Sheriff Don's Hawiian BBQ Ribs with Secret Sauce

This recipe originated from Azeka's Market, a very popular food market and later restaurant, originally founded in the 1950s, by Bill Azeka, on the island of Maui. Since then, other Azeka-style eateries have appeared, but Maui, Hawaii is where it all first began. The establishment closed its doors in the late 1990s but while they were open, the internet was, and still is, flooded with fans, articles, and chat groups touting its world famous Hawiian rib dinner and, more importantly, seeking to discover their secret sauce recipe, which was carefully protected. I was lucky enough to acquire it from a former employee that migrated to the mainland. It's important to note that if you want to traditionally experience this ledgendary dinner, the ribs MUST be served with plenty of extra sauce and generous portions of white rice and Hawiian-style macaroni salad, (as pictured above).

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

In a blender, add water, Asian pear, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, pepper, pepper flakes, and green onions then blend together thoroughly.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, pour in blended ingredients, then add soy sauce, Coca Cola (Important: DO NOT use Pepsi, because no self-respecting person would ever touch that stuff...grin), brown sugar, and sesame seeds, then stir together until thoroughly blended. NOTE: This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for months if placed in a mason jar, secured with a lid.

Step 3

Rinse each slab and place together in a large container with a sealable lid. Add 3 cups of marinade. Cover with lid and refrigerate a minimum of 24 hours (preferably 36-48 hours). NOTE: The container should be deep enough to allow marinade to partially cover rib slabs. Turn the container upside-down every 12 hours to allow all sides of rib slabs to be covered in the marinade.

Step 4

Working in batches, transfer rib slabs to a BBQ grill with temperature set on high. Turn each slab after 2 minutes per side, or until both sides appear braised.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer rib slabs to a large baking dish and place in oven, covered with foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Reset oven temperature to 'warm' and leave until ready to serve.

Step 6

Serve 2-3 rib slabs on a bed of shredded Napa cabbage, with sprinkles of sesame seeds, 2 scoops of cooked white rice, and 1 scoop of Hawiian-style macaroni salad (see recipe). This dinner should also be accompanied with a dispenser bottle of marinating sauce because once you're treated to its unique sweet and sour flavor, you won't be able to get enough of it!