Slow Cooker Chinese-Style Spare Ribs
Want that Chinese takeaway taste but looking to save a bit of money after Christmas? Told yourself you’d cut down on takeaways in 2024, but the cravings are too strong? Well, this Slow Cooker Chinese-Style Spare Ribs ‘fakeaway’ will give you the flavour you’re after, with the added satisfaction of making it yourself.
Ingredients
You can buy individual meaty pork ribs at most butchers and supermarkets. However, if you can only get a rack of ribs, then that’s absolutely fine. I’d recommend keeping them together or cutting into portions of 3-4 ribs together. Then after the slow cook, you can tear the meat off the bone.
The rich sauce for this spare ribs recipe is made by combining hoisin, soy, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, garlic and five-spice, all to encapsulate the essence of classic Chinese cuisine. Finally, you can optionally add a touch of red food colouring if you like. This is purely aesthetic, giving the dish that bright colourful takeaway look. If you don’t have any or don’t want to use it, it won’t make a difference to the flavour – so don’t worry!
To finish
After the slow cook, you can optionally crisp the spare ribs up under a hot grill. This has a few benefits. Firstly, it adds beautiful colour to the ribs. Secondly, it crisps the outside of the skin which serves to add some extra structure to the ribs, meaning that the don’t completely fall apart when you handle them. Finally, it’s just super satifisfying seeing them bubble and crisp. We recommend brushing the ribs occasionally with the sauce from the slow cooker as you grill them.
To serve, you could sprinkle over spring onion, sesame seeds or chilli for colour and flavour. These ribs can be an enjoyed as starter, side, or the main event for your fakeaway at home.
We also serve with a bit of extra hoisin sauce on the side for dipping. You could optionally use the sauce from the slow cooker, thickened with a bit of cornflour slurry.
Chinese style spare ribs
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Grill (broiler) optional
Ingredients
- 800 g Pork ribs
- 4 tbsp Hoisin
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Chinese five spices
- 1/2 tsp Red food colouring
Instructions
- Create a sauce by combining hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar and garlic. Optionally add red food colouring.
- Add the pork ribs and your sauce to the slow cooker. Stir well, ensuring the ribs are coated.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Optional: carefully place the ribs on a baking tray and place under a hot grill for 5-10 minutes, turning and brushing the sauce from the slow cooker.
Nutrition
The Joy of Homemade Fakeaway
I’m making this recipe in January, which is the month that a lot of people promise to cut down on takeaways. But there’s no need to sacrifice on flavour! This recipe is the perfect answer to your takeaway cravings, delivering amazing tasting spare ribs right from your kitchen. Plus, the slow cooker does most of the work, making it effortless as well as delicious.
