recipe. While the marinade was absolutely delicious and balanced, the BBQ sauce was really weird to our taste. We didn’t take a risk of putting it on the ribs and ended up mixing regular BBQ sauce with red curry paste which ended up good.
Danielle
I'm so sorry you didn't like the BBQ sauce - was there something specific about it so I can take a look at it? I am glad you enjoyed the marinade though!
Tracy
Is the nutritional information correct? Are 2 ribs really 1175 calories? Seems awfully high.
Danielle
It does seem high. I use a nutrition calculator that automatically calculates it, so I'll have to take a look at it.
Kyle
Delicious, was worried about the peanut butter overpowering the other ingredients, but it was perfectly mild in the BBQ sauce. Only problem was the final cook burnt the sauce very quickly, less time on the high heat. Thank you for the recipe!
Danielle
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sorry the sauce burned at the end, it can happen fast due to all the sugar!
Stephen Warren
I tried your Thai BBQ sauce. I didn't modify the ingredients, but I did triple the recipe. The flavour of the sauce was exceptional, but it was really salty. It was so salty that my wife and kids won't eat it. I'm not sure where all that salt came from, obviously the soy sauce has salt in it. Maybe it was the fish sauce? Anyway, I'll try the recipe with low sodium soy sauce next time. I may try this batch of sauce on Jasmine rice to balance it out instead of discarding it. In the meantime, I guess I'll be eating all of these leftover ribs myself.
Danielle
I'm sorry it turned out too salty for you! The fish sauce does have a lot of salt in it. You could reduce the amount of fish sauce as well to 2 tablespoon instead of 4 which should help the saltiness.
Cathy
Danielle, you always make delicious and yummy dishes and these thai bbq pork ribs are no exception!! So making these this weekend! Omgosh I could go through the screen to simply taste these!
Danielle
Awww thanks Cathy! I hope you get to make them 🙂
Michelle
I can't wait to try this recipe! Alway looking for new rib recipes to try this time of year
Danielle
Hope you love it Michelle!
Abigail S. Raines
Of course this is very tasty! How can it not be with fish sauce and soy sauce as the seasoning, you simply can't go wrong. I can eat this everyday!
Danielle
Thanks Abigail! Fish sauce really is just the best seasoning!
Jennifer
Oh my, we love grilling some ribs during the summertime. This Thai barbecue sauce really hits the spot too! YUM
Danielle
Thanks Jennifer!
Liz
I'm going to make a double batch of that sauce! It looks so good!
Danielle
Thanks Liz! It is really good - hope you enjoy 🙂
Tawnie Kroll
Now I want ribs! Will make these for the 4th - thank you!
Danielle
You're welcome Tawnie - hope you enjoy 🙂
Mikayla
#Teamslow here too! I LOVE this recipe, because I really do get bored with traditional bbq sauce but my husband loves to grill ribs in the summer! It's a ritual of the season, and we'll be adding these flavors to the rotation! Thanks!
Danielle
Slow is the way to go! It's nice to have a change sometimes. Hope you enjoy the sauce!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These ribs have my mouth watering! That sauce sounds absolutely incredible.
Danielle
Thanks so much 🙂
Kate
Wow these photos are mouth-watering! This looks like the perfect summer recipe, making this tonight for sure!!
Danielle
Thanks Kate! Hope you love it 🙂
Toni
This was really amazing! I love how tasty and juicy it is!
Danielle
Thanks Toni!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I am ready for these ribs! I completely agree -- low and slow is the only way to go and your flavorings have taken this in a completely different direction. These ribs are perfection.
Danielle
Low and slow is definitely key! Thanks Lisa 🙂
Emmeline
OK this needs to happen very soon in my house! Ribs & thai flavors - two of my main obsessions, and you brought them together in such a beautiful way! Thank your for this!
Danielle
Thanks Emmeline! I really hope you get the chance to try them 🙂
Demeter
These sound so flavorful. Thanks for all your tips and tricks to getting it right.
Danielle
Thanks Demeter!
kim
Yum! What a great recipe with such fabulous flavor. This one will be on repeat!
Danielle
Thanks Kim!