If you like the ribs that you get at your local Chinese restaurant, then I think you'll love this recipe. These meaty Chinese-style pork spareribs coated in a tasty Chinese-flavoured marinade, oven-baked until they are fall-off-the-bone tender will make a delicious addition to your culinary repetoire!
These Chinese-style pork spareribs are a fantastically easy recipe to prepare and bake. Unlike other spare rib recipes, you don't need to waste time in marinating them. Instead, the ribs are slow-baked in the oven in the marinade ingredients in a tin foil-sealed baking dish so that the flavours have plenty of time to permeate the meat.
The spareribs take around one and a half hours to bake so please take this into account when making this recipe. However, it only takes 10 minutes to get the ribs into the oven, then you can sit back and relax while they are baking.
Once the ribs are cooked, you can pop them under the grill (or broiler) for a few minutes if they haven't browned enough in the oven. What you end up with is a dish of juicy pork ribs, packed with flavour, with the most tender meat imaginable.
I think everyone loves a tasty pork rib, and these juicy pork spareribs are perfect for serving either as a tasty snack to hand round when guests arrive or as part of a Chinese feast. Just keep plenty of serviettes at hand to wipe off sticky fingers!
This recipe was inspired by my recipe for oven-baked sticky pork ribs and pairs well with these salt and pepper chips. I also used a similar marinade as in this recipe to make these air fryer pork belly bites.
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Let's get on with the recipe!
What you will need
Equipment
To make the ribs, you will need a small glass bowl, to combine the marinade ingredients, and a sharp knife and a chopping board to separate the rack of ribs into individual pieces.
For baking the ribs in the oven you will need a baking dish large enough to accommodate the ribs in a single layer. I like to line my baking dish with tin foil to make cleaning up easier, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to.
Ingredients
This recipe will make enough Chinese-style spareribs for 2 people as a main meal, or 4 people when served as part of a Chinese feast.
- pork spareribs - I buy my ribs from the local supermarket, and they come in a rack of 12 to 14 ribs. You should cut the ribs between the bones to separate them into individual ribs.
Marinade ingredients:
These are the ingredients for the marinade. They should all be combined into a small glass bowl before being poured over the ribs.
- 5-spice powder - this is a blend of 5 different spices, normally fennel seeds, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Depending on the brand you buy, the fifth spice may be either Szechuan pepper or ginger.
- hoisin sauce - if you don't have hoisin sauce, the best substitutes would be either oyster sauce or teriyaki sauce.
- dark soy sauce - adds a saltiness to the sauce.
- honey - for a touch of sweetness.
- rice wine vinegar - to balance the sweetness of the honey. Substitute with mirin or even white spirit vinegar.
- tomato ketchup - you could substitute this with tomato paste or tomato puree.
- garlic - either freshly crushed garlic gloves or ready-minced garlic from a jar.
- ginger - I like to use a jar of ginger paste so I can easily measure it out. You could use a small piece of fresh ginger, but it should be finely crushed.
- salt - this is optional and to your own taste.
- sunflower oil - any neutral-flavoured oil will work here. It helps to keep the ribs moist while in the oven.
- spring onions (optional) for garnish.
**You can find the exact measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
I told you this was an easy recipe. There are only 4 steps, and one of them is baking the ribs. Let me show you:
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Using a sharp knife, cut the ribs between the bones into individual pieces.
Place the ribs into a large baking dish in a single layer, pour over the marinade and turn the ribs so that they are evenly coated.
Cover the baking dish tightly with a layer of tin foil and bake the ribs in a preheated oven (170C / 340F) for 90 minutes. Check the ribs after an hour and turn them in the marinade.
Transfer the ribs to a serving plate, garnish with chopped spring onions and serve immediately.
Tips for cooking the spareribs
Here are my top tips for ensuring these Chinese spareribs turn out perfectly:
- Line your baking dish with tinfoil. This is optional and won't affect the way the ribs cook, but it does make cleaning up afterwards much easier.
- Make sure the baking dish is large enough to hold the ribs in a single layer without overcrowding.
- Ensure the ribs are completely coated with the marinade before covering the dish with tin foil.
- Fold the tin foil securely around the edges of the dish so that no steam can escape.
- When baking the ribs, turn them after 60 minutes. This will ensure the top of the ribs (that is sitting above the marinade) doesn't dry out. At this point, there should still be quite a bit of runny marinade still in the baking dish. Use a fork or a pair of tongs to help you turn the ribs.
- When opening the tin foil to check the ribs please be careful. The steam inside the dish is HOT and it can burn - I know this from bitter experience. Loosen the edges of the tin foil and lift it carefully, taking care not to get your hands over the top of the dish.
- Replace the tin foil and let the ribs cook for another 30 minutes until they are very tender. You should be able to pierce the meat with a knife with no resistance and the meat should be starting to pull away from the bone.
- My top tip for replacing the tin foil without burning yourself is to lay the foil over the dish and then lay a clean tea towel over the top. Use the tea towel to help you seal the tin foil back around the hot baking dish.
- At the end of the cooking time the marinade should have reduced to almost nothing and the ribs should be sticky and caramelised.
- For those of you with an oven thermometer, the ribs will be fully cooked and safe to eat when the internal temperature has reached 63C / 145F. However, as there is a lot of connective tissue in spare ribs, they may still be tough. A 88C / 190F internal temperature, the fat and collagen in the meat start to break down and the meat becomes more tender.
- If you feel the ribs are not browned sufficiently you can pop them under a grill/broiler for a minute or two, but keep your eye on them - they will burn easily. I did not do this step - the ribs that you see in the photos are as they were when they came out of the oven without any further browning.
What to serve with Chinese pork spareribs
These spare ribs are normally served as an appetiser at a Chinese restaurant.
However, you can easily turn them into a main meal as I've done here by serving them with these salt and pepper chips and a dish of steamed green vegetables which have been mixed with a tablespoon of oyster sauce.
You may also like to serve them with a dish of egg fried rice and a side of vegetable lo mein.
Variations
If you would like to make a more spicy version of these Chinese-style pork spareribs you can add a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes to the marinade ingredients.
See my recipe for oven-baked sticky pork spareribs which includes chilli.
Storage
I wouldn't freeze the cooked ribs. However, you can prepare the marinade and pour it into a large ziploc bag. Add the separated ribs and shake to coat them in the marinade. Seal the bag and pop it into the freezer until you are ready to bake them.
Word of warning - don't do this with ribs that have been previously frozen.
To cook the ribs, allow them to defrost, then tip them into a suitable baking dish and bake as per the recipe instructions.
Leftover ribs (what leftovers?) can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on a baking tray in a hot oven for about 8 minutes.
FAQ
Chinese takeaways often add a few drops of red colouring to the marinade. I prefer not to do this but if you want to make your ribs look more authentic, by all means, add some food colouring.
For 2 people I made one rack of ribs which weighed 600 grams (or just over 1.25 pounds). I cut it into 12 individual ribs so there were 6 ribs per person.
Save for later
If you would like to try these Chinese-style pork spareribs why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
If you enjoyed these Chinese spareribs perhaps you'd like to try some of my other Chinese-inspired meals too:
You can find these and other similar recipes on my Asian-inspired recipes page.
📋The recipe
Chinese-style pork spareribs
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Glass bowl
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Metal baking dish
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds / 600 grams pork spareribs
- 2 chopped spring onions optional (for garnish)
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.1 teaspoon 5-spice powder, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Using a sharp knife, cut the ribs between the bones into individual pieces.1¼ pounds / 600 grams pork spareribs
- Place the ribs into a large baking dish in a single layer, pour over the marinade and turn the ribs so that they are evenly coated.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with a layer of tin foil and bake the ribs in a preheated oven (170C / 340F) for 90 minutes. Turn the ribs after an hour so the top of the ribs doesn't dry out.
- Optionally garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot either as an appetiser or as a main with Chinese salt and pepper chips or egg-fried rice, and steamed vegetables.2 chopped spring onions
Notes
- Line your baking dish with tinfoil. This is optional and won't affect the way the ribs cook, but it does make cleaning up afterwards much easier.
- Make sure the baking dish is large enough to hold the ribs in a single layer without overcrowding.
- Ensure the ribs are completely coated with the marinade before covering the dish with tin foil.
- Fold the tin foil securely around the edges of the dish so that no steam can escape.
- When baking the ribs, turn them after 60 minutes. This will ensure the top of the ribs (that is sitting above the marinade) doesn't dry out. At this point, there should still be quite a bit of runny marinade still in the baking dish. Use a fork or a pair of tongs to help you turn the ribs.
- When opening the tin foil to check the ribs please be careful. The steam inside the dish is HOT and it can burn - I know this from bitter experience. Loosen the edges of the tin foil and lift it carefully, taking care not to get your hands over the top of the dish.
- Replace the tin foil and let the ribs cook for another 30 minutes until they are very tender. You should be able to pierce the meat with a knife with no resistance and the meat should be starting to pull away from the bone.
- My top tip for replacing the tin foil without burning yourself is to lay the foil over the dish and then lay a clean tea towel over the top. Use the tea towel to help you seal the tin foil back around the hot baking dish.
- At the end of the cooking time the marinade should have reduced to almost nothing and the ribs should be sticky and caramelised.
- For those of you with an oven thermometer, the ribs will be fully cooked and safe to eat when the internal temperature has reached 63C / 145F. However, as there is a lot of connective tissue in spare ribs, they may still be tough. A 88C / 190F internal temperature, the fat and collagen in the meat start to break down and the meat becomes more tender.
- If you feel the ribs are not browned sufficiently you can pop them under a grill/broiler for a minute or two, but keep your eye on them - they will burn easily. I did not do this step - the ribs that you see in the photos are as they were when they came out of the oven without any further browning.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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