Maui Ribs.... Did I tell you about the time I nearly lit my BBQ on fire?

The hazardous world of cooking saucy Maui ribs on open flames... possibly only if you're me.

I tend to get the urge to eat these little bundles of joy frequently. There is something so fresh with the garlic, ginger and the nuttiness of the sesame oil... delicious. So my story goes like this... I go camping often with friends.... Ok so its not really camping because we have a cabin, but its my style of camping and good food is still a must. One time I made a huge batch of Maui Ribs to feed several people and after marinating them all day I happily slathered them on my pre-heated BBQ. Now my BBQ is in a covered patio area with a ceiling fan which is intended to keep down the heat of our wood stove that we sit around at night.... Back to my ribs though..... I guess my delicious marinade started a significant fire on the grate above the usual fire element and oh the smoke!!! Thankfully I was able to "blow out" the elements that were on fire but unfortunately for my guests, my ceiling fan ensured that the greasy smoke kept getting pushed down in their faces and recycling it back down again and again until we finally managed to clear it from the roof line. It was a combo of scary and embarrassing... but I salvaged most of the Maui ribs! Have you ever had a cooking incident? I would love to hear about it... misery loves company lol.

I will still cautiously cook Maui ribs on the BBQ both at the cabin and at home, but the oven works just as well... especially when using a pan that catches the run off sauce. #win #mauiribs

So here is the process..... I start with precut beef short rib braising ribs. These were not organic I am afraid, but finding organic grass fed ribs is a bit of a challenge. Everything in moderation I guess... I pick hormone and antibiotic free to organic whenever possible.

I did scour Pinterest for some cool variations of the sauce... who am I kidding these have been around forever! I did not come up with this on my own... but in reality I do mess around with recipes until I like the flavor... I saw a good one from #inthekitchenwithkath that appears to nail an authentically traditional blend. I started here but added some rice wine vinegar to the mix because I personally enjoy the extra tang... here was my process.

I used organic soya sauce, sesame oil and ginger. I have yet to find organic rice vinegar but the hunt continues.

Some recipes may encourage you to grate the ginger finely to saturate the sauce... But I am a fan of the thinly sliced chunks method as I like having bursts of cooked soft ginger flavor in some bites as I go! #shunknifes Its the end of February on the West Coast and I intended to start sharing my garden with you come spring and summer. I grow my own food and use what I grow in my dishes regularly... In February, I though this would be a few months out but then I looked outside and saw this.....

My green onions were making their early debut!!! So I used these little shoots within this recipe and the fresh from the garden flavor was incredible! Never mind the state of the garden otherwise... I leave the fallen leaves from my fruit trees to remain all winter and then I mulch them in when I am ready to plant. Back to the ribs...

I added some of the green onion to the marinade and left some for the garnish. I ensured that I blended the marinade well and started the taste testing process. This sauce does take a sweetener. I use organic coconut sugar #pcorganics and added small sprinklings of it until the balance of acid and sweet was how I liked it. I then added the marinade to the plastic bag with the ribs to marinade. This is best left for several hours, shaking and flipping the bag several times.... but you can marinade for less time and they still taste great.

I actually cooked these ribs in the oven this time.... I was too tired last night to worry about fires. I cooked them at 400 degrees and cooked for 10 minutes a side flipping in between. This was a delicious guest worthy Friday night meal. If pre-marinated as recommend, this meal can be ready in 20 minutes! I served with rice and arugula salad, but there are so many taste sides that work well with these, or they also make an amazing appetizer. Enjoy!