Takeout-Style Chinese Spare Ribs

  4.8 – 50 reviews  • Main Dish
Level: Intermediate
Total: 6 hr 15 min
Active: 30 min
Yield: 20 to 24 ribs

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  2. 1/4 cup soy sauce
  3. 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  4. 2 tablespoons honey, plus a bit extra to finish
  5. 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
  6. 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  7. 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  8. 1 teaspoon red food coloring
  9. 2 racks spare ribs (8 to 10 pounds, St. Louis-style work best), individually sliced into single ribs

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to 275 degrees F for direct and indirect grilling.
  3. 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.
  4. Drizzle the ribs with honey, move them to the direct heat side and quickly char each rib to caramelize.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 24 servings
Calories 323
Total Fat 26 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Carbohydrates 5 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugar 4 g
Protein 17 g
Cholesterol 87 mg
Sodium 320 mg

Reviews

Jeffrey Brown
We’ve made these numerous times. I omit the honey, brown sugar and food coloring and I add a few splashes of rice vinegar and liquid smoke. We cut the ribs, paint the marinade on (reserving some out first) and marinate overnight. I bake in foil packs for about 2.75 hours then we grill. Grill until dry, then toss in extra sauce. Then grill again. The key here is the yummy goodness caramelized all around that rib. Everyone who has had them loves them. Takes some work and prep – but worth it.
You could easily make the sauce a couple of days ahead of time. Someone in the comments has used the marinade for pork tenderloin That might be my next plan. If we smoke it – we will see how close to Chinese bbq pork we can get.
Summer Anderson
Can you make the marinade a couple of days ahead of time and leave in the frig until ready to use?
Daniel Jensen
This is a solid recipe I tweaked to bring out the best technique and flavor.
There was a noticeable lack of umani so I added 1 tsp of Accent (MSG). Problem solved.
I cooked the ribs at 280 degrees in my oven for two hours or so. It’s important if you use the grill that you make sure to keep an eye on it so the sugars don’t over carmalize making the taste bitter. I didn’t baste with the sauce because it doesn’t need it and because we eat NYC style, duck sauce and hot mustard.
Mark Rowland
This is not the first recipe I’ve followed from Jeff. He makes great things and I love them. This one reminds me of Brooklyn in the 1950s. Here I usually put the wire racks in a sheet pan that has been completely encased in aluminum foil (to avoid ruining the pan) and after about 30 minutes I add a little water to the pan so that the drippings dontcatch fire or smoke
Lindsay Roberts
I made them with a couple additions – 3/4 cup of bourbon and a minced habanero pepper (without the seeds) Fantastic!!!
Troy Lee
This recipe is amazing, if I don’t have time for slow and low cooking, I place it on a baking sheet with a rack, pour water on the bottom of the rack, and roast it at 425-450 degrees for about 45 minutes or so – delicious!
John Garcia
Unreal! I marinated 24 hours. Indirect heat on the grill. Best ribs ever!!
Emily Mullins
marinate for 24-72 hours.
I smoke them at 225 for an hour using maple wood.
Then wrap in tin foil – bake at 250 for an hour,
then, brown them up with the broiler on high for 5 min.
Better than any restaurant.
Leslie Shaw
great flavors, love the bright color these ribs take on from the marinade. pretty much followed the recipe, only cut in half using one rack, which pretty much filled up my weber grill when using indirect method. Not sure how to do this with two full racks since the grill time is 2-3 hours.
Amanda Barrett
Did these in a smoker at 275 instead of grill, then broiled for a few minutes. I followed the recipe amount for marinade, but I only did one rack of ribs.

 

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