Sweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Backs from Fine Cooking Magazine, June/July 2010

Murphy tends to visit me on days that I want to do a bigger than usual grilling project. Today is a good for-instance. There was no mention of rain in the forecast this morning, which thrilled me since we were planning on having friends over for dinner and I'd bought two racks of baby backs so I could make the Sweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Backs for them.

The day was beautiful. I went to a women's tea in the morning and was served at a table in a garden with a balmy southern breeze keeping us cool. I got home and started pulling together the things I would need for the meal when my husband walked by and mentioned that there was a lot of cloud to ground lightning to the north of us. Murphy was visiting. A nice thunderstorm blew through and left a gentle rain that continued through the time I needed to light the charcoal and get it into the smoker box. Luckily, our grill is protected. Unfortunately, the person working at the grill isn't. C'est la vie, however, and since I don't melt, the meal went on.

I've mentioned before (several times), that I'm a big fan of pork ribs and without even making them, I could see that this recipe was going to be exceptional. That was especially brought home after I couldn't find the kecap manis (a sweet soy sauce that is found in Asian kitchens if you don't live in the rural south) so I went and found a recipe to make my own. Kecap manis may just very well turn into one of my favorite ingredients. I'm including the recipe below this review for others like me who can't get hold of the bottled version.

There is nothing to the preparation of these ribs, and I like that. I'm so used to ribs that require a rub 24 hours prior to grilling, then mopping constantly during grilling, and finally the sauce put on shortly before serving. In this lovely version, the ribs are salted and slapped on the grill. The sauce comes together very quickly since it's just four ingredients (but oh, what ingredients they are!), and is put on the ribs after they're done cooking, just to get it hot and caramelized.

The sauce is absolutely amazing. I did put only 1 tablespoon of Sriracha in simply because I wanted our four year-old to be able to eat the meal too (she had 3 ribs) and when I tasted the sauce the heat was very strong. However, upon cooking, the spiciness was much more toned down and barely noticeable so I probably could have gotten away with the 2 tablespoons, but better safe than sorry. It is the perfect blend of flavors though; sweet, tart, fruity, hot. This could very well replace my regular rub/mop/sauce recipe as my favorite. It's incredibly, very, superbly good.

One small note though. If you look at the picture in the magazine or on Fine Cooking's web site, it's obvious that they used a gas grill. When meat is smoked, like my ribs were, the smoke tends to penetrate the meat, giving it a reddish hue, which you can see in my ribs. That's why I love cooking with charcoal so much. The flavor got all the way in the meat, almost to the bone.

That being said, on to the Kecap Manis sauce, for those who can't find it in the Asian section of their store, or for those who just prefer making their own over using something in a bottle. One side note. Real Kecap Manis is made with something called Galangal, which is a relative of ginger. If I can't fine Kecap Manis, there's no way I'm finding Galengal, so I substituted ginger instead. If you have Galengal in your area, use it instead of raw ginger.

Sweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Backs 
from Fine Cooking Magazine, June/July 2010


2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 5 lb. total), silverskin removed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1/4 cup root beer
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, preferably Mae Ploy brand
2 Tbs. hot chili sauce, preferably Sriracha
Let the ribs sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for indirect cooking over low (300°F) heat. Lightly oil the grill grates.

Sprinkle the meat side of the ribs with 2 tsp. salt. Arrange the ribs bone side down in a single layer over the cool zone of the grill. Close the lid and cook the ribs until tender, about 2 hours. To test if they’re done, insert a knife into the rib meat—if it slides out without pulling at the meat, they’re ready. The meat should be tender but not falling off the bone. Remove the ribs from the grill and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.

Increase the temperature of the indirect grill fire to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the kecap manis, root beer, and both chili sauces. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sauce for serving. Brush the ribs on all sides with the remaining sauce. Return the ribs to the cool zone of the grill and cook, turning once, until nicely lacquered, about 15 minutes total.

Let the ribs rest, tented with foil, for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving with the reserved sauce for dipping or for drizzling over the ribs.


Kecap Manis

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1-2 slices raw ginger, peeled
1 star anise

Put the brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the sugar begins to melt. Continue stirring until the sugar is completely melted, watching for any signs of burning.

Reduce the heat to medium and CAREFULLY stir in the rest of the ingredients, stirring to re-dissolve the sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is a syrupy consistency and reduced by half.

Strain the liquid through sieve and store in the refrigerator.