Zhenjiang-Style Pork Baby Back Ribs (镇江排骨, Zan3 Gong1 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

This recipe was updated on 02 Jul 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

I made this dish a couple of times before being satisfied with the results since this is not the traditional recipe. First of all, the dish is usually made with 1- to 2-inch rib pieces rather than using the whole rib, and secondly, the ribs are usually deep fried before being braised in the sauce. Rather than deep frying the ribs, I browned them in the wok. I found that if you brown the ribs for too long, the meat becomes hard and tough, so the ribs need to be quickly browned in small batches (i.e. don’t crowd the ribs into the wok). I also made the dish without browning the ribs first and the dish came out tasty, but the ribs didn’t have that deep dark color the browned version has. So it’s up to you to brown or not-brown the ribs.

When I first made the dish, I used a lot more soy sauce. The reduced sauce was too salty, so there is a small amount of soy sauce used in the recipe. Also at first, I thought that I used too much sugar, but it turns out to be the right amount because you don’t get the right syrupy consistency if there’s less sugar and the sugar balances the vinegar.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 

4 lb.	2 kg.	One rack pork baby back ribs (排骨, paai4 gwat1)
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
2 slices	2 slices	Ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
1	1	Dried date (蜜棗, mat6 zou2)
1	1	Dried tangerine peel (陳皮, can4 pei4)
2 whole	2 whole	Star anise (八角, baat3 gok3)
1 stick	1 stick	Cassia bark (桂皮, gwai3 pei4) or cinnamon
½ cup	125 ml.	Rock sugar (冰糖, bing1 tong4) - about 4 pieces - or sugar (白糖, baak6 tong4)
1½ cups	375 ml.	Zhenjiang or black vinegar (黑米醋, hak1 mai5 cou3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
2½ cups	625 ml.	Water or stock to cover the pork ribs

 

Equipment

8 qt.	7.5 L.	Non-stick pot
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan
3.5 in.	9 cm.	Soak-out cooker to hold the spices in the slow cooker



 

Instructions

Pork Baby Back Ribs and Soak Out Cooker
in the Non-Stick Pot

1. Wash the rack of pork baby back ribs. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs by peeling it from the back of the ribs by hand. Cut the rack into individual pork ribs.
2. You can choose not to brown the pork baby back ribs, in which case you can skip the next step and just put the cut baby back ribs into the braising pot. If you choose to brown the baby back ribs, do it quickly over a high heat, being careful to not crowd the wok. Don’t leave the baby back ribs in the wok for too long, otherwise the meat will dry out and become tough.
3. Heat a wok or large pan over high heat before adding oil. Quickly brown the pork baby back ribs in the wok. You may have to brown the ribs in batches so as not to crowd the wok and to minimize the amount of time the ribs are in the wok. Put the browned ribs into a large bowl. The above steps may be done the night before, in which case cover and refrigerate the bowl with the browned ribs.
4. If the pork baby back ribs have been refrigerated, remove them from the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Put the pork baby back ribs into a large non-stick pot. It is important that the pot is non-stick since the sauce will be reduced to a syrupy consistency in it.
5. Put the lightly crushed garlic and ginger, dried date, star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon stick, and tangerine peel into the soak out cooker. Put the soak out cooker and the rock sugar (or sugar) into the non-stick pot with the browned pork baby back ribs. Put the Zhenjiang or black vinegar, soy sauce, Shaoxing Rice Wine or dry sherry, and water into the non-stick pot. Add more or less water to completely cover the ribs in the non-stick pot.
6. Cover and heat the non-stick pot over high heat until the liquid boils. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, uncover the non-stick pot, and remove the soak out cooker. Discard the contents of the soak out cooker. Transfer the pork baby back ribs to a bowl. Skim any excess fat from the liquid in the non-stick pot and discard.
7. Leave the non-stick pot uncovered and return the heat back to high. Reduce the liquid until ¼ (or less) of the volume remains and the sauce has a syrupy consistency (about 15 minutes). Return the pork baby back ribs back into the non-stick pot and coat the ribs with the sauce. Turn off the heat, transfer the ribs and sauce to a serving plate, and serve with steamed rice.