Crispy Air Fryer Deunggalbi Gui (Grilled Pork Back Ribs)
A special dish of pork baby back ribs roasted crispy in an air fryer and tossed in a sweet chicken glaze.
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 →
Coated in potato starch and roasted in an air fryer, these ribs turn out crispy on the outside and tender-chewy on the inside. Tossed in a mild seasoned fried chicken sauce, they make a great snack for kids as well as a wonderful beer snack for adults.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Cook time
- 25 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Pork baby back ribs1 stalk, 750 g
- Soju1/3 cup
- Ginger1 clove
- Whole black peppercorns1 tbsp
- Bay leaves5 leaves
- Water5 cups
- Salta little of each
- Ground black peppera little of each
- Potato starch4 tbsp
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Ketchup2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce (or regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)1 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Ginger juice1 tsp
- Water1/2 cup
- Soak the ribs in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing the water occasionally to draw out the blood.
- For a whole rack of ribs, gently peel the edge with your fingers until the membrane separates from the meat, then pull it all the way off.
- For small children, you can omit the gochugaru from the sauce.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
This is 1 rack of pork baby back ribs, about 750 g.
The boiling ingredients shown here are missing soju, but you need 1/3 cup of soju, ginger, bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns.
Trim the ribs
I bought baby back ribs that weren't separated yet.
A whole rack has a membrane that needs to be removed; if you gently peel the edge with your fingers, the thin membrane will lift away from the meat.
Pull it straight off to remove the membrane.
Slice between the bones to separate the ribs individually.
Soak to remove blood
Soak the ribs in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing the water occasionally to draw out the blood.
Removing blood from bone-in meat like this helps eliminate any gamey pork odor.
Parboil the ribs
Add the water and all the boiling ingredients, then bring to a rolling boil so the aromatics infuse the water.
Add the ribs and boil for at least 5 minutes; as it boils, impurities and dirty foam will rise to the surface.
Rinse under running water to wash away any clotted blood stuck to the bones.
Lightly drain off the excess water.
Season and roast the ribs
Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt and a little ground black pepper evenly over the pork baby back ribs, then let them sit for about 30 minutes to season.
Pre-seasoning the ribs like this ensures the seasoning balances perfectly with the sauce.
Coat evenly with 4 tbsp of potato starch, then brush the surface with olive oil or cooking oil at the end so it looks glossy.
Place them in the air fryer, set the temperature to 185°C, and roast for 10 minutes on each side until the surface becomes crispy.
You can also cook them in a frying pan with cooking oil, pan-frying until crispy.
Sauce the ribs
Add all the seasoning sauce ingredients to a pan and simmer gently for a brief moment until well combined and smooth.
Add the roasted ribs and toss well until evenly coated with the sauce to finish.
Serve
Roasting them until crispy and tossing them in sauce makes them taste just like seasoned fried chicken.
I added a little gochugaru for color; it isn't spicy, but for young children, you can leave it out.
For a family of 4, double my recipe to make a generous portion.
Kids absolutely love this, and isn't it also fantastic as a beer snack for adults?
Have a happy Children's Day.
Ppunwife's tips
- Removing blood from bone-in meat like this helps eliminate any gamey pork odor.
- Pre-seasoning the ribs like this ensures the seasoning balances perfectly with the sauce.
FAQ
How can I cook them if I don't have an air fryer?
You can cook them in a frying pan with cooking oil, pan-frying them until crispy.
How should I adjust the sauce when serving younger children?
You can completely leave out the gochugaru, which was added for color, to make it completely mild.
How can I substitute oyster sauce if I don't have it?
You can replace the oyster sauce with an equal amount of regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) when making the sauce.
