Have you ever cooked something that actually tastes a lot better the next day? Well these Chinese restaurant takeout style spare ribs are a perfect case. A few months back, we posted a recipe for these Chinese roasted ribs. We decided to post it again using the second half of the BBQ sauce that we’d saved from the last rib recipe. The flavors actually intensify over time and really meld together, so don’t worry about making too much! In fact, sometimes we’ll double the sauce recipe and just keep it around for later. It will keep for a few months in an airtight container in the fridge.
This time, we used baby back pork ribs because they’re a bit more tender. It’s all personal preference, of course, but we like these “fun size” spare ribs. They also marinate quicker. Rather than letting them sit overnight, leave them for 4-6 hours. Just add more sauce so that it’s more concentrated. At the Holiday Inn, when we would have a run on ribs, we would marinate them faster by packing on more sauce to speed the marinating process. If you do this, just brush off some of the extra sauce before putting them in the oven.
Take a look at Judy’s Jasmine Tea Rub Ribs for a more exotic yet tasty rib recipe that will also delight your taste buds!
So without further ado, here’s the recipe:
- 5 cloves freshly minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced sweet pineapple
- 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 5 spice powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed juice from a tangerine or orange
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 2-3 racks baby back ribs
Stir together all the ingredients from the garlic to the paprika to make the BBQ sauce. In a zip-loc bag, add the ribs and half the sauce. Either marinate them overnight, or for 4-6 hours with a little extra sauce. Store the leftover sauce for later use.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 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. Place a roasting rack on top of the pan and place your spare ribs on the rack (rib side up) and place in your preheated oven.
Roast for 30 minutes. Flip the racks over and roast for another 45-60 minutes. Add water to the roasting pan as the water dries up during the roasting process. If you like, you can finish them with a couple minutes under the broiler.
Serve these BBQ Chinese spare ribs right out of the oven after they have cooled enough to eat. They are at their best fresh out of the oven!
Take Out Style Chinese Spare 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 fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 2-3 racks baby back ribs
Instructions
- Stir together all the ingredients from the garlic to the paprika to make the BBQ sauce. In a zip-loc bag, add the ribs and half the sauce. Either marinate them overnight, or for 4-6 hours with a little extra sauce. Store the leftover sauce for later use.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 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. Place a roasting rack on top of the pan and place your spare ribs on the rack (rib side up) and place in your preheated oven.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Flip the racks over and roast for another 45-60 minutes. Add water to the roasting pan as the water dries up during the roasting process. If you like, you can finish them with a couple minutes under the broiler.
Nutrition
Jay R says
I made this on a gas bbq and it was delicious. indirect heat over a metal tray with a few cups of water . i didn’t have 5 spice powder, so I smashed a few cloves, some fennel seeds and a star anise and mixed in some cinnamon. The stars of the marinade are hoisin and honey anyway. Also, a few drops of red food coloring for show! about 90 minutes on each side( meat side up first). Lowest setting you can leave the grill on. One burner at the lowest setting. Love your website!
Judy says
Excellent! So glad you loved it, Jay.
Cathy says
I just tried this recipe. It is terrific! 95% like the ribs I get from my local take out restaurant. I used country style ribs so they were even meatier than the restaurant variety. Also, I did not have Chinese 5-spice but I did use all of the other ingredients listed for the sauce. I will definitely do this recipe again. Thank you!
Bill says
Hi Cathy, country ribs are a great choice for this recipe. Go out to your Asian market to get a good Chinese brand of five spice powder. It’ll be a game changer with a subtle 5 spice flavor. Read more about it in our ingredients glossary on 5 spice powder or check out Kaitlin’s post on how to make your own five spice powder.
Nancy Kennedy says
I am planning on trying this next weekend and am a little confused because there are two recipes posted for the ribs: Takeout Syle and the Take Out Style – are they the same? I think you are saying that you are using the leftover sauce from the first batch? If this is correct, should I make the marinade this weekend and save it to use next weekend? Please clarify asap – first time making and want them to be yummy. Thank you!
Bill says
Hi Nancy, you are right. The first recipe used the large pork ribs served at most Chinese restaurants, and the second posting uses baby back pork ribs, but the sauce recipe is the same. If you’re making the sauce, you can follow either recipe ;-)
Dorothy Bridge says
This recipe is easy and delicious. I make them often, especially for Super Bowl Sunday. I usually do not like baby back ribs but they are perfect for this recipe!
Bill says
Thanks for your feedback Dorothy and have a great game day party!
Janice Z says
Made these the other night. Marinated for 2 days instead of 1, they came out superb!
Bill says
Hi Janice, that extra marinating time does help indeed but I would not go longer than that :)
Lila Clarke says
when I make the ribs
I would let you know
But we only 2 person
And we all the time is to many for
Us so the questions is how long I can
Keep it the freezer thanks.
Bill says
Hi Lila, these ribs freeze well, and if your intention is to freeze them, then I suggest you reduce the cooking time by about 15 mins in the oven so they retain more moisture and juices. This way, they won’t dry out as much in the freezer or when you reheat them. Enjoy!
Lila says
How long I can keep this ribs in the freezer ?
Bill says
Hi Lila, If you wrap them up nicely with foil and then in plastic bags, they should keep up to a month
Ron Howard says
Please keep up the good work. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Bill says
We’ll do our best Ron :) Let us know how it turns out!
Thomas Venditto says
Sorry, but this is all nonsense. I’m not saying that your recipe is bad, I’m saying that NO run-of-the-mill Chinese takeout does this, anywhere. I used to work at a Chinese restaurant as a kid and I remember half the story… I’m trying to figure out the rest.
I can remember they used to keep whole racks of ribs in bus pans and “paint” them with duck sauce daily. They looked desiccated. It was my impression, they sat for days. When someone ordered ribs, they’d take a rack out and whack off a few and heat them under the broiler. They took the same time to cook as say, an egg roll. No pineapple, hoisin, fine spices . . . DUCK SAUCE, and people yapped ’em up. They weren’t (aren’t) succulent and delicious. They are dried out and chewy. Personally, I LIKE them this way and am trying to duplicate the recipe. They’re reminiscent of jerky.
What I’m trying to figure out is how they treat them before the bus pan thing; boiled? roasted? Definitely NOT grilled.
Any takers?
TomJV
Bill says
Hi Thomas, There are so many restaurants out there with different methods used over the years so I can’t comment on your specific experience. However, I assure you that most restaurants use more than just duck sauce. At least at my own family’s takeout restaurant, ribs were marinated overnight with our own sauce recipe, roasted in a batches in a standing oven and then transferred to a bus box after they were done. Once cooled, the ribs would be stored in the walk-in and reheated to order with more sauce brushed on and yes, it would take just a little longer to reheat under the broiler than it took to reheat an egg roll in the fryer.
If you like them a bit dried and chewy, just follow the recipe, let the ribs cool off and place them in the refrigerator for a few days. Then reheat the rack on both sides under the broiler and you’ll replicate the taste. In fact, the upside to letting them sit is that the flavors really saturate the meat and the longer they sit, the more they will taste like jerky. All that said, I prefer to eat them right out of the oven! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Robert Allocca says
Tom, IMO your post was Rude. If you do not agree/like the recipe DO NOT USE IT. You are one of the very few who do not like Juicy Ribs, that’s your choice. I make Chinese Ribs using only baby back ribs, the recipe is totally different than here. I’m very happy that I never ate in the place you worked, the food had to be pseudo-Chinese and awful.
Dan says
I was thinking about making these at a Memorial Day barbeque. Any tips on how to grill these? Thanks!
Bill says
Hi Dan,
The best way to do these ribs on the grill is to cook them first in the oven at low heat, around 300 degrees for about an hour. You can do this the day before if you have a lot to do the day of the BBQ. Make sure you do put some water on the sheet pan at the bottom of the roasting pan so the ribs retain moisture. On the day of the BBQ, you can finish these on the grill and everyone will be impressed and ask how you got them so tender and soft!