Summer is officially here, which means that we Americans are feeling our yearly license to picnic and BBQ to our heart’s content. While hamburgers and hot dogs will always have their place, we’ve found that ribs are an extra special crowd pleaser for summer get-togethers, and these Honey Glazed Ribs or mì zhī pái gu (蜜汁排骨) are no exception.
Crowd-Pleasing Sweet Chinese-Style Ribs
These ribs are normally fried at Chinese restaurants, but we’re always looking for ways to enjoy our favorites with less guilt-inducing versions, so we’ve reworked this recipe by baking the ribs instead! If you’re getting tired of your go-to BBQ sauce, these ribs are a great alternative.
(We did actually both bake and fry these honey glazed ribs when preparing this recipe, so that you can see the difference between the two versions. Honestly, though, the baked ones tasted just as good as the fried ones!)
If you’re looking for even more ways to prepare baby backs or regular pork ribs, we have a handful of recipes that are perfect for addressing all of your porky cravings. My personal favorites are Fried Chinese Spare Ribs, Jasmine Tea Rub Ribs, Chinese Ribs with A Sesame Crust, and Peking Style Ribs.
Ribs for everyone!
Honey Glazed Ribs: Recipe Instructions
Wash the ribs and thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels. Next, marinate the ribs with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine for one hour.
Next, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and put the ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Turn and flip the ribs every 10 minutes until all sides are golden brown.
Alternatively, you can fry the ribs until golden. Here’s what that looks like:
About 10 minutes before the ribs come out of the oven, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a wok over medium low heat. Add the rock sugar, and let it melt, taking good care not to burn it.
Next, add the water, honey, cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce.
Turn up the heat slightly to bring the sauce to a low boil, and turn off the heat.
Once the ribs are done, coat them in the hot (temperature-wise) sauce while the ribs are still hot. Only when the ribs are straight out of the oven will they properly absorb the sauce and get that coveted sheen.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Make these honey glazed ribs part of your next summer party!
Honey Glazed Ribs (蜜汁排骨) – Oven Baked
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby back ribs (900g)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (separated)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 15 grams rock sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash the ribs and thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels. Next, marinate the ribs with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine for one hour.
- Next, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and put the ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Turn and flip the ribs every 10 minutes until all sides are golden brown.
- About 10 minutes before the ribs come out of the oven, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a wok over medium low heat. Add the rock sugar, and let it melt, taking good care not to burn it. Next, add the water, honey, cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Turn up the heat slightly to bring the sauce to a low boil, and turn off the heat.
- Once the ribs are done, coat them in the hot (temperature-wise) sauce while the ribs are still hot. Only when the ribs are straight out of the oven will they properly absorb the sauce and get that coveted sheen. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
I used a oven thermometer and used 190 degrees and it was burnt.
I suggest 180 degrees.
Hi ST. when it comes to oven temperature, definitely check often and adjust the temperature if needed. Thanks for sharing :)
Chinese descendant from Malaysia. I discovered that my childhood Chinese food differs with Chinese food commonly found at the local places in the states. Our Chinese food is heavily influenced by Cantonese cuisine. Anyways, I am almost alway intimidated by making ribs Chinese style. Decided to give this a try. OMG its my fav recipe. Relatively easy and delicious! Love love your website.Reminds me of my childhood food. Thank you.
Hi Sue, woohoo – love it when a recipe turns out and you enjoy it :)
This was the first recipe I tried from this wonderful site and I’ve been hooked ever since!
I had some ribs and was tired of the same old bbq.
Definitely going to try this one again.
Also made the asian pork chops and the incredible chili oil (which I now put on everything!!)
Thank you, John, we are very proud of our recipes. Happy wokking and enjoy!
These were fantastic, so I have heard. I prepared these as part of a large Chinese themed dinner at church. I made 18# of ribs and they were all gone before I had the chance to grab one. After the ease of the recipe and the glowing reviews, I will definitely be making these again!
Hahaha…good news! Sorry that you did not get any––it just means that you need to make it again asap. :)
When I tried there seemed yo be too much water .. although I used exact measures ..
After bringing sauce to boil .. should it be reduced ? After turning off heat I added the ribs but didnt get the same blackening on edges you did. Did you leave the heat on and stir fry the ribs ?
My ribs turned out fairly flavorless ..
it also felt there wasnt enough liquid to the marinade .. thoughts ?
Hi Jonathan, the blackened edges came from baking the ribs, not from coating the sauce. Also, the ribs must be hot out of the oven when you coat them in the sauce for them to properly absorb the sauce. The ribs will not absorb the sauce unless they are piping hot, which might explain the “too much sauce” issue.
This was delicious!! Flavorful and quick to make! It tasted similar to the ribs that I usually buy from Chinatown.
Love it that you enjoyed it, Julia!
Can you tell me how much granulated sugar you would use instead of the rock sugar? Thank you.
Hi Steve, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
Hello
May I know if frying involves deep frying or pan frying?
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you in advance!
Hi Vanessa, I deep-fried the ribs :-)
I love this recipe. Alas, I do not have a proper steel wok so cannot get the temperature high enough
to get that perfect glaze. That being said, the flavor of the ribs have always come out perfect. Even my
“ribs doused in BBQ sauce” husband has been converted. Keep these awesome recipes coming! Some of them are a little intimidating, but the ones that I have tackled are amazing! I think that I just need to break down and get the right tools for the job!
Yeahhhh, Heather, so glad you love our recipes! Happy wokking!
It was very tasty.
Excellent!