Hawaiian Style BBQ Short Ribs

These marinated and grilled short ribs are the perfect thing for a summer backyard BBQ. They only take a few minutes to make and cook (outside of the marinating time), and the sweet-salty soy sauce-based Hawaiian marinade delivers a taste of the islands without having to get on a plane.

You can serve these short ribs in classic Hawaiian plate lunch style, accompanied by two scoops of rice and macaroni salad, but we opted to be a little healthier and make an island-style sesame-cabbage slaw that has added texture from crumbled dry instant ramen noodles.

You'll want to get Hawaiian-style—also called Maui- or flanken-style—short ribs, which are cut in thin strips across the bone. These don't need to be marinated all that long, and only need to be grilled a few minutes on each side. The marinade works great with chicken or pork, too.

Ingredients

for the ribs

• 2 lbs Hawaiian-style short ribs
• One cup soy sauce
• One cup water
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the sesame slaw

• 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly on the bias
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds (white, black, or a mix of both)
• 1 package ramen noodles
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola or other neutral-flavored oil
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the marinade, combine all ingredients except short ribs in a blender and blend until smooth. Place short ribs in a shallow dish or one-gallon ziplock bag and pour marinade over. Make sure meat is thoroughly coated and let marinate for 3 hours or overnight.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat your gas grill to high. Grill short ribs for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

To make the slaw, combine cabbage, green onions, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Crumble in ramen noodles and toss together with salad. (Discard seasoning packet or save it for something else.) In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, oils, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Check for seasoning and add more vinegar, salt, or sugar if necessary. Pour dressing over slaw and toss together.

Serve ribs and slaw accompanied by steamed rice.