Name: Chinese Pork Spare Ribs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 800 g Pork Ribs; 1 tsp White Pepper; ½ tsp Salt; ½ tsp Chinese 5 Spice; 100 ml Hoisin Sauce; 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 tbsp Honey; 1 tbsp Vinegar; 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice

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Chinese Spare Ribs (Takeaway Style)

These pork spare ribs are what dreams are made of, they’re deliciously sweet, sticky, savoury and hands down tasty. I’ve created this recipe to be super quick and easy, and guess what… It’s ready in under an hour!

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5 from 1 vote

This recipe is all you need to make the most mouth-watering Chinese-style spare ribs. I’ve been making this recipe for years, and I’m always amazed at how delicious they taste… EVERY SINGLE TIME!

The texture is tender and juicy, with an incredible flavour from both the dry seasoning rub and the luscious Chinese bbq glaze. These ribs are not just finger licking good; they are irresistibly moreish.

One of the biggest perks of this recipe is how quickly it comes together, it takes me under an hour. Additionally, these Chinese spare ribs are oven roasted, so there’s no need to boil or steam them in-advance!

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

The hoisin-based sauce tastes so good
You can easily double the ingredients for larger batches
They come out perfect every time
You can make it ahead of time

There’s no greater satisfaction than sinking your teeth into these incredible pork ribs and the smell is so good too! It takes me right back to enjoying these ribs at Chinese takeaway buffets.

Watch How To Make It

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the few ingredients I used to make this recipe:

Pork Ribs: I like using meaty pork ribs, avoid ribs with lots of fat on them as they won’t caramelise as well. If you’re using a rack of ribs, peel off the membrane to prevent a chewy texture then slice it into individual ribs.
Chinese Seasoning Rub: White pepper, Chinese 5 spice and salt are mixed together and rubbed all over the ribs before adding the hoisin bbq glaze.
Spare Rib Glaze: A combination of hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, vinegar and Chinese 5 spice are mixed together and brushed over the spareribs before roasting in the oven.

How To Make Chinese Spare Ribs

Below is a step-by-step guide on how I make these tasty Chinese spare ribs. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card below:

Step One:

Preheat your oven to 160°C (gas mark 3, 140°Fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or kitchen foil (I used kitchen foil).

Add salt, white pepper and Chinese 5 spice into a small mixing bowl and mix together until evenly distributed.

In a separate mixing bowl, make the Chinese spare rib glaze by mixing hoisin sauce, dark soy sauce, runny honey, vinegar and Chinese 5 spice.

Step Two:

Coat the ribs in the dry seasoning rub, making sure both sides are evenly coated.

Step Three:

Brush 1/3 of the spare rib glaze over both sides of the ribs and place them in the oven for 40 minutes.

At the halfway point (20 minutes), brush both sides of the ribs with half of the remaining glaze, reserving the rest for the next step. Place them back in the oven to roast for an additional 20 minutes.

TIP: For the first 40 minutes, I like to place the ribs on a low shelf in the oven.

Step Four:

After 40 minutes, increase the heat up to 200°C (180°C Fan, gas mark 6). Take the ribs out of the oven and give it a final coating of the glaze on both sides. Position the ribs meat-side up and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the glaze caramelises, becomes sticky and chars around the edges.

TIP: At this point, I like to move the ribs from the bottom shelf to the top shelf to help aid the caramelisation.

How To Serve Chinese Spare Ribs

When making spare ribs I go all out and serve it with homemade vegetable spring rolls, these super quick sesame prawn toasts and of course these prawn spring rolls too. If I’m feeling extra peckish, I chuck in a couple Chinese chicken balls as well.

I think that ribs and spring rolls are the perfect pairing, but if you want more of a filling meal, why not try serving them with chips and Chinese curry sauce or plain chow mein noodles.

In my opinion ribs go with pretty much everything so the serving options are endless. However, if you want even more Chinese bbq goodness, then you have to try my char siu pork recipe.

My Top Tips

You might have noticed that spare ribs from Chinese takeaway shops often have a slight reddish look. This is achieved by adding red food colouring. If you want it to look exactly like Chinese takeaway shops, add red food colouring to the glaze.

For extra flavour, coat the ribs in the seasoning rub and a layer of the spare rib glaze. Let the ribs marinade for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge for best results. This not only helps to enhance the flavour, but it also tenderises the pork meat as well.

Don’t skip the last 10 minutes of blasting the ribs in the oven over a high heat. This intense heat is vital for caramelising the honey and hoisin-based glaze, creating that authentic spare rib char, look and taste.

If there’s any sauce left on the roasting tray, don’t throw it away! I always spoon it up and use it as a dipping sauce or add green beans to the tray and coat in the sauce leftovers – trust me, it tastes great!

How To Make Ahead & Store

To prepare this recipe in advance, I usually marinade the ribs and let them rest in the fridge a day ahead of cooking. On the day, I remove it from the fridge 1 to 2 hours before cooking (as this bring the meat back to room temperature).

You can cook the ribs, place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up 2 to 3 days before eating. Reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot throughout.

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