Chinese Dry Rub 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.

CHINESE BBQ RIBS

Steps:

• (Optional) Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs by loosening one end with a knife, and then tearing it away.
• Prepare a large piece of foil (at least 2" / 5 cm bigger than the ribs on all sides) to layer over a baking sheet. Place the ribs back side up onto the foil.
• Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle evenly over the back of the ribs and rub in. Flip the ribs and sprinkle on the top side, rub in the spice again. Set aside to marinate briefly while preheating the oven to 275°F (135°C).
• Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.
• Once the oven is heated, brush a thin layer of sauce all over the ribs.
• Place another piece of foil over the top. Crimp the bottom foil over the top foil and fold a few times to create a sealed parcel.
• Place the ribs in the oven and bake for 2 to 3 hours depending on their size (*Footnote 2). Once done, you can use a thermometer or a fork to poke through the foil to test the doneness. The meat should feel very tender or read at least 160°F/71°C.
• While cooking, prepare a baking tray lined with foil (or parchment paper) and a rack on top.
• Remove the ribs from the oven and turn the heat up to 450°F (230°C).
• Carefully open the parcel and move the ribs to the prepared baking tray. You might need to use 2 spatulas to help with this step because the ribs are extremely tender and might fall apart.
• Generously brush the top and back of the ribs with the sauce, leaving a few tablespoons for after cooking.
• Return the ribs to the oven and bake until beginning to char, 10 to 15 minutes. Check on the ribs every 5 minutes to prevent them from burning.
• Remove the ribs from the oven and brush with a thin layer of sauce. Let cool for 10 minutes then slice the ribs and serve hot with the remaining sauce.

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.

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.

DRY RUB FOR RIBS

Steps:

• Mix together the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Rub into pork ribs. For best results, allow ribs to marinate overnight. Grill ribs as desired.

DRY GARLIC RIBS-CANADIAN CHINESE STYLE

Steps:

• Have your butcher cut the rack of ribs the long way down the middle, then you can cut them between the bones into small pieces.
• Place the ribs into a shallow baking pan in a somewhat single fashion.
• Combine the water, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and dry mustard into a small saucepan.
• Heat the sauce until the brown sugar is dissolved and the mustard isn't floating on the surface.
• Pour the sauce over the ribs in the shallow pan.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350* for about an hour.
• Remove the foil and stir the meat.
• Allow to cook 45 minutes more or longer, stirring every 20 minutes so the sugars don't burn, until the meat is very tender.
• We love this served over rice, but can be used just as is on the plate!

CHINESE FIVE SPICE SPARE RIBS

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, white wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, five-spice powder, garlic, and ginger in a large storage bag. Shake to mix well. Add ribs to marinade; refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.
• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Remove ribs from marinade and place in a roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Cook ribs for one hour, turning occasionally. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Remove foil from pan and bake an additional 20 minutes, turning once, until ribs are nicely browned.

CHINESE PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Put the ribs in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins. Meanwhile, pour the hoisin sauce in a jug and stir in the soy sauce, honey, vinegar and five-spice.
• Drain the ribs very well, then brush with the glaze - if barbecuing, chill, cover and keep in the fridge for later.
• Heat the grill to high, if using. Grill or barbecue for 15-20 mins, turning from time to time until shiny and slightly charred in places. Serve hot.

RIB DRY RUB

Steps:

• Whisk brown sugar in a medium bowl with a fork until texture is consistent and no chunks remain. Remove and discard any hard chunks.
• Add kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, ginger, cumin, chili powder, paprika, white pepper, celery salt, allspice, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper; mix until all ingredients are evenly combined.
• Use as desired on beef or pork ribs.