Chinese Five-Spice Spareribs

Hey Jude's Note:

These ribs are fantastic and finger licking good. They turn out moist with a rich, dark glaze. This is a Wolfgang Puck recipe that I found in the Chicago Tribune last month. The five-spice powder, hoisin sauce, plum sauce and pickled ginger can be found in the Asian area of most well-stock supermarkets.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

• 3 lbs baby back ribs
• 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup chinese plum sauce
• 1 cup apple cider or 1 cup apple juice
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon pickled ginger , minced
• 1 garlic clove , crushed
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F Rub the ribs all over with the five-spice powder then salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Stir together the hoisin and plum sauces in a small bowl; brush evenly over the ribs then cut the ribs into 3-5 rib sections.
2. Place the ribs in a large, oiled roasting pan; cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake until the meat is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil and remove ribs to a platter.
3. Pour the liquid from the roasting pan into a degreaser or bowl; skim off the fat. Pour the liquid into a large Dutch oven; heat over medium heat. Add the cider, vinegar, tomato paste, honey, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes.
4. Cut the ribs into individual pieces; place in the Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat, turning ribs to coat evenly. Transfer ribs to a platter. Pass extra sauce on the side.

Reviews

[Luby Luby Luby]

These ribs were "falling off the bone" tender, however, I can't say we were "blown away" by the flavor. We found the sauce to be a little on the tart side so DH added 2 more tablespoons of honey. Also, I found the five spice powder to be the predominant flavor and overpowering the rest of the ingredients. We would probably make this again, but leave out the five spice powder and use more honey. Thanks for posting this recipe Judy and I'm sorry I couldn't rate it any higher.