I learned this Chinese Roasted Ribs recipe from my father, who worked as a cook. In their heyday in the 1970s, people would pile in from New York City to the summer resorts in the Catskills, where we lived. People call it the Borscht Belt now, but it was just home to me.
My father started out working as a roast cook in these resorts. He then moved on to become the head chef at a local Holiday inn in Liberty, NY, where they served continental and Chinese food. We’d hand out a menu with two sections, where the 12 oz. Junior Steak, Long Island Duckling, Cordon Bleu, and Chicken Marsala were listed alongside the shrimp with lobster sauce and Moo Goo Gai Pan.
Soon, word got around about the Holiday Inn’s restaurant, and the mostly Jewish guests vacationing at the Grossinger Resort about a mile away would come to take a break from Kosher food. This is where I made my first foray into the restaurant world. I worked there for 4 summers as a bus boy clearing and setting tables and kitchen man making Caesar salads, chopping vegetables, boiling lobsters and making shrimp toast.
I quickly learned that a Chinese Chef is only as good as his BBQ ribs. How delicious, or not, your Chinese roasted ribs were, was one of the standards of measurement in those days for being an accomplished Chinese (take-out-style Chinese, anyway) chef. Only the head chef could or was allowed to make the BBQ sauce and it was a well-guarded secret.
I have fond memories visiting my father in that kitchen when I was younger and still not old enough to work. I would sneak to the back of the kitchen and use my handy pocketknife to cut off a sliver of meat just as it came out of the oven. It was totally worth the risk of being scolded for nicking food! My father would later use this recipe at the take-out restaurant he opened in New Jersey.
We used to make this Chinese roasted ribs sauce in a 5-gallon bucket at a time, but I have scaled it down to make enough for 2 racks of ribs. Here’s how you make it!
Recipe Instructions
Start by making the BBQ sauce. This recipe makes enough for 2 large racks of ribs. You can also just make 1 rack, and then store half of the sauce in an airtight container for another time.
Combine the minced garlic, minced pineapple, ground star anise, salt, sugar, honey, oil, hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce, tomato puree/paste, ketchup, five spice powder, orange juice, white pepper, and paprika.
Spread half the sauce on a rack of ribs and marinate overnight in a plastic bag. Store the leftover sauce for later use.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a roasting pan or sheet pan lined with heavy duty foil for easy clean-up.
Add about 2 cups of water to the pan so there is about a half inch of water.
This keeps the ribs moist and catches the drippings. Place a roasting rack on top of the pan and place your ribs on the rack (meaty side of the rib up) and place in your preheated oven.
Slow roast the ribs for about 30 minutes and turn it and continue roasting for another 60 minutes.
You will need less time if using baby back ribs since they are smaller, more tender and hence, easier to cook. Add water to the roasting pan as the water dries up during the roasting process.
If the ribs look a bit pale, on the end, you can finish them with a few minutes under the broiler.
They’re not usually cooked for as long as this in restaurants. But this is a home recipe, so we can afford to take more time. Plus, I personally like the combination of the Chinese BBQ flavor with the falling-off-the-bone feeling of Southern BBQ.
Enjoy this one and try to serve these Chinese roasted ribs right out of the oven for maximum delight!
Takeout-Style Chinese Roasted ribs
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon canned pineapple (minced)
- 1 star anise (ground in a mortar and pestle)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 5 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ tablespoon five spice powder
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 1 large rack ribs (or 2 racks baby back ribs; about 1 kg or 2 1/4 pounds)
Instructions
- Spread half the sauce on each rack of ribs and marinate overnight. Store leftover sauce for later use.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare a roasting pan lined with heavy duty foil for easy clean-up. Add about 2 cups of water to the pan so there is about a half inch of water. This keeps the ribs moist and catches the drippings. Place a roasting rack on top of the pan and place your ribs on the rack (rib side up).
- Slow roast the ribs for about 30 minutes. Flip them over and continue roasting for another 60 minutes. You will need less time if using baby back ribs since they are smaller and more tender. Add water to the roasting pan as the water dries up during the roasting process. If the ribs look like they need a bit more color, you can finish them with a few minutes under the broiler.
Hi Bill, my question is can I cut the tips of the ribs and save them for spareribs with black bean sauce
Hi Rolando, yes, when buying the full rack of ribs, that’s the idea! You can also make our roasted rib tips recipe which I think is different, but just as good as the ribs.
The dim sum style steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce is also a great recipe for using the rib tips.
Hi Bill this ROLANDO again, I am making the rib tips and the BBQ ribs, can I can I put one one the grill and one in the oven?
What is the difference between the Koon Chun “Ground Bean Sauce” and the Koon Chun “Bean Sauce?”
The ingredients appear to be the same!
Hi George, there is a difference in taste – the ground bean sauce is slightly yellower and made with higher bean content, and the bean paste is darker and closer to a wheat bean paste – sort of a less sweet version of hoisin sauce.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Grew up in Liberty until moving to Monticello in the ninth 7 grade in 1972. Mom worked at Grossingers and the Pharmacy on main street. Think it was called Schillers. Used to eat at the Holiday in for ribs every chance I got, or we would go to the Triangle Diner for the same. oh the memories of the catskills during that time.
Hi Alan, What great memories! I remember going to Schillers pharmacy with my father. We used to go there for cough syrup that the pharmacist manually mixed up for us (who does that anymore??). Thanks for triggering that one in my head!