Hawaiian Beef Ribs

Photo: flickr user arnold | inuyaki

Ingredients

6 beef back ribs - (to 8) cut apart

pound (6" to 7" each, 3 ¼ to 4 total)

1/2 cup prepared teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

(or dry sherry)

1 tablespoon prepared hoisin

(or char sui sauce)

1 tablespoon prepared barbecue sauce

(or catsup)

1/4 cup canned crushed pineapple

3/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes

Preparation

Rinse beef ribs and pat dry. In a 1-gallon heavy plastic food bag or a deep bowl, mix teriyaki sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce, barbecue sauce, pineapple, and hot chili flakes. Add ribs; seal bag and turn to coat meat well, or turn ribs in bowl to coat and cover airtight. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

If using a charcoal grill, mound and ignite 70 charcoal briquets on the firegrate, with vents open. When coals are dotted with ash, in about 15 minutes, push equal portions to opposite sides of grate. Add 5 briquets to each mound of coals.

If using a gas grill, turn heat to high, cover, and heat for 10 minutes. Adjust gas burners for indirect heat on each side of grill (none down center); keep heat on high.

Set barbecue grill in place. Lay meat on grill, not directly over heat (to avoid flare-ups). Cover barbecue; open vents for charcoal. Cook, basting ribs occasionally with marinade the first 20 minutes and turning as needed for even browning, until meat is rare (red in center of thickest part; cut to test), 20 to 25 minutes total, or medium (pink in center of thickest part; cut to test), 30 to 35 minutes total. If meat is not as brown as you like, move over direct heat and t

This recipe yields 3 to 4 servings.

Comments: Even on snow-covered decks, gas grills sizzle with these ribs. Look for Chinese rice wine and hoisin or char sui sauce in a well-stocked supermarket or Asian market. If marinating the ribs up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill.