Chinese Boneless Spare ribs are a classic Chinese-American takeout dish. Despite what their name implies, they are not made from spare ribs at all. They are actually made from boneless pork shoulder which is where the term "boneless" comes from. The pork is marinated, deep-fried, and glazed with a sticky sauce similar to char siu pork.
Growing up, my family would always go to this one Chinese restaurant to get this dish. They were the only restaurant in our city that made it, and I remember the owners said they used to make it at their old restaurant before they immigrated to Canada.
The best part of this dish is the sticky sauce that coats each piece of pork. It's very similar to Chinese BBQ pork, but I think the sauce is even more pronounced. For my version, I used hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, Chinese five-spice, a whole lot of sugar, and a few other less important ingredients.
How long to marinate the pork?
I recommend marinating the pork for at least 4 hours for the best results, but you can go up to 2 days as well. I actually ended up only cooking half of mine the first day and cooking the rest the next day, and the next day's batch was even more flavorful. So, if you are inclined, you can marinate it for longer.
Deep-frying steps
Once the pork is marinated, you want to deep-fry it in oil. Yes, deep-fry it. I'm 99% sure restaurants deep-fry their boneless spare ribs because it's much easier than roasting in the oven. For deep-frying, heat your oil to 350°F, then add a handful of the pork slices, and cook for about 2-3 minutes:
Finishing with the glaze
Heat the remaining marinade with honey and ketchup and cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Then add the pork and toss to coat. Just look how deliciously sticky these look:
Chinese Boneless Spare Ribs
Ingredients
For the sauce mixture
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
- ½ teaspoon Chinese-five-spice-powder
- ¼ teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
For the pork marinade
- 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the sticky glaze
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
Instructions
- Slice the pork shoulder into ½-inch thick strips and transfer to a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine all the sauce mixture ingredients.
- Add ¼ cup of the sauce mixture to the bowl of pork (put the rest of the sauce in the fridge). Also, add the salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
- After the pork is marinated, mix in the cornstarch.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a large Dutch oven. Fry the pork in 2 or 3 batches, adding the pork one piece at a time, and cook each batch for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked pork to a wire rack and let the oil come back up to 350°F before starting the next batch.
- In a large nonstick pan, add 2 tablespoons of the remaining sauce mixture, honey, and ketchup. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens to a glaze. Add the pork and toss to coat. Enjoy!
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