Best Barbecue Ribs In Chiang Mai

[yesterday]

We went for the first time to a place called Coaches which was mentioned on TV so we gave it a anxious try. The "plate" for 265 baht(240 baht on Tues. rib nite) had shoe string French fries and our plate which is actually a basket has 8 good size ribs. But if just comparing the taste, the fallen off the bone goodness and the sauce then the contest if over and Coaches won out hands down for our group. Both place are good for sure. Coaches ribs just better for us its in the sauce plenty of it and the ribs themselves seemed tastier, fresher.

We were sitting next to a table that had two orders of ribs so we talked and everybody agreed the best ribs by far in C.M. Try it out and let all us TV food critics know what you may think.

[CMSteve]

Where are you from originally? The only reason I ask is that in the US, we have many different contraptions that are referred to as "ribs", all of which have completely different sauce bases.

Thanks

[venturalaw]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

[heybruce]

Where is Coaches?

The Irish Pub near the Night Market, I think it's O'Malley's, has very good 'falling of the bone tender' ribs, but it sounds like Coaches offers more rib for the money. Chiang Mai Saloon has big racks of meaty ribs, but the ribs are grilled and then some barbecue sauce is smeared on after they are cooked; they're good but not the super tender ribs permeated with barbecue sauce that you seem to prefer.

[yesterday]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Funny you mention.... we talked about Salsa kitchen ribs too. The Coach ribs as i put in the header are the best now in CM for us, although i like the potato salad that comes with the salsa ribs. Salsa are very good too.But for us we liked the barbacue sause much better at Coaches and the ribs were fallen off the bone, really falling off the bone .

You know it is a great feeling when you go to a little place to eat for the first time and you are surprised in a good way..

[venturalaw]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Funny you mention.... we talked about Salsa kitchen ribs too. The Coach ribs as i put in the header are the best now in CM for us, although i like the potato salad that comes with the salsa ribs. Salsa are very good too.But for us we liked the barbacue sause much better at Coaches and the ribs were fallen off the bone, really falling off the bone .

You know it is a great feeling when you go to a little place to eat for the first time and you are surprised in a good way..

I completely agree with you regarding the potato salad at the Salsa Kitchen. I never liked potato salad but at the Salsa Kitchen it's amazing.

[folium]

Without wishing to "rain on anyone's parade", we have had this discussion about Coaches not long ago. See below:

This new, gushing review sounds similar to some of the comments posted previously. Having visited the place earlier in the year I thought the food was nothing special, ribs drowned in an overpowering sauce, pretty poor pizza, all served in an atmosphere more reminiscent of a takeout than a restaurant, and for a fairly steep price. Perhaps everything has changed recently, but there are so many better dining options here IMHO.

[Greenside]

Without wishing to "rain on anyone's parade", we have had this discussion about Coaches not long ago. See below:

http://www.thaivisa....ge__hl__coaches

This new, gushing review sounds similar to some of the comments posted previously. Having visited the place earlier in the year I thought the food was nothing special, ribs drowned in an overpowering sauce, pretty poor pizza, all served in an atmosphere more reminiscent of a takeout than a restaurant, and for a fairly steep price. Perhaps everything has changed recently, but there are so many better dining options here IMHO.

I agree. The sauce smothered the taste of the ribs for me - less sauce, more ribs and some atmosphere would tempt me to visit again.

[lannarebirth]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Even better let's compare the ribs to a place where they aren't "falling off the bone". A place wher they might still be considered ribs and not mushy meat. How would it compare to that?

[lannarebirth]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Funny you mention.... we talked about Salsa kitchen ribs too. The Coach ribs as i put in the header are the best now in CM for us, although i like the potato salad that comes with the salsa ribs. Salsa are very good too.But for us we liked the barbacue sause much better at Coaches and the ribs were fallen off the bone, really falling off the bone .

You know it is a great feeling when you go to a little place to eat for the first time and you are surprised in a good way..

I completely agree with you regarding the potato salad at the Salsa Kitchen. I never liked potato salad but at the Salsa Kitchen it's amazing.

They were that good?

Amaze: to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly

Ok, maybe I've heard that word just one too many times.

[Ulysses G.]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Even better let's compare the ribs to a place where they aren't "falling off the bone". A place wher they might still be considered ribs and not mushy meat. How would it compare to that?

IMHO, the secret to excellent ribs is to make them falling off the bone, without being "mushy meat".

That is how the classic ribs were at Salsa Kitchen's old location, but I am not sure about the new one.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Lite Beer

[DavidOxon]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

wanna go with us and Rich and Rhune one night next week?

D

[jackjones]

......or you could always cook your own. Even if you don't have a big gas or electric oven I believe they can be cooked in one of those cheap electric ovens ( around 1000 baht ) The recipe I got was to boil them first, then cover them in a sauce made from an equal mix of tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce and honey and put them in the oven. I don't know the timings but it might be fun to experiment until you get exactly what you want and then invite me round please!

[Puccini]

I have a feeling that "barbecue ribs" can mean different things to different people. The ones I am used to in Italy are grilled on a barbecue, with a sauce pasted on every so often during the grilling process. In the USA, I have had ribs that were served on a plate with plenty of sauce and they were apparently cooked in the sauce in a pan or in the oven. One post in this topic indicates that there are also grilled ribs that are covered with barbecue sauce before being served.

The opening post in this topic, by yesterday, mentions that his ribs were served in a basket, which seems to indicate the grilled version, but the subtitle of his topic says that they were "smothered in a great sauce" and I'm not quite sure what he means by that. With ribs covered with plenty of sauce, would the sauce not seep out from the bottom of the basket, making the whole thing a bit messy? Perhaps the basket was laid out with alu foil.

On the whole, it seems somewhat presumptuous to me to talk about the "best ribs", that it would be better to say what version of ribs one had, that one "liked it best", and why.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Even better let's compare the ribs to a place where they aren't "falling off the bone". A place wher they might still be considered ribs and not mushy meat. How would it compare to that?

IMHO, the secret to excellent ribs is to make them falling off the bone, without being "mushy meat".

That is how the classic ribs were at Salsa Kitchen's old location, but I am not sure about the new one.

It just means boiling them long enough, but not too long, prior to grilling. It's not rocket science.

Next we'll be discussing which restaurant boils eggs the best.

[Ulysses G.]

Sorry Winnie. Not if you want tasty ribs.

There is much controversy over whether you should boil ribs before grilling or cooking ribs in the oven. If you're asking yourself "Should I Boil Ribs First?" this post is for you.

Many people have boiled them first, thinking this is how the ribs get their tenderness. However, the secret to great tender meat is not boiling it, but to cook it slowly and indirect heat. Naturally, if you place your meat straight over a hot flame in a grill it is going to dry it out and make it not as tender as you would like. In our article grilling baby back ribs you will learn the secret to grilling the perfect fall off the bone ribs without sacrificing flavor. It is all about setting up your grill properly when cooking ribs on the grill you do not want them anywhere near the direct flame. Placing a shallow aluminum pan of water below them will help you to keep them nice and tender.

The main argument against boiling ribs is that this destroys and ruins all flavor. In many regards this is true. And when you think about boiling your pork ribs it seems very silly in comparison would you boil hamburgers? Would you boil a steak before cooking it? Most likely not. (Well, at least we hope not!)

The reason boiling the pork beforehand is a bad idea is because the water absorbs all the flavor.

http://babybackgrill...efore-grilling/

Edited May 11, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[californiabeachboy]

Where are you from originally? The only reason I ask is that in the US, we have many different contraptions that are referred to as "ribs", all of which have completely different sauce bases.

Thanks

I second this. Not just the sauces, but the types of ribs. If you go to restaurants here in the US you will get a lot of "babyback ribs" which is nice marketing term for ribs that don't have any meat on them. How much meat is on the ribs??

[venturalaw]

Let's compare to a restaurant known for its ribs, for instance, how do they compare to the Salsa Kitchen's falling-off-the-bone original ribs? They are by far the best that I ever experienced in Thailand, however that said, I have never tried Coaches, but certainly will after the OP's recommendation.

Funny you mention.... we talked about Salsa kitchen ribs too. The Coach ribs as i put in the header are the best now in CM for us, although i like the potato salad that comes with the salsa ribs. Salsa are very good too.But for us we liked the barbacue sause much better at Coaches and the ribs were fallen off the bone, really falling off the bone .

You know it is a great feeling when you go to a little place to eat for the first time and you are surprised in a good way..

I completely agree with you regarding the potato salad at the Salsa Kitchen. I never liked potato salad but at the Salsa Kitchen it's amazing.

They were that good?

Amaze: to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly

Ok, maybe I've heard that word just one too many times.

I have never cared for potato salad - any potato salad, even if it was from some of the best deli restaurants. That is why I was 'amazed' that not only was it acceptable, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hope this clears up your confusion/concern.

Edited May 12, 2011 by venturalaw

[Ulysses G.]

It's not rocket science.

There are a lot more rockets in Thailand than places that sell good, falling off the bone, BBQ ribs.

[Blinky Bill]

Anyone remember the ribs at the original Escape?

Rumour had it that they were the worlds best.

[CMSteve]

OP: It hard to accept a review without knowing what was reviewed. I can appreciate that you enjoyed your meal and maybe even that you enjoyed this meal more than another, but to try to compare two things without a relative basis is misleading.

Can you please provide a bit more info on what you ate? Are they pork ribs, beef ribs, another animal? Were they short ribs, racked, long? Did they have a vinegar base sauce, tomatoe base, sweet, spicy? Could they have possibly been the American-Chinese food spare ribs with a glowing red sauce?

If I were to attempt a review on, lets say, "noodles", I think it would be prudent to specify what kind of noodles, how they were prepared, etc. Do I mean Mac & Cheese, Suki, Pad Thai, they are not the same.....

Where are you from originally? The only reason I ask is that in the US, we have many different contraptions that are referred to as "ribs", all of which have completely different sauce bases.

Thanks

I second this. Not just the sauces, but the types of ribs. If you go to restaurants here in the US you will get a lot of "babyback ribs" which is nice marketing term for ribs that don't have any meat on them. How much meat is on the ribs??

Edited May 12, 2011 by CMSteve

[Ulysses G.]

Anyone remember the ribs at the original Escape?

Rumour had it that they were the worlds best.

They were really great. If that big guy that used to own it could keep his hands off the help, the place might still be in business.

[Blinky Bill]

Anyone remember the ribs at the original Escape?

Rumour had it that they were the worlds best.

They were really great. If that big guy that used to own it could keep his hands off the help, the place might still be in business.

Rumour also has it, Ewe Gee, that the big guy never touched any of the staff whilst they were employed there.

In fact, I heard the only relationship he had with any of the staff was some years after the said staff member left.

[DaamNaam]

Salsa kitchen opposite Kad Suan Kaew. Good ribs.

[Ulysses G.]

Anyone remember the ribs at the original Escape?

Rumour had it that they were the worlds best.

They were really great. If that big guy that used to own it could keep his hands off the help, the place might still be in business.

Rumour also has it, Ewe Gee, that the big guy never touched any of the staff whilst they were employed there.

In fact, I heard the only relationship he had with any of the staff was some years after the said staff member left.

Shhhhh. Are you trying to ruin his reputation? Most of us believe that he had to fight off pretty much every female that he ever came into contact with.

[Blinky Bill]

Anyone remember the ribs at the original Escape?

Rumour had it that they were the worlds best.

They were really great. If that big guy that used to own it could keep his hands off the help, the place might still be in business.

Rumour also has it, Ewe Gee, that the big guy never touched any of the staff whilst they were employed there.

In fact, I heard the only relationship he had with any of the staff was some years after the said staff member left.

Shhhhh. Are you trying to ruin his reputation? Most of us believe that he had to fight off pretty much every female that he ever came into contact with.

Oh yes, quite right Ewe Gee, he was a bit of a devil when it came to the girlies, still is from what I've heard. And it wasn't just the staff, many of the customers (female mostly) sought his attention as well. Lovely guy.

Edited May 12, 2011 by Blinky Bill

[yesterday]

Today the ribs are 240 baht with fries, rib day special ,normally 265 baht Going to try this place out again,do one order hold the sause ,bring on the side. The ribs were cooked perfect and were great last week hopefully this wasn't a fluke . We will soon see.

Edited May 17, 2011 by yesterday

[DavidOxon]

gonna try the Coaches on Thursday.

I like my ribs meaty, not mushy, so

I'll probably stick with the pizza...

[DavidOxon]

fall off the bone sounds a bit mushy, no? I had ribs somewhere recently on the canal road, they were the most somethingly horrible mushy fall off the bone ribs you can imagine. I like to chew a bit on them... Horses for courses I guess... (bad analagy?)

david

[Ulysses G.]

There are mushy ribs out there, but falling off the bone does not mean literally falling off the bone. Properly cooked ribs are very tender yet still chewy and very like a tender steak