I grew up eating Korean barbecue with my family only on special occasions, so this dish sparks many warm and fond memories for me. I wanted to re-create a version of Korean short ribs that also incorporated my love of South American and Middle Eastern flavors. The brightness of the chimichurri and the yogurt is a nice counterpart to the richness of the grilled short ribs.
This might be the ultimate lazy recipe. Short ribs, generally reserved for braising, are seared (because their perfect thickness and ridiculous marbling of fat just might make them the best cheap steak you can buy), and kimchi, which is fermented for basically forever, is made in 5 minutes (okay, so it’s more slaw than kimchi—that lactic acid tang just can’t be replicated, no matter how much salt and vinegar you use). The results are not the same, but that’s more than okay, because the results are still great.
Ingredients
Moxie soda is a beloved New England soft drink first created in 1876 as a medicinal beverage. It’s flavored with gentian root, giving it a bitter flavor, with hints of cola, root beer, and Dr Pepper, which is what you should substitute if you can’t find Moxie where you live. It’s the secret ingredient in these beans, giving them a complex, sweet, and fruity flavor.
For flavorful ribs from the slow cooker, we cut the St. Louis-style ribs in half crosswise, coated each half liberally in a spice rub (a mix of paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, and granulated garlic), arranged them on end (exposed rib side down) around the rim of the cooking insert, and let them slowly cook until tender. To get that signature shiny, sticky finish, we made an easy barbecue sauce that we brushed onto to the ribs before broiling them.
This go-to recipe for classic barbecued ribs embraces what we refer to as our "oven-cheat" method -- a technique that'll get you ultra-tender meat without spending 12 hours manning a smoker. Choose your cut -- baby back or spareribs -- and follow three simple steps: 1. Season 2. Bake 3. Grill. For sauce, whip up a batch or use a store-bought variety.