Grilled Cantonese Pork Ribs

They’re sweet, savory and smoky, inspired by the signature reddish pork ribs found in Cantonese barbecue restaurants ✨

Get Andy Liang’s recipe 👇

Grilled Cantonese Pork Ribs
Recipe courtesy of Andy Liang
Level: Intermediate
Total: 9 hr 15 min (includes marinating and resting time)
Active: 40 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
5 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons red yeast rice powder, optional (see Cook’s Note)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
3/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
Two 3-pound racks St. Louis-style pork ribs
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons honey or maltose (see Cook’s Note)

Directions

Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, minced garlic, brown sugar, red yeast rice powder, white pepper and five-spice powder in a medium bowl until combined and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

Remove any tough membrane from the bone-side of the ribs. Transfer each rack to its own sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Rub the hoisin mixture on both sides of the ribs. Wrap the racks securely and place them meat-side down on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank the coals on one side of the grill). If your grill has a thermometer, you want to aim for 300 to 325 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the foil, discard the marinade and sprinkle each rack of ribs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt over both sides. Place meat-side up on the indirect (cooler) side of the grill. Close the lid and grill until the bones are slightly charred, about 20 minutes. Flip the ribs with grill tongs and grill bone-side up with the lid on until the pork is cooked through and hits 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes.

Brush half the honey evenly over the bone side of both rib racks, flip the ribs and place honey-side down on the direct heat (hotter) side of the grill. Quickly brush the remaining honey over the meat side of both rib racks and grill until the outside is charred and caramelized on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the ribs again and char and caramelize the other side, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the racks to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut in between the bones and enjoy.

Cook’s Note
Red yeast rice powder is a natural red food color that doesn’t impart any flavor. It’s typically used to give Cantonese roast meats their signature color. You can substitute 1 teaspoon red gel food color for it if you prefer or omit it if you’re fine with the color being browner than what you see in Cantonese restaurants. Maltose is a thick sweet syrup that’s somewhat like corn syrup and is often used to give Cantonese meats their glossy finish. It can be found online or in Asian grocery stores. If you do use maltose instead of honey, we recommend stirring it with 2 tablespoons of hot water to loosen it and make it easier to brush on.

Categories: Food

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