Chinese Style Baby Back Ribs

Tender baby back ribs are braised and then finished in the oven with a sticky Asian glaze

I've had this recipe for Chinese style baby back ribs from Food52 on my radar for awhile now and wanted to wait until summer grilling season to try them out. But when I actually read through the entire recipe, I realized that the whole dish is made in the kitchen with no outdoor grilling required. The ribs have a two-part cooking process: first, they braise on the stove with a few vegetables and soy sauce, and then they're finished in the oven with a sweet and slightly spicy Asian glaze. The whole recipe takes a few hours, but I did the braising over the weekend so that it took less than thirty minutes to finish cooking the ribs for dinner during the week. And as an added bonus, you can save the delicious rib braising liquid and use it as the basis for a quick soup (more on that later this week). The ribs are a nice alternative to the smoky and heavily sauced baby backs you'll find at most BBQ joints and are easy to multiply for parties or large families.

Note: You should be able to find the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and rice vinegar in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. If not, Amazon carries them online.


More Rib Recipes:
- BBQ Ribs
- Korean Short Ribs
- Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs


Chinese Style Baby Back Ribs:
Step 1 - Braise the Ribs:

• Cut a full rack of baby back ribs* in half and place in a snug-fitting pot.
• Cover the ribs with 1 quartered onion, 1" piece of thickly sliced ginger, 2-3 small carrots, and 1 c. of low-sodium soy sauce. Add water to cover the ribs by 1".
• Bring the ribs to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat to a simmer.
• Cook the ribs for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender but not falling off the bone.
• Let ribs cool in the liquid. Cooled ribs can be removed from the liquid and finished in the oven or kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Step 2 - Glaze & Finish the Ribs:

• Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Whisk together 1/3 c. honey, 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce, 2 tbsp. oyster sauce, 1 tbsp. rice vinegar, 2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, and 1 1/2 tsp. Sriracha in a bowl.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and place the halved rack of ribs on the sheet.
• Brush both sides of the ribs generously with the glaze and bake in the oven.
• Cook the ribs for 15-20 minutes, brushing on more sauce every 5-7 minutes to form a sticky glaze.
• To serve, slice the ribs between each bone and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds and a handful of fresh cilantro.

Serves three

*Or any style rib you like.