Recipe: Korean Fire Ribs with Melted Cheese
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I have probably already said this on here before, but I love my old school slow cooker. I know all the cool kids are about that instant pot life, but my slow cooker is reliable and I trust that it won’t blow up in my face. I love it for pretty much every situation where I’d want super tender meat, including fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs.
One of my favorite flavor combinations in modern Korean cuisine is super “fire-y” spicy meat with ooey gooey melted cheese. So I worked with Bibigo USA to develop this recipe for spicy ribs served piled high in the middle of a moat of melty cheese. Pro-tip, if you have a tabletop induction burner like I do, serve this whole skillet at the table with the heat set to a low setting to keep the cheese melty—we made some epic cheese pulls!
Other Variations for this Recipe
If you can’t find the sauce mentioned in the recipe below, Bibigo Original Korean BBQ Sauce (a.k.a. bulgogi sauce) seems to be easier to find. Whisk together 3/4 cup of that sauce (or your own favorite bulgogi marinade recipe) and 1/4 gochujang and use that to substitute for the 1 cup of Bibigo spicy sauce.
If you love Korean corn cheese, mix in half a can of corn (drained) into the cheese mixture.
How to Make Korean Fire Ribs with Melted Cheese
Ingredients
1 rack baby back ribs
1 cup Bibigo Hot & Sweet Go-Chu-Jang Sauce
2–3 tbsp gochugaru (or more!)
10 oz mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
1–2 oz cream cheese, softened
ingredients for Garnishing
1–2 scallions
1 red Fresno chili, thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Procedure
Pat baby back ribs dry. Divide in half for fit if needed and place into the pot of a slow cooker. Combine Bibigo Hot & Spicy Korean BBQ Sauce with gochugaru to taste; pour half of the sauce mixture into slow cooker and thoroughly coat the exposed meat of the ribs. Set remaining sauce mixture aside. Cook ribs on low for 5 hours.
To make curly scallion garnish like the ones in the photos, slice green parts of scallions lengthwise into narrow strips and place in a bowl of cold water. Place bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Remove cooked ribs from slow cooker and allow to rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a foil-lined baking tray.
Mix together mozzarella and cream cheese in a bowl. (Note: Please avoid using the pre-grated mozzarella, as this has additives to prevent the shreds of cheese from clumping together, and will also prevent the cheese from melting together smoothly.)
Cut in between bones of rack pieces to separate into individual ribs and place on foil-lined baking tray. Brush on the remaining sauce mixture. Place tray on the top rack of the oven and turn on the broiler setting. Broil ribs for 7–10 minutes until the edges are slightly charred.
Place cheese inside a cast iron skillet to form a ring. Heat cheese on stovetop on low until cheese just starts to melt, about 2–3 minutes. Then place under the broiler for 1–2 minutes until a few brown spots form.
Pile ribs in the middle of the cast iron skillet. Top with scallions, sliced chili, and sesame seeds.
Grilling Method (Note that this version will not be as tender as the slow cooker option.)
Pat baby back ribs dry and remove the silverskin membrane. Cut in between bones to divide into individual ribs. Combine Bibigo Hot & Spicy Korean BBQ Sauce with gochugaru to taste. Add ribs to a large zip-top bag along with half of the sauce mixture. Mix ribs and sauce until thoroughly combined and allow to marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerate remaining sauce mixture separately.
Prepare grill. When ready, place ribs on the grill. Continuously brush ribs with remaining sauce mixture and turn until all ribs are cooked evenly.
Follow same steps for preparing cheese and garnishes as above.
Thank you so much to Bibigo USA for sponsoring this recipe! For more recipe ideas and to learn more about their products, visit their website!