Pork spareribs are baked with a simple spice rub, then quickly grilled, basted with a mix of hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce, chili paste, vinegar and peach preserves. Recipe below.
For carnivores, barbecued ribs are about as good as it gets. Meaty, fatty, smoky, chewy, salty and slathered in sauce that’s a mix of tangy, sweet and spicy cooked to a sticky, finger-coating lacquer. Unfortunately—for me, at least—they’re also a challenge to cook.
Classic barbecue (as opposed to grilling) calls for low, slow cooking over indirect heat—preferably in a wood-fired converted 55-gallon drum. I don’t have the equipment or the skills for this, nor the desire, patience or yard space to acquire them.
So when I saw the cover story of Bon Appétit’s July issue, promising amazing ribs “SIMPLER AND FASTER THAN YOU’VE EVER MADE,” I was equal parts skeptical and curious. When I read the recipe, I knew I had to try the technique.
The basic method—baking the ribs to tender doneness in the oven, then finishing them on the grill for smokiness—is not a new one. But as with so many lessons in life, you have to be ready to hear it. I was ready.
In the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen version, the ribs are seasoned with salt, pepper, dry mustard, paprika and cayenne pepper, then baked, wrapped tightly in foil. They’re then quickly grilled, using “store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce.” You can find the complete original recipe here.
For my take on the technique, I decided to try Asian flavors. I seasoned the ribs with a mix of salt, pepper, Chinese five-spice powder and a little cayenne pepper for some heat. Then I grilled them, basting with a mix that included hoisin sauce, sherry, chili paste, rice vinegar and peach preserves.
If you search Chinese barbecued pork or other such terms, you’ll come up with countless iterations of the Chinatown classic, char siu—a disturbing number of them including red food coloring. This is not that dish. This is me looking at many recipes, discussing some of the most promising with Marion and mashing together my own take.
In devising this recipe, I was mindful of the Corn-free Challenge piece Marion was working on for this week. I specifically chose ingredients that did not contain corn. No ketchup, for instance (not that ketchup is an especially authentic Chinese ingredient, but it was in many recipes I saw). No iodized salt. Yes, the pig probably ate corn, and there was probably ethanol in some of the fuel that transported everything. But I’m invoking a six degrees of separation rule here; the ingredient itself cannot contain corn products. Hey. I just worked a Kevin Bacon reference into a post about a pork recipe. Unintentional, but amusing.
And how were the ribs? They were indeed amazing, if I say so myself.
Baked and Grilled Chinese Spareribs
Serves 2 to 3
For the ribs:
2-1/2 pounds pork spare ribs (see Kitchen Notes)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (see Kitchen Notes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry wine
2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce (see Kitchen Notes)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 generous tablespoon peach preserves (or other preserves—see Kitchen Notes)
Special equipment: Extra wide aluminum foil
Bake the ribs. Preheat the oven to 325ºF with rack in middle position. If the ribs are in a single slab, cut into two pieces. This will make them easier to fit in the oven and handle on the grill. Arrange each piece on a double thickness of aluminum foil, meaty side up. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, Chinese five-spice powder and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over the ribs slabs and rub into the meat. Wrap each slab tightly in foil and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.
Transfer to oven and bake ribs until tender, but not falling apart, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully open foil. Drain liquid, if any, into a measuring cup and reserve (see Kitchen Notes). Gently rewrap in foil and refrigerate at least a couple of hours and up to 3 days; according to Bon Appétit, the flavors will develop more, and the cold ribs will hold together better on the grill.
Make the barbecue sauce. Combine all ingredients except the preserves in a medium bowl and stir to combine. If the preserves are chunky, mash them with a fork in a small bowl before adding to the sauce mixture. You should have almost a cup of sauce. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly, but make sure it continues to bubble. Cook sauce down slightly so that it thickens a bit, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Grill the ribs. Prepare your grill with hot and cool zones. For my charcoal grill, when the coals were hot, I concentrated them mainly in the middle of the grill; for a gas grill, you could light one side. You’re not really going for direct and indirect grilling here, but kind of cooking on the edges of the heat.
Oil the grill rack. Slather the meaty sides of the ribs with barbecue sauce and grill face down for about 3 minutes, covering the grill. Brush sauce on the bony sides of the ribs and flip. Cover grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Uncover grill and continue cooking, turning ribs frequently and basting with sauce, keeping them at the edges of the heat. Cook until ribs are heated through and sauce is lacquered and charred in spots. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let ribs rest for 5 minutes before slicing between bones. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Kitchen Notes
Ribs. Spareribs, St. Louis-style spareribs and baby back ribs all work. Look for thick, meaty ribs with a reasonable amount of fat. I mentioned in the recipe that you should reserve liquids, if any, from the baked ribs. It can be added to the barbecue sauce. My ribs produced none; I was worried that they would be too dry when grilled. Mostly, they were nice and juicy, but the thinner end of the rack was indeed dried and even crispy in spots. That was okay too—Marion said it was like candy. But the meatier (and fattier) your ribs are, the juicier they’ll be when cooked.
Hoisin sauce (and other Chinese ingredients). Hoisin sauce is a glaze and sauce used widely in Chinese cooking. The soy-based sauce can be found in Asian markets as well as many supermarkets. Chili paste is another condiment used in many Asian cuisines. You can find it with and without garlic in the name; either is fine. Besides delivering a lively pepper flavor, it can pack substantial heat. Mix this into your barbecue sauce as one of the last ingredients, a teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go. If 2 teaspoons isn’t hot enough for you, add more. For these ribs, I only wanted a subtle kick, not big heat, so 2 teaspoons was perfect. Chili paste can also be found in Asian markets and many supermarkets.
Peach preserves? Really? Yes. Or apricot. Most barbecue sauces, Chinese or otherwise, call for sweetness. Some use honey, some sugar or brown sugar. I went with the peach preserves because we had them on hand and I like them. You won’t taste any peach in the ribs; they just add to the sweetness—and the stickiness. The rice vinegar helps balance the sweetness; sampling the sauce as I mixed it in, I could taste it come alive when everything was in balance.
And to think I used to not like ribs.
I almost do them the same way except I spice and wrap them but leave them overnight. Then bake the next day @ 200o for 4 to 5 hours. and again leave overnight and quickly grill. Only problem is you have to plan it ahead. I cheat and use a non stick foil on the gas grill because scraping off welded-on sugary sauce from the grills makes me crazy.
I really like how your spice mix and sauce recipe looks here. I will use that next time and try it with a higher heat and shorter time.
Any plans for a Miami ribs/Korean short ribs recipe in the future? I am new to these. Funny how when sliced thin, marinated and quickly grilled they are delicious and tender but if you did that with a thicker braising cut it is chewy.
Your braised beef short ribs with puréed cauliflower recipe from 4 years ago is still one of my favourite meals ever.
Hope you like these ribs, Randi. And by all means, use your own cooking method—including seasoning them the night before. Really glad you like the short ribs recipe. You might also try my Asian short ribs. Also, a BIG thanks for telling me about Miami Korean short ribs—I am SO going to try something like that. I even think I know where to buy that cut here.
I really need to start reading Bon Appétit again – I’ll bet I have almost 3 years worth stacked up, still in their shrink wrap (there’s several over that period that I read when I received them, but not many). I lost a lot of interest in the magazine for awhile, but they have a new editor who I understand is turning things around – I need to check it out. And this is a technique I’ve known about for years for cooking ribs, although I’ve rarely done it. It really does work. I’m more a tomato sauce type when it comes to ribs, but your Chinese-influenced ribs looks wonderful. Thanks.
There isn’t much that can’t be improved with apricot something-or-other, in my cookbook.
I could make these and impress my husband…
Kitchenriffs, I will occasionally come across one cooking magazine or another—we get Bon Appétit, Saveur, Vegetarian Times and Food & Wine—that has gone unread, but I’ll admit you have me beat there. We also often subscribed to Gourmet until it met its untimely demise. The one constant for me has been Bon Appétit. When I was starting out, it seemed the most approachable of the lot, while still be real cooking, unlike a lot of the pubs that clutter the newsstands. Even as I’ve gotten more adventurous, it still always has something that catches my attention and makes me think. And yes, with the new editor, it’s gotten even more lively, I think.
I agree, Mimi. Various preserves are scattered throughout numerous savory recipes here at Blue Kitchen. Sometimes, their presence is obvious, but more often, they’re background flavors that add to the overall result without calling attention to themselves. These ribs are a perfect example.
“Some use honey, some sugar or brown sugar. I went with the peach preserves because we had them on hand and I like them” most common is honey (at least in Czech Republic), but peaches is a really nice option. “You won’t taste any peach in the ribs; they just add to the sweetness—and the stickiness. The rice vinegar helps balance the sweetness; sampling the sauce as I mixed it in, I “. Good to know, I was worried that my ribs will be too much sweet.
David, a lesson I’m still learning after all these years of cooking is taste as you go. One you’ve mixed together the sauce ingredients, just dip your finger in and give it a taste. If it’s too sweet, splash in a little more vinegar and taste again. You’ll know when it’s right for you.
Thanks for advice Terry B! :).
Amazing. I love the Asian flavors. These are officially on my “must-try” list!
You’re welcome, David!
I hope you like them, Valentina! They’re really easy and quite delicious, if I say so myself. Marion said every time she sees the photo on this post, she wants to be eating them again.
I have had this issue of Bon Apetit sitting on my shelf forever and kept meaning to try the method so I was so happy to come across your web site and learn how good their method is. Tried your recipe last night and it was a hit with everyone. I have four children and it is so difficult to find something everyone loves but this fit the bill. We paired it with Ina Garten’s broccoli salad (blanched broccoli with soy, garlic infused evoo & red pepper flakes; next time I may try broccoli salad with peanut satay sauce) and rice that we put in the rice cooker – could do almost all prep in advance except the grilling which took no time at all. Thank you!