红烧排骨
This is literally the same recipe as 红烧肉, except with spare ribs instead of pork belly. Overall, I think that this Chinese braising style works really well with cuts that either have a lot of fat, or a good amount of connective tissue. Almost any kind of rib meat works great. The connective tissue surrounding the rib gives it an excellent texture that you can't quite get in straight 红烧肉.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hr 30 min
Ingredients
> pork spare ribs
> garlic, ginger, green onion, lemon zest
> star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, dried chili peppers
> soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, water
> sugar
Instructions
1. Caramelize the sugar: add several large spoonfuls of sugar to the cooking pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once the sugar begins to melt, occasionally swirl the pot to ensure the sugar caramelizes evenly. Continue to heat until the sugar develops a deep red/brown color and begins to bubble.
2. Add the spare ribs (cut into individual pieces) into the pot.
3. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and water, until the water is about level with the spare ribs. Add all the aromatics.
4. Bring up to a boil over high-heat. Continue to cook for around 10 minutes over high heat. Then reduce the heat down to medium-low and simmer, covered, for at least 2 hours. Around half-way through, if the water level becomes too low, add a bit more Shaoxing wine.
5. The end result should be fork-tender and juicy. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> This braising technique really works for just about any meat that has a decent amount of connective tissue and/or fat. Each type of meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, etc) has its own characteristic flavor that lends itself to slightly different combinations of the same basic ingredients. For example, with pork I'd add a bit more sugar and cinnamon. With beef I'd add more star anise and Sichuan peppercorn. With lamb I'd replace much of the soy sauce with salt. Feel free to experiment with other cuts of meat!
> Spare ribs are not quite the same as what you might know as baby back ribs. Baby back ribs come from the parts of the ribs that are connected to the backbone, whereas spare ribs are cut from the ends of baby back ribs and run along to the pig’s breast bone. I think that the layout of meat, connective tissue, and fat of spare ribs is more appropriate for braising.