Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs

My Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs are perfectly cooked, they pull off the bone, sweet, salty, and umami, and are a flavor explosion in your mouth. Also, they are very very easy to make. You separate the ribs. Mix with the sauces. And bake until they are super tender on the inside, sticky, brown, and full of flavor on the outside. This is a wonderful crowd pleaser and a perfect dish to make for a potluck or your next party.

Ingredients info

Ribs: I use pork spare ribs (More about this in the next section.). Make sure to remove the membrane on the back before you separate the ribs.

Five-spice powder: A chinese spice blend that is made of five spices: star anise, cloves, chinese cinnamon (cassia), sichuan peppercorns (some use black pepper instead), and fennel seeds. Five Spice is very popular in Chinese cuisine as a seasoning blend that goes well with Pork Ribs or other pork dishes, duck or chicken.

Paprika: Optional, but this helps with adding more color and spice to the pork ribs.

Granulated garlic and onion: for flavor. You can use either granulated garlic/onion or garlic/onion powder.

Soy sauce: A must. Make sure you use light soy sauce, not dark soy sauce.

Hoisin sauce: Another must-have ingredient. You can get this in Asian stores. Some local grocery stores carry them as well. Check the Asian food aisle.

Oyster sauce: Adds so much umaminess to these Chinese five spice pork ribs. You can also use mushroom-flavored oyster sauce in case you can’t use regular oyster sauce.

Shaoxing wine: Chinese cooking wine, aka Shaoxing wine, adds depth and complexity to the dish. Also helps to get rid of the porky odor. Alcohol also helps to break down the meat and make the meat more tender.

Rice vinegar: This is to balance out the sweetness of sugar.

Sugar: You can substitute sugar with honey if you don’t like to use sugar. Sweetness helps to balance out the saltiness of the soy sauce and make the ribs brown and sticky and so delicious. The sweetness also pairs amazingly well with five spice flavor.

Which Ribs to choose?

If I make it for a larger crowd, I usually use spare ribs. These are larger in size, has a good amount of fat and meat, and it get super tender when you cook them low and slow. Very flavorful too. And they are not as expensive as baby back ribs or St. Louis ribs, which makes them the perfect cut when you serve it for a larger crowd. The downside is, the ribs are not even when you separate them.

If you like the meat to be leaner, tender with smaller and evenly sized ribs, go for baby back ribs or St. Louis ribs. Since these are smaller in size, the ribs cook a little faster. Make sure to reduce about 15 – 20 minutes from the cooking time.

Serving Ideas:

I love to serve it with some Jasmine Rice or Fried rice. They also go well with Chinese broccoli or any vegetable stir-fry or steamed veggies.

They are great as an appetizer / starter as well. You can serve it along with some teriyaki sauce or any Asian sauce of your choice.

Print Recipe

Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs

Author: Roshani Wickramasinghe Cooking Method: Baking Cuisine: Asian Recipes, Chinese Recipes Courses: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch Recipe Keys: Dairy Free Gluten Free

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 20 mins Cook Time 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins

Cooking Temp: 375  °F Servings: 6

Description

These Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs are perfectly cooked, they pull off the bone, sweet, salty, and umami, and are a flavor explosion in your mouth. Also, they are very very easy to make.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 large rack of Pork Spare Ribs (refer to recipe description for substitutes)

Spice Mix

• 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

• 2 tsp Paprika (or Cayenne powder for more heat)

• ¹⁄₂ tsp Granulated onion/onion powder

• ¹⁄₂ tsp Granulated garlic/garlic powder

• 2 tsp Freshly ground Black pepper powder

Sauce Mix

• ³⁄₄ Cup Light or Regular Soy sauce

• ¹⁄₄ Cup Hoisin sauce

• ¹⁄₄ Cup Oyster sauce

• ¹⁄₄ Cup White or light brown Sugar

• ¹⁄₄ Cup Shaoxing wine/Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry as a substitute)

• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar

• 2 tsp Grated ginger

Garnish

• 1 tsp Sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp Sliced spring onions, green part

Instructions

1. Remove the silver skin/membrane at the back of the rib rack (some rib racks come with the membrane already removed). Cut between each rib to separate the ribs. 

2. Mix the spices (five spice, paprika, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and black pepper) in a small bowl.

3. In another bowl, mix the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, grated ginger). 

4. Place the pork ribs in a large baking dish (I use a large disposable aluminum tray). You should be able to arrange ribs in one layer without stacking them.

5. Add the spice mix. Mix well with the ribs. Then add the sauce mix. Mix well again. Make sure each rib is well coated with the sauces and spices. 

6. Arrange the ribs in one layer. Cover the dish well with aluminum foil. 

   if you're using disposable aluminum pans, make sure to place it on a baking tray to support the bottom

7. Bake at 375°F in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Take out the tray, flip all the ribs, and spoon some sauce over them. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. 

8. Transfer the ribs to a serving dish. Add sesame seeds and spring onions on top for garnish. 

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