Thai sweet chili ribs are savory, sticky, sweet, and spicy. These finger-licking good ribs are easy to make. Bring something different to your grill tonight!
I beg you and David’s pardon, but I think pork spare ribs are better than baby back ribs any day. That’s why I wanted to make this recipe.
I call this recipe easy because the Thai sweet chili ribs are grilled over indirect high heat. They don’t take all day to cook like smoked baby backs, and the flavor profile is amazing.
This spare rib recipe was adapted from a Stephen Raichlen recipe, and this is the recipe that made me want to make my own Thai sweet chili sauce.
If you love Thai food and Thai sweet chili sauce, keep on reading!
What Are Thai Sweet Chili Ribs?
Thai Sweet chili ribs marinate in a zesty wet rub of lime juice, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, and spices made into a paste with olive oil. Then the ribs are grilled over indirect heat just until they are about done. The heat is stoked up, and the ribs sear over direct heat. The ribs are transferred to a cutting board where they rest for five minutes before serving with sweet Thai chili sauce, peanuts, and cilantro.
What is a Wet Rub?
Mixing just a small amount of lime juice and oil with the spice mix results in a paste-like consistency called a “wet rub”. A wet rub really adheres to the meat even while grilling and locks in flavor.
Apply the wet rub for at least 4 hours and place them in the refrigerator before grilling the ribs. But if you want to take the the flavor to the next level, apply the wet rub 8 hours before grilling. Not only is the flavor more intense, but the lime juice tenderizes the meat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ribs: For this recipe, I use a rack of pork spare ribs. I like them better than baby backs, but feel free to use baby backs or St. Louis style ribs if you prefer.
Thai Wet Rub: this wet rub is made of garlic, cilantro, coriander, black pepper, soy sauce, lime juice, and olive oil
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce: for serving. I use my easy homemade recipe. The homemade sauce has a more intense flavor, and you can control what goes into the sauce.
Garnish: Chopped dry roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro add delicious flavor as a garnish but are completely optional.
How To Make Thai Sweet Chili Ribs
This recipe is fairly simple to make and, most of the time, is hands-off, waiting for the ribs to marinate. Ribs develop richer flavor the longer they marinate, so keep time in mind when you plan to make this recipe.
Make the Wet Rub:
Add the garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, salt, pepper, and coriander to the bowl of a food processor and process to chop finely into a dry paste. Blend in the lime juice. Open the top and scrape down the sides. Place the top back on and slowly add the olive oil until the ingredients form a wet paste. Note: you will probably not use all of the olive oil.
Prepare the Ribs:
Rinse the racks of ribs under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels.
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Lay the ribs on a flat surface, curve side up so that the curve of the ribs points up at you. Using a sharp knife, peel the membrane from one corner near the bone. Pull across the rack with firm, steady pressure. If it tears, pull it up again and continue where it tore off. Rinse and pat the ribs dry again.
Marinate the Ribs:
Place the rack of ribs onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, curved side up. Spread half of the wet rub over top. Flip and cover the opposite side. Wrap the plastic wrap around the ribs and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours to as long as overnight. The longer you marinate, the more flavor the ribs will have.
Fire Up The Grill:
Set up the grill for two-zone grilling with both direct and indirect heat. Brush the grate and apply some oil with a paper towel. Preheat the grill to 350-400 degrees F.
Grill the Ribs:
Place the ribs, bone side down, over the indirect heat side of the grill (without charcoal). Cover the grill and cook the ribs until the internal temp of the thickest part reaches 150 degrees F. The ribs will be brown, and the meat pulls away from the bones. This takes about 1 ½ hours.
- If using a charcoal grill, you will need to add more charcoal and adjust the temperature with the vents to keep the temperature consistent.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. You may need to rotate the ribs if one end cooks faster than the other.
Reverse Sear the Ribs:
Stoke up the heat. Light a charcoal chimney half full of charcoal. When they are hot and grayed over. Remove the ribs from the grill and dump them in the hot fresh coals. Return the rack of ribs to the grill meat side down. Grill the ribs over direct heat for 3-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature is between 190 and 205 degrees F.
Rest and Serve:
Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Tent with foil and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Cut the ribs apart, drizzle with Sweet Thai Chili sauce and sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro if desired. Serve the ribs with extra sauce on the side.
Tips for Making These Ribs
- Remove the Membrane from the back of the ribs. The membrane is a thin, white-looking skin on the back of each rack of ribs. This membrane can block out the flavor by creating a barrier against the wet rub.
- Grilling the ribs over indirect heat creates tender meat that will easily tear off the bone but not fall off.
- You can bush the ribs with sauce during the last few minutes of cooking, but it tastes better as a dipping sauce.
- Concentrating on temperature rather than the time when grilling ribs is best. Use an instant-read thermometer to help monitor the temperature.
- Time and temperature are determined by the consistency of the heat and thickness of the meat.
Juice A Lot Of Citrus?
Check out this juicer! It’s similar to the one Ina Garten uses. It takes all the work out of juicing limes, lemons, and oranges!
FAQ’s
You can substitute the chili sauce for regular Hot Sauce, Sriracha, or a mixture of honey and hot sauce, to taste.
Yes, if the weather isn’t good. Bake the ribs covered in foil in a 350 F degree oven until they become tender, about 2 ½ hours. Unwrap the ribs and broil, turning once for 4-6 minutes on each side.
Yes, if that’s what you have on hand or prefer, it’s totally fine. Baby back ribs are smaller and do not take as long to cook as spare ribs or St. Louis Style ribs.
You can use a mortar and pestle to break down the ingredients before adding the lime juice and oil.
Can I baste the ribs with Thai sweet chili sauce before removing them from the grill? During testing, we tried basting the ribs before removing them from the grill. We didn’t like the way it tasted as much. The chili sauce loses its delicious sweet heat on the grill. We do not recommend basting on the grill.
David loves these ribs as much as I do, but he’d never choose these over smoked baby backs. At least I found a way to break up the monotony of the smoke.
Making Thai Sweet Chili Ribs? We’d love your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We value your opinion and appreciate your time.
See ya on the mountain!
Easy Thai Sweet Chili Ribs
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
- 5 ½ pounds rack pork spare ribs 1 rack
- Thai Wet Rub recipe to follow
- 1 cup Thai sweet chili sauce for serving
- 2 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped (optional)
- Fresh cilantro chopped for garnish (optional)
For the Thai Wet Rub
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil Approximate amount. May not use all.
Instructions
Make the Wet Rub:
- Add the garlic, cilantro, fish sauce, salt, pepper, and coriander to the bowl of a food processor and process to chop finely into a dry paste. Blend in the lime juice. Open the top and scrape down the sides. Place the top back on and slowly add the olive oil until the ingredients form a wet paste. Note: you will probably not use all of the olive oil.
Prepare the Ribs:
- Rinse the racks of ribs under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels.
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Lay the ribs on a flat surface, curve side up so that the curve of the ribs points up at you. Using a sharp knife, peel the membrane from one corner near the bone. Pull across the rack with firm, steady pressure. If it tears, pull it up again and continue where it tore off. Rinse and pat the ribs dry again.
Marinate the Ribs:
- Place the rack of ribs onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, curved side up. Spread half of the wet rub over top. Flip and cover the opposite side. Wrap the plastic wrap around the ribs and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours to as long as overnight. The longer you marinate, the more flavor the ribs will have.
Fire Up The Grill:
- Set up the grill for two-zone grilling with both direct and indirect heat. Brush the grate and apply some oil with a paper towel. Preheat the grill to 350-400 degrees F.
Grill the Ribs:
- Place the ribs, bone side down, over the indirect heat side of the grill (without charcoal). Cover the grill and cook the ribs until the internal temp of the thickest part reaches 150 degrees F. The ribs will be brown, and the meat pulls away from the bones. This takes about 1 ½ hours.
- If using a charcoal grill, you will need to add more charcoal and adjust the temperature with the vents to keep the temperature consistent.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. You may need to rotate the ribs if one end cooks faster than the other.
Reverse Sear the Ribs:
- Stoke up the heat. Light a charcoal chimney half full of charcoal. When they are hot and gray over. Remove the ribs from the grill and dump them in the hot fresh coals. Return the rack of ribs to the grill meat side down. Grill the ribs over direct heat for 3-5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature is between 190 and 205 degrees F.
Rest and Serve:
- Transfer the ribs to a cutting board. Tent with foil and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Cut the ribs apart, drizzle with Sweet Thai Chili sauce and sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro if desired. Serve the ribs with extra sauce on the side.
Notes
- Remove the Membrane from the back of the ribs. The membrane is a thin, white-looking skin on the back of each rack of ribs. This membrane can block out the flavor by creating a barrier against the wet rub.
- Grilling the ribs over indirect heat creates tender meat that will easily tear off the bone but not fall off.
- You can bush the ribs with sauce during the last few minutes of cooking, but it tastes better as a dipping sauce.
- It’s best to concentrate on temperature rather than the time when grilling ribs. Use an instant-read thermometer to help monitor the temperature.
- Time and temperature are determined by the consistency of the heat and thickness of the meat.
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