Chinese-Style Barbecued Spareribs
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We began our Chinese-Style Barbecue Spareribs by removing the tough membrane on the
underside of the ribs. Instead of cooking the ribs on the grill the entire time, we
found that cooking them in the sauce in the oven and then finishing them on the grill
allowed for deeply seasoned Chinese-style ribs and eliminated the need to marinate
them. Since the smoke from wood chips was overpowering, we replaced the wood chips
with orange spice or Earl Grey tea bags soaked in water, wrapped in foil, and placed
on the hot coals for a mellow, smoky flavor that complemented the Asian seasonings.
SERVES 6
Full-size spareribs are fatty, plus they’re too large to fit on the grill. If you can’t find St. Louis–style spareribs (which have been trimmed of the brisket bone and surrounding meat), substitute baby back ribs and begin to check for doneness after 1 hour on the grill. Cover the edges of the ribs loosely with foil if they begin to burn while grilling.
|
2 |
(2½- to 3-pound) racks St. Louis–style spareribs, trimmed |
|
8 |
black tea bags, preferably orange spice or Earl Grey |
|
1½ |
cups ketchup |
|
1 |
cup soy sauce |
|
1 |
cup hoisin sauce |
|
1 |
cup sugar |
|
½ |
cup dry sherry |
|
6 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
2 |
tablespoons grated fresh ginger |
|
2 |
teaspoons toasted sesame oil |
|
1½ |
teaspoons cayenne pepper |
|
1 |
(13 by 9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan |
|
1 |
cup red currant jelly |
1. To remove chewy membrane from ribs, loosen it with tip of paring knife and, with aid of paper towel, pull it off slowly in 1 big piece. Cut rib racks in half. Cover tea bags with water in small bowl and soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze water from tea bags. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap tea bags in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk 1 cup ketchup, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, sherry, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and cayenne in large bowl; reserve ½ cup for glaze. Arrange ribs, meaty side down, in disposable pan and pour remaining ketchup mixture over ribs. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook until fat has rendered and meat begins to pull away from bones, 2 to 2½ hours. Transfer ribs to large plate. Pour pan juices into fat separator. Let liquid settle and reserve 1 cup defatted pan juices.
3. Simmer reserved pan juices in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in jelly, reserved ketchup mixture, and remaining ½ cup ketchup and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve one-third of glaze for serving.
4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place tea packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot and tea is smoking, about 5 minutes.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Place tea packet directly on primary burner. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and tea is smoking, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) off.
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange ribs, meaty side down, on cool side of grill and cook, covered, until ribs are smoky and edges begin to char, about 30 minutes.
6. Brush ribs with glaze, flip, rotate, and brush again. Cover and cook, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes, until ribs are fully tender and glaze is browned and sticky, 1 to 1½ hours. Transfer ribs to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with reserved glaze.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Ribs and glaze can be prepared through step 3 up to 2 days in advance. Once ribs are cool, wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate. Transfer glaze to microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Before proceeding with step 4, allow ribs to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Before proceeding with step 6, microwave glaze until warm, about 1 minute.