Sweet and Spicy Deunggalbi Gangjeong (Glazed Crispy Baby Back Ribs)
A special dish of parboiled baby back ribs coated in starch, pan-fried until golden, and tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Baby back ribs are soaked to remove blood and gamy odors, parboiled, coated in starch, and pan-fried crispy for a chewy texture. Tossed in a thickened glaze made with gochujang, ketchup, and Cheongyang chili peppers, this makes a wonderful dish for entertaining or pairing with drinks.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Very spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Baby back ribs1 stalk, 750 g
- Potato starch (or potato starch)as needed
For boiling
- Water5 cups
- Soju1/3 cup
- Whole black peppercorns1/2 tbsp
- Garlic5 cloves
- Bay leaves3 leaves
Rib marinade
- Salt1 tsp
- Ground black peppera little
Seasoning
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Ketchup1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce (or regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Cheongju (Korean rice wine) (or mirin (cooking rice wine))2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Ginger juice1/2 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
- Water1/2 cup
- Soak the baby back ribs in cold water for 3 hours, changing the water occasionally, to draw out the blood.
- You can also add wilted green onions or onions.
- Season the prepped ribs with salt and pepper, mix gently by hand, and let sit for about 1 hour to absorb the flavor.
- If you do not like spicy food, omit the Cheongyang chili peppers.
Steps
1. Soak the baby back ribs in cold water for 3 hours, changing the water occasionally, to draw out the blood.
Removing the blood is the first step to eliminating any unpleasant meat odor.
2. In a pot with the water, add 1/3 cup soju, 1/2 tbsp whole black peppercorns, 5 cloves garlic, and 3 bay leaves. Once the water boils vigorously...
You can also add wilted green onions or onions.
3. Add the baby back ribs and parboil for about 3 minutes once the water returns to a boil.
Parboiling like this thoroughly eliminates impurities and any unpleasant meat odor.
4. Rinse in water and drain.
5. Combine all the sauce ingredients.
To make it extra spicy, I ground the Cheongyang chili peppers before adding them to the sauce.
If you do not like spicy food, omit the Cheongyang chili peppers.
6. Season the prepped ribs with salt and pepper, mix gently by hand, and let sit for about 1 hour to absorb the flavor.
7. After seasoning, coat evenly with potato starch...
8. In a pan generously coated with oil, pan-fry both sides until golden as if shallow-frying.
Drain the excess oil on paper towels.
If you prefer less oil, you can also bake them in the oven until golden brown.
10
9. Pour the prepared sauce into a pan and bring it to a bubbling boil, then simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly...
10. Add the ribs, coat them evenly with the sauce, and finish by sprinkling with peanut powder or sesame seeds.
Ppunwife's tips
- Removing the blood is the first step to eliminating any unpleasant meat odor.
- Parboiling like this thoroughly eliminates impurities and any unpleasant meat odor.
- If you prefer less oil, you can also bake them in the oven until golden brown.
FAQ
I cannot eat spicy food well. Can I adjust the sauce?
If you want to tone down the heat, simply omit the Cheongyang chili peppers from the sauce ingredients.
Can I use the oven instead of pan-frying in oil?
If shallow-frying in oil feels like too much, you can bake them in the oven until nicely browned.
Can I add other aromatics when boiling the meat?
Yes, besides the basic aromatics, you can also boil the meat with vegetables like wilted green onions or onions.
How can I substitute oyster sauce if I do not have it?
You can use an equal amount of regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), 1 tbsp, to adjust the seasoning.
