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These Sticky Asian Ribs have become one of my go-to rib recipes! The ribs are tender and pull off the bone so easily and are packed with flavor from the combination of sweet, salty & savory seasonings and sauces. The braising liquid reduces down to a flavorful, aromatic glaze that perfectly compliments the ribs.
This is a perfect recipe when you want to set it and forget it – because the braising process does all the work! I hope you enjoy it!
Watch the Sticky Asian Ribs Recipe Video Below!
Ingredient Tips for Sticky Asian Ribs
I love this Sticky Asian Ribs because only a few ingredients will make crispy, juicy chicken with less fat than deep frying!
- Baby Back Ribs
- Neutral Oil
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Bay leaves
- Cinnamon
- Dried Red Chilis
- Shaoxing Wine – If you cannot or do not want to use wine, you can sub with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock.
- Light Soy Sauce (low sodium)
- Dark Soy Sauce – Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and sweeter (as well as has a higher sodium content) than regular soy sauce. Because I use these two ingredients at 1:1 ratio and there are so few ingredients in this recipe, there is not a substitute I can recommend 🙁
- Oyster Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Rice Vinegar
Sticky Asian Ribs: Recipe Instructions
Prep the Ribs
The first step in making Sticky Asian Ribs is removing the silver skin from the back of the ribs. Do your best to remove as much as you can since this silver skin will not break down during the braising process. Once the silver skin is removed, slice the slab of ribs into individual ribs and set them aside.
Brown the Ribs
Next, in a heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil over medium high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and remove. We are just trying to get some color on the ribs.
Sauté Aromatics
After removing the ribs, add the minced garlic, ginger, and shallot into the remaining oil. Sauté these for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add cinnamon, dried red chilis, and bay leaves and saute for another 30 seconds.
Deglaze with Shaoxing wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any fond stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is where all the flavor is!
Add Seasonings + Ribs
After you’ve deglazed the bottom of the pan and scrapped up the fond, add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar to the pot.
Add back your ribs and then cover with just enough water to submerge the ribs. For me and a 6 quart dutch oven, this was about 2 cups of water.
Cover and Braise
Bring the braising liquid to a simmer then reduce the heat to medium and partially cover and braise for 45 minutes. The liquid will reduce down and the ribs will become super tender during this process.
The cooking time may vary for the ribs depending on their size. During the braising process, check the ribs every 20 minutes or so with a fork to check their doneness. Once they are fork tender but not fall off the bone, you’re ready to reduce the sauce!
Once the ribs are fork tender, turn the heat up to high and further reduce any liquid until a thick glaze is formed. This will be the perfect Sticky Asian sauce for those tender ribs.
This was the final result – look just how incredible these Sticky Asian Ribs are! You can see the meat just about to fall off the bone, and that flavorful aromatic glaze compliments the ribs perfectly.
If you liked this Sticky Asian Ribs recipe, check out some of the most popular recipes on the blog!
If you tried this Sticky Asian Ribs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Sticky Asian Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs baby back ribs, 1 slab
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 dried red chilis
- 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 cups water, just enough to cover ribs
Instructions
- Remove silverskin from the rack of ribs, then slice the individual ribs along the bone.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil over medium high heat. Brown the ribs until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes, flipping occasionally), and remove.
- In the remaining oil, saute garlic, ginger, and shallot for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and dried red chilis and fry for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Deglaze with shaoxing wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any fond. Then add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and rice vinegar.
- Add back the ribs into the pot and add just enough water to cover the ribs. Partially cover with a lid and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and braise for 45 minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the ribs are tender but not falling off the bone.
- Turn the heat to high and continue to reduce the sauce down until a glaze has formed to coat the ribs. Plate and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so good!
Can it be prepped ahead of time up through step 4 (after adding ribs back) and refrigerated for the next day to braise?
Yes they can!
All my family love this!
Delicious!! My all family loves it!
I can’t believe how easy this recipe is to make and so, so delicious! I’ve always been intimidated when it comes to cooking ribs but these come out perfectly every single time. My 11 year old would never eat ribs and he devours these.
So good that I’m making them again for Christmas! They went really well with coconut rice 👌
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Thoughts about usimg the above ingredients as a marinade?
it may be on the salty side – if I were to give it a try I would dilute with maybe a cup of water and marinade over night!
Thank you for your recipe! I’ve never cooked with dark soy sauce. Is there a specific brand that you recommend?
Pearl River Bridge and Lee Kum Kee are my go tos!