Judge George Chew's Justifiably Famous Ribs
- Course: Main Course
Summary:
Judge George Chew came up with this simple recipe when he was in law school and was helping to raise money for an Asian American student group.
He now sits on the immigration bench in New York City, and cooking, he says, is a way to balance the chaos and heartbreak he witnesses. "As my cooking evolved, I started to riff on the recipe, adding other ingredients. It is still changing depending on the availability of ingredients, but the essentials remain the bean and hoisin sauces and making people happy that they showed up to eat."
Maple sugar is available at some Balducci's stores and through online gourmet purveyors.
MAKE AHEAD: The marinade mixture needs to sit for 1 hour before the ribs are added. The ribs need to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons maple sugar or syrup (see headnote)
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce, such as Sriracha
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece peeled ginger root, minced or grated (1 teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Four or five 2 to 2-1/2 pound racks pork spareribs, trimmed
Directions:
Combine the hoisin sauce, ketchup, maple sugar or syrup, mirin, black bean sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili sauce, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a large liquid-measuring cup; mix well and let rest (at room temperature) for 1 hour.
Use a sharp knife to lightly score the meat side of the ribs. Place the ribs in a large nonreactive dish or in a few large resealable plastic food storage bags and use all of the marinade mixture to coat them. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days, turning and massaging the ribs every 8 hours.
Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.
Arrange the ribs in a single layer on the baking sheets; place one sheet on each of the oven racks. Discard any leftover marinade. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn the ribs over and switch the positions of the baking sheets so the one that was on the bottom rack is now on the top rack. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn the ribs over and change the positions of the baking sheets again. Roast for 20 minutes.
Switch the positions of the baking sheets one more time (no need to flip the ribs again); roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
Transfer the ribs to a carving board, cut into individual ribs and serve.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking," by Molly O'Neill (Simon & Schuster, 2010).
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Helayne Seidman for The Washington Post)
