These delicious ribs never fail to please a crowd. They’re sweet, sticky and tender, cheap to buy and simple to prepare, yet guaranteed to be a showstopper at any dinner party or barbecue. They do, however, require a long, slow cook – two to three hours ideally – to ensure the meat is succulent and falling off the bone, so make sure to plan ahead.
Time: 3.5 hours
Serves: 3–4
Ingredients
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- 2 garlic cloves
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- 1/2 knob ginger
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- 15 pork spare ribs
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- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
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- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
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- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
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- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
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- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
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- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
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- 250ml cola or cider
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- 1/2 spring onion, finely chopped, to garnish
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Finely chop the garlic and ginger and put in a deep roasting tray or big pot suitable for the oven along with the ribs and all the other ingredients. Mix everything together thoroughly, ensuring the ribs are well covered.
Transfer the ribs to the oven and cook uncovered for at least two to three hours, basting and turning the ribs every so often so they don’t burn (if they do start to ‘catch’, turn your oven down slightly). Towards the end of the cooking time, the ribs will start to break up and fall apart slightly – this is a good sign, but you want to keep them as whole as possible (ready for grilling), so be careful when turning.
Transfer the ribs to a hot barbecue and cook in batches for two to three minutes on each side until the outsides of the ribs are glazed and charred. Drizzle over a little of the remaining sauce and sprinkle over some finely chopped spring onion to garnish. Enjoy.
Tip: If you fancy cooking these on a normal night in (or when the weather isn’t looking good), then pop the ribs under the hot grill in the oven instead of on the barbecue after roasting. The ribs are always better after they’ve been grilled slightly, but if you just can’t wait, they can always be eaten straight after roasting in the oven.
Recipe taken from Chinese Unchopped by Jeremy Pang
Love Chinese food but have absolutely no idea how to cook it? Fear not. In Chinese Unchopped, acclaimed teacher and School of Wok founder Jeremy Pang demystifies the secret traditions of Chinese cookery, revealing the core techniques that bring the authentic flavours of traditional Chinese cooking into your own kitchen.
You can purchase Chinese Unchopped here. Published by Hardie Grant Books.
Also read: Barbecue tips take take your barbecuing to the next level
