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‘Ribs’ don’t have to be purist preparation By Sarah Lemon Updated: Jul 15, 2022 09:35 AM A A If you really love ribs, chances are you’re a purist. Smoking, as this week’s food section column confirmed, is the gold standard. But there’s more than one way to prepare ribs — including roasting and grilling — and even several types of ribs at the meat counter. One cut that enjoys ribs’ identity strictly speaking isn’t a rib at all. Country-style “ribs” in reality are pork blade steaks or chops. Cut from the blade portion of the loin's shoulder end, they often include part of the upper rib bones, though they may be boneless. Because they have a lot more meat than true ribs, they don’t need such long cooking times and may even be reverse-seared. Marinating or brining them softens the muscle strands and can impart a broad flavor profile. Here’s a recipe with Thai seasonings that was posted to my blog two summers back but didn’t make the transfer to an updated Mail Tribune website. Courtesy of Tribune News Service, it’s worth revisiting. The marinade even works well for steak or chicken thighs and brings new inspiration to the season’s outdoor cooking. Tribune News Service photo Thai-Style Grilled Pork Country Ribs 8 bone-in or boneless country-style pork loin ribs, each about 1-inch thick OR bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 2 3/4 to 3 pounds total 1/2 small white onion, peeled and chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled 1 tablespoon lemongrass puree or 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass 1 tablespoon ginger puree or grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or 2 teaspoons soy sauce) 1/2 small serrano chile, seeded (or 1 teaspoon hot sauce) 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, black pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric Chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, bottled peanut satay sauce Put the ribs into a large bowl or baking dish. Using a blender, combine 1/4 cup water with the onion, garlic, purees, fish sauce, chile, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin and turmeric. Process until smooth. Pour marinade over ribs; turn to be sure meat is coated well on all sides. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Heat a gas grill to medium hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners or arrange coals at sides of grill for indirect cooking. Put ribs, with marinade that clings, directly over heat or coals. Cook, without turning, until nicely browned, for about 10 minutes. Flip ribs to cooler portion (not directly over the heat) of grill. Cook without turning, until meat is almost firm when pressed with tip of a knife (about 150 F on an instant read thermometer), for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter; tent with foil and let stand for about 10 minutes. Serve garnished with the chopped cilantro and lime wedges for squeezing over meat. Pass the peanut satay sauce if you wish. Makes 6 servings. VARIATION: For Thai-style, grilled sirloin steak, marinate 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless top sirloin beef steak (about 1 inch thick) as directed. Grill steaks directly over heat for entire time as follows: 6 minutes on first side and 4 to 6 minutes on second side for medium-rare.