BARBECUED SPARE-RIBS
2 min readServes 10–12 as a starter, or 6–8 as a main course.
Preparation & cooking time: about 1 hour & marinating time.
The half saddle of pork spare-rib seen hanging in good Cantonese restaurants. (You can use individual ribs instead of a whole piece: cook them with the marinade and about 150ml (¼ pint) water in a tin, ensuring the ribs are spread out and turned over at least once.)
1.1kg (2½lb) pork spare-ribs, in one piece
For the marinade:
2–3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon crushed fresh ginger
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons brandy, whisky or rum
5 tablespoons light or dark soy sauce
Trim off and discard any excess fat and gristle from the ribs. Marinate the whole piece of the ribs in the marinade for 4–6 hours, turning or basting several times during the marinating.
To cook: fill a large roasting or baking tin with about 600ml (1 pint) boiling water, then place it on the bottom of an oven preheated to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Remove the spare-ribs from the marinade and insert two S-shaped meat hooks at each end of the ribs, and hang the whole piece from the highest rack in the oven directly above the tin of water.
Roast the ribs for 15–20 minutes, then baste with the marinade, reduce the heat to 200°C/400°F /Gas 6 and cook for 30–35 minutes more, or until the ribs are crisp and golden.
To serve: bring the marinade to the boil with the water and drippings from the baking tin, and thicken with a little cornflour to make a sauce. Cut the spare-ribs into individual ribs with a sharp knife; if you have a Chinese cleaver, then chop each rib into 3–4 bite-size pieces; pour some of the sauce over and serve hot.
