Best 6 Chinese Braised Spare Ribs Recipes

1-2-3-4-5 RIBS

Steps:

• Select meaty ribs, and have the butcher cut them into 1.5" to 2" long pieces. Rinse, and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Preheat a wok until it starts to smoke lightly (see my post on how to prevent food from sticking to a wok). Add 2 tablespoons oil, along with the ginger slices. Over medium heat, fry the ginger for 1 minute. Add the ribs, turn up the heat to high, and take a few minutes to brown both sides.
• Turn down the heat, and add in 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 5 tablespoons water. Stir and mix everything well. Turn up the heat to bring it to a boil.
• Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to medium/low. Simmer for 25 minutes (20 minutes if the ribs are less meaty than mine). Halfway through the process, check to make sure the liquid is not drying up. If so, reduce the heat further and add in a little more water if needed.
• After 25 minutes of simmering, remove the lid. There should be quite a bit of liquid left. Time to turn up the heat to reduce the sauce and make the ribs glisten. With the heat on high, continuously stir and toss the ribs. This process takes only a couple of minutes. Reduce the liquid until there is ¼ cup of liquid left and the ribs are gleaming with sauce! Serve immediately.

TAKEOUT-STYLE CHINESE SPARE RIBS

Steps:

• Mix together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger and food coloring in a metal, non-reactive bowl. Pour the marinade into a large zip-top bag, reserving 1/2 cup on the side for basting later. Add the ribs to the bag and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 3 hours, though longer is better and overnight is ideal.
• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to 275 degrees F for direct and indirect grilling.
• Remove the ribs from the marinade (discard the marinade) and place onto a wire rack. Place the rack directly on the cooler side of the grill. Cook until the meat is very tender, basting with the reserved marinade 3 times during the cooking process, 2 to 3 hours.
• Drizzle the ribs with honey, move them to the direct heat side and quickly char each rib to caramelize.

CHINESE-STYLE BARBECUED RIBS

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, mince garlic and scallions. Add hoisin, ketchup, honey, soy sauce, rice wine or vodka, rice vinegar and five-spice powder. Process until well blended. Taste for sweetness; the mixture should be sweet like barbecue sauce, not candy. Adjust the taste with honey, soy sauce and vinegar.
• Set aside 1/3 cup marinade for basting. Transfer remaining marinade to a container or pan large enough to hold the ribs, or to large resealable plastic bags. Add ribs and turn until well coated. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days, turning occasionally in the marinade.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Set up a rimmed baking sheet (or two) with an oven-safe wire rack that fits inside, the kind you'd use for cooling cookies. Line the bottoms of the pans with foil or nonstick baking mats. Place the racks inside the pans and place the empty pans on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour in hot water until it comes about halfway up the sides of the pan. (Do not skip the water: The steam helps cook the meat to the right tenderness.)
• When the oven is hot, remove the ribs from the marinade and place on the racks, meaty side up. Bake without basting, 1 hour for baby back ribs, 2 hours for St. Louis style ribs. Check the water level occasionally to make sure it hasn't cooked off.
• Remove ribs from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour off any water from the baking sheet and return the ribs to the racks. (Alternatively, you can finish the ribs on a medium-hot grill; see below.)
• Return ribs to the oven and roast (or grill), basting 2 or 3 times with reserved marinade, for 20 to 30 minutes (less time for baby backs, more for spareribs). Watch the ribs carefully to make sure that the edges don't burn, and don't baste them too close to the end; they should be dry and sticky, not wet on the surface.
• Use a big knife to cut between the bones, making sure that each rib has meat on both sides. Mound on a platter, sprinkle with scallions and cilantro, and serve immediately.

CHINESE SPARERIBS

Steps:

• In a shallow glass dish, mix together the hoisin sauce, ketchup, honey, soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and five-spice powder. Place the ribs in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fill a broiler tray with enough water to cover the bottom. Place the grate or rack over the tray. Arrange the ribs on the grate.
• Place the broiler rack in the center of the oven. Cook for 40 minutes, turning and brushing with the marinade every 10 minutes. Let the marinade cook on for the final 10 minutes to make a glaze. Finish under the broiler if desired. Discard any remaining marinade.

CHINESE BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Slice the onion and put it into a slow cooker.
• Season the short ribs with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown all sides of the short ribs. When browned, place in slow cooker on top of sliced onions.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the top of short ribs. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours or low for 8 to 9 hours.
• Cook's Note: Five-spice powder is a blend of ground spices used extensively in Chinese cooking. It usually consists of cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. It can be found in the spice section of the grocery store.

CHINESE BRAISED SPARE RIBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the spareribs, and cook uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat. Stir in the ginger, green onions, and cinnamon; cook and stir until fragrant. Stir in the spareribs and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the water, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until the spareribs are tender, about 1 hour.