Chinese Rib Tips: Fall Apart Tender Takeout-Style
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
12 hrs 15 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
14 hrs 45 mins
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Servings
8
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Calories
293 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Chinese
Chinese Rib Tips: Fall Apart Tender Takeout-Style
Description
The recipe begins by rinsing and drying pork rib tips. A thick marinade is prepared using maltose dissolved in hot water, which acts as a glossy, sticky base with a mild sweet flavor. This is combined with minced garlic, hoisin sauce, salt, sugar, five spice powder, Shaoxing wine, ketchup, and optional red food coloring for a traditional appearance.
The rib tips are thoroughly coated in this marinade and allowed to absorb the flavors. The maltose base helps the rib tips develop a rich caramelized glaze when cooked, while the combination of spices and sauces offers complex savory and slightly sweet flavors. The method aims for ribs with very tender, almost fall-apart meat and sticky exterior coating resembling takeout style.
This dish is well-suited for serving as a hearty main or shared during gatherings. The marinade’s thickness makes it a key component to creating authentic texture and flavor, and substituting honey for maltose is also possible though the consistency changes slightly.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork rib tips (1.4 kg)
- 3 tablespoons maltose (mixed in 1 tablespoon of hot water; can substitute honey)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 4 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ teaspoon red food coloring (optional, but if you really want to go for that “authentic” look…)
Instructions
- Rinse the pork rib tips, and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the maltose with the hot water using a spatula. Maltose is VERY thick and sticky, so the hot water helps to loosen and liquefy it so it’s easier to work with and can serve as the base of your marinade. You may mistake the stuff for super glue. You can use your hands to soften it faster, but a spatula works fine too. Microwaving the maltose for 10 seconds softens it up also. Working with maltose is admittedly a bit difficult, but the rich stickiness really makes it worth the extra steps! If you can’t find maltose, we’d love to hear your kitchen experiments with honey or agave as substitutes in the comments!
- Add the garlic, hoisin sauce, salt, sugar, five spice powder, Shaoxing wine, ketchup, and red food coloring, if using.
- Next, add the rib tip pieces to the bowl, rubbing the BBQ sauce into the meat and ensuring that it’s completely coated. You can cut the rib tips into smaller pieces but I leave them whole to ensure they’ll be tender and juicy. Cover the bowl with a large plate or plastic wrap and let the rib tips marinate overnight in the refrigerator (12 to 24 hours).
- After the ribs are marinated, remove them from the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, letting them come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet pan or roasting pan with parchment paper or non-stick foil to prevent the ribs from sticking to the pan. Place the two slabs of rib tips on the pan, cover with foil, and place them in the oven. Save the marinating liquid for basting.
- Bake the ribs for 30 minutes, baste them, turn them over, and baste again. Cover again with the foil. Return them to the oven and reduce the temperature to 275 degrees F.
- Repeat the process two times––that’s 60 minutes of additional cooking time. After 90 minutes in the oven, baste again, and return to the oven uncovered.
- Baste the ribs every 20 minutes for another hour until done. At this point, if you like a slightly crispy bark on the rib tips, increase the oven temperature back to 325 degrees F. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan around the perimeter of the rib tips if it starts to dry out and burn.
- Carefully transfer the rib tips to a cutting board. I wasn’t kidding when I said they would be fall-apart tender! Slice into bite-sized pieces, and serve with your favorite fried rice or plain white rice.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 293 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 293kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 19g | 6% |
| Protein | 22g | 44% |
| Fat | 14g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 82mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 1551mg | 65% |
| Potassium | 394mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 16g | 32% |
| Vitamin A | 30IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 0.9mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 36mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.4mg | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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