Americans take BBQ ribs very seriously. When it comes to BBQ ribs, attention to details spans from spice rub/seasonings, sauce, pork flavor, texture, smoke, appearance, scent, mouthfeel, cooking and grilling techniques to the overall balance of the ultimate product. Originated and perfected in the American South, BBQ ribs is at the very core of American food culture.
When I contemplated to have a BBQ ribs recipe, I was a little worried. The all-American BBQ ribs is not my everyday Malaysian or Asian recipe, and is surely not my forte. Eventually, I settled with a Chinese-style baby back ribs recipe, using none other the recipe for Chinese BBQ pork or char siu. Sticky sweet with a perfect balance of saltiness plus a touch of Chinese 5-spice powder, char siu sauce marries well with baby back ribs…
For the techniques, I used a combination of oven roasting plus BBQ grilling. I set my oven to 325 degrees F and roasted the ribs for about two hours. I then transferred them onto the outdoor grill for a charred finish over direct heat. My verdict: juicy, moist, flavorful, and finger-licking good. Summer is in full swing so surprise your guests with these exotic Chinese-style BBQ baby back ribs!
Now, please do tell me what is your favorite BBQ ribs recipe and how you make it. Thank you.
Ingredients:
1 rack baby back pork ribs, about 2 lbs
6 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
Marinate/Char Siu Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons maltose
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rose wine (玫瑰露酒)
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Add all ingredients in the marinate/char siu sauce in a sauce pan, heat it up and stir-well until all blended. Transfer out and let cool.
Rub the ribs on both sides with the chopped garlic. Marinate the ribs with 2/3 of the marinate sauce for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with heavy aluminum foil, lay the ribs on top, and tightly cover with foil. Roast for 2 hours.
Preheat the grill and remove the ribs from the oven and uncover. Transfer the ribs to the hot grill and grill over direct heat for 5-10 minutes or until the surface slightly charred to your liking. Brush both sides of the ribs with the remaining char siu sauce plus some oil while grilling. Serve hot.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Totally finger, hand, face licking good. We love hoisin on ribs and did a variation of Hoisin glazed ribs with some Sichuan peppercorn rub. Yours look fantastic.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Sichuan peppercorn, that’s such a brilliant idea. Why haven’t I thought about it?!
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This is quite a bold attempt, RM. To be in US, offering this recipe, against the all-time American food culture, BBQ ribs. I honestly have not found good Asian style bbq ribs and being in US, the options of having really good American bbq ribs does not help the Asian cause. This recipe looks easy enough. I will definitely try it and see how this BBQ ribs taste but from the look at it and your Char Siu recipe, I am sure it’s very good!! :)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
That’s the reason why I did it the Asian-style. I would not dare to attempt the all-American recipe. Better stick it to my root and what I feel most comfortable with. They were great.
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*Drool*
I was totally looking forward to this recipe for the past few days and it does not look to disappoint in any way. I’ve been looking high and low for maltose in the Asian marts around me, but they either don’t carry it or I’m just not looking in the right place.
I do not have a personal favorite recipe, but one of my uncles pulls out some good stuff; its one of the things I’ve kept away from wanting to do it with a smoker and all. Maybe I’ll get to borrow it from him and I’ll try this recipe with his smoker. Sure do hope I can find the maltose sometime soon. Thanks for the recipe =D
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Tommy - if you can’t find maltose, then just use double the amount of honey. The thing about maltose is that it gives you that sticky sweet texture. Yummy, other than that, the taste is quite similar to honey. :)
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Tommy replied:
I know. I’ve tried a recipe with honey, but I was definitely missing that sticky finger goodness, and without it it just felt just a TAD bit off. Flavors were nice and all, but it just didn’t ‘feel’ right I guess.
My search for it continues and I’m hoping to replicate or make better char siu (and the ribs too) than I can find at the local Chinese places in my area. I’ve been trying to correct my diet first as I can’t exercise too rigorously right now, but man these recipes definitely make me want to stuff my face. =D
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Yeah, you need Maltose. Good luck in finding it. ;)
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Bee you know i love to grill and i’ve been doing ribs for a long time now..here is a little tip when you put the ribs on the sheet add a little pine-orange juice before you cover with foil…it imparts great flavor
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Matt - thanks for the pine-orange juice tip but can you please enlighten me what pine-orange juice is? I am clueless!!! ;)
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Hello! Been reading your site for a looong time. I love ribs, and just found out it helps alot to cook the ribs under foil in the oven for the first hour, then remove the foil for the 2nd hour. The added moisture the foil provides makes for a very very yummy bite!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Hey Lee - thanks for your comment. Thanks for the tips! :)
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This looks awesome! Saving this recipe right away! Love sticky savory sweet ribs! :) I can’t find maltose either but will look harder…want that sticky texture!
If I don’t have an outdoor grill can I just finish it off on the oven, uncovered and unde the broiler/grill?
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Just use double the honey. :)
Yes, you just use oven to broil, uncovered and maybe on high heat for 5 minutes or so until the surface is browned. Remember to check because the settings of the oven might be different.
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hi bee, this is rachel, i want to say thank you for the inf u email me. i will get in touch of my sis then decide where to go.
another nice pic and recipe. can u tell me how to use maltose? very hard like a rock? did u melt the whole container with hot water bath?
thank you!! is a great summer recipe :)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Maltose is very sticky, so you have to heat it over fire with all the other seasonings to break it down. It breaks down when it’s heated. It’s not like rock, just very sticky.
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Knock your head ah! Make ma drooling >< ! Some more, you are so far away. Want to kill me is it?? (kidding…hehe)
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
You are too funny. You can make yourself. :)
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Looks delicious Bee! I love infusing asian flavour into American BBQ’s. It’s surprisingly well received.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Agreed Marc.
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Bee It’s just pineapple orange juice made by dole
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Thanks. LOL. I am clueless.
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We were in New York Chinatown once and were really impressed with the racks of the stuck together 5 inches long Chinese bbq ribs but sadly were too full with all kinds of mississippi crayfish , houdini sausages and korean whatnot alfonso beers the nights before to even dare try one
LOL !
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Too bad, you could have. They are great.
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I’ve already made this after reading your char siew recipe. I also made another flavor with bulgogi marinade.
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Best part is licking the fingers after finishing eat the ribs :D
I’ve announced this year’s Merdeka Open House theme. Do take some time to participate ;-).
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I am not a big fan for ribs. But your ribs look so juicy and tasty!!! I don’t mind to give it a BIG bite. ;)
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This calls for licking of the computer screen :)
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Wow ! this is so irresistable
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Forget American style bbq, I love chinese style more! Can’t wait to sink my teeth in these.
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Sounds like a solid recipe. If you find that you want to render more fat or like them more fall-off-the-boney, definitely give them a splash of fruit juice (apple or pineapple/oj - nice one, matt), seal completely in multiple layers of foil and go at 300 for 3 hours. I like to put an hour of smoke on them at the beginning to ’set the bark’ (dry the rub, basically) and get that good smoke ring.
Glad to see a recipe that doesn’t involve boiling them. I ran across a ‘winning’ recipe on Instructables that advertises fall-apart ribs after a 5 hour boil. I’m pretty sure my shoes would fall apart after a 5 hour boil, too.
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My husband and I made this last night. When we were prepping the marinade in the morning, I almost died laughing because my husband had such a hard time getting the maltose out of the container. He got it over everything!! And the worst part is that it is extremely hard to clean off. He commented “honey, this recipe had better be worth it because this is insane”. Well, we followed your instructions word for word, and the ribs were AMAZING!!!! My 5 year old ate at least 3 ribs just by herself and when we got down to the very last rib on the plate she stood up on her chair and shouted at the top of her lungs ” Last rib’s mine! I call dibs!” Thanks again for another very very delicious recipe.
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
That’s so great that you enjoyed this BBQ ribs recipe and that your daughter loved it. :)
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Bee,
Since I found your website many months ago, I have been cooking up a storm following your recipes in my kitchen. You have inspired me. All the recipes I have tried are so delicious. I am very very grateful that you share your recipes. Keep them coming.
Tried making these ribs and they are fabulous. So tender, juicy and loaded with flavor. Best ribs recipe I have tried! THANK YOU!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
HV - thanks again for your sweet note. Glad you love my BBQ ribs recipe.
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Great looking ribs! I wonder if the same recipe can be used on lamb ribs..? Any idea?
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