Smoked Pork Ribs with Slaw and Greens

Another one I wrote for the Kabuto Noodle Crew

I’ve spent a large part of the past twelve years cooking, eating and writing about authentic American low and slow BBQ. Some of my favourite meals have been in rickety roadside BBQ joints, gnawing on tender, succulent & smoky ribs alongside crunchy slaw and a big pile of steamed greens.

Slow cooked pork ramen is amazing so I thought I’d have a bit of fun with it and recreate a classic deep south BBQ dish in the ramen bowl using smoked ribs that have been covered in a Japanese inspired BBQ rub and glazed with Asian style BBQ sauce.  The greens are added straight to the broth to soften and we’re also using a ‘slaw’ of grated carrot and shredded cabbage for crunch with a drizzle of Kewpie* Japanese mayo to top it off.

Ideally, you’ll have a smoker that is designed to sit and chug away at a low temperature for extended periods of time but there are ways to get the same result from a regular BBQ.

Whilst the method isn’t too demanding in terms of effort, this dish does take a long time to cook so plan ahead. 

INGREDIENTS

·      1 x Kabuto Spicy Garlic Ramen Kit

·      1 slab of meaty spare pork ribs (also known as pork belly ribs)

·      ¼ head of red cabbage, finely shredded

·      1 medium carrot, grated

·      Two large handfuls of rainbow chard or any leafy green you fancy.

For the rub, mix together:

·      1 ½ tbsp shichimi togarashi

·      1 tbsp demerara sugar

·      1 tbsp salt

For the BBQ glaze

·      Equal parts hoisin sauce and BBQ sauce

For the garnish

·      Kewpie Mayo*

·      Fresh coriander leaves

·      Sliced red or green jalapeno chilli peppers

·      Shichimi togarashi included in the ramen kit

METHOD

1.     Remove the membrane from the back of ribs using a piece of kitchen roll

2.     Generously season the ribs all over with the BBQ rub then set aside in the fridge for a few hours

3.     Set your smoker going and stabilise the temperature at around 110C

4.     Add a couple of smoking wood chunks then place the ribs on the smoker, meat side up

5.     After 2-3 hours, the ribs will have taken on a lovely colour and you will see a bark has started to form. Now is the time to foil them.

6.     Place a sheet of foil down and make a thin bed of brown sugar

7.     Lay the ribs onto the sugar meat side down

8.     Carefully wrap the ribs in the foil to seal them up, adding a splash of apple juice as you go to help keep things moist

9.     Place back on the smoker for another couple of hours

10.  Very carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place back on the smoker meat side up – they should be very tender and almost falling apart by this point

11.  Brush the meat with the BBQ glaze then close the lid whilst you get everything else ready

12.  Mix up the ramen broth and noodles as per the pack instructions and ladle into bowls

13.  Add the greens, carrot and cabbage

14.  Carefully remove the ribs from the smoker and then either remove the meat from the bones and add to the bowl, or if you prefer, slice into individual ribs and add them (bone and all) to the bowl

15.  Garnish with coriander, sliced chillis and shichimi then a generous drizzle of Kewpie

Samurai tip – This dish works equally well with slow cooked pork belly or babyback ribs.

*If you cannot find Kewpie mayo, you can get close enough at home by mixing together the following: 250ml mayo, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar