Chinese Spareribs No. 5

One night last week, Andy decided to try out Tyler Florence's Chinese-style spareribs. They came out finger-lickin' good:

Unlike me and Andy, the kids ate them without great enthusiasm—particularly Steph, who does not like to see bones or other evidence that her food was once alive.

We halved the following recipe, which was just right for our family, but if your kids are not as picky as mine, you ought to make the whole thing. And why not? Leftovers would be heavenly.

Teriyaki-Glazed Spareribs

2 racks pork spareribs (4 lbs. each), trimmed of excess fat
½ cup Chinese five-spice powder (Andy says he didn't measure it; he just "dusted" the ribs and probably used considerably less than called for. Update 1/10/09: Tonight we made them again, with the full amount, and it was too much. You know how much you like five-spice powder; go with your gut. Next time we're going back to the dusting—"less is more" for us.)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
Green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
(I think I can hear Andy now: "We don't need no stinkin' garnish!")

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
¼ cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 fresh red chile, halved (That seemed like a sure way to scare off the kids.)
5 garlic cloves, smashed
one 2" piece fresh ginger, smashed

Preheat the oven to 300°.

Dust the ribs all over with the five spice powder; season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Arrange the ribs in a single layer in a roasting pan (or two) and slow-roast for 2½ hours.

Meanwhile, make the teriyaki glaze: Combine all the remaining ingredients in a pot and set it over medium heat. Bring to a slow simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

In the last 30 minutes of roasting, baste the ribs with the teriyaki glaze. When they are done, the meat will start to pull away from the bone and you will see about ½" of bone showing. Just before you're ready to eat, baste the ribs with the teriyaki glaze again and turn the oven up to 500°. Cook for 10 minutes to make the spareribs a nice crusty brown.

Separate the ribs with a cleaver or sharp knife, pile them on a platter, and pour on the remaining glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, and green onion before serving.

Comments

[Amy]

I need to do this

[Tonya]

This sounds mouth-watering! Yum!

[Amy]

Happy Chinese New Year! We made these for dinner tonight, along with Happy Shrimp from Simply Recipes and several other goodies. OMG, the ribs were AMAZING!!! really, Really, REALLY good! Thanks Karen, and Gong Hay Faat Choy!