Asian Spare Ribs

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Asian spare ribs are a delicious and easy recipe perfect for an appetizer or main dish. Tangy sweet, with a little kick of spice (or a lot!), try these pork ribs for a homemade version of a take out classic! Unlike many store bought sauces, this homemade sticky sauce does not contain any red food coloring.

Asian spare ribs.

I’ve made this recipe with both spare ribs and baby back ribs. Choose your favorite cut. (Recipe adapted from Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook. This post was originally published on February 12, 2013. Updated January 17th, 2025)

Asian Spare Ribs closeup.

Baby back ribs or spare ribs; What’s the difference?

For the answer to this question, I consulted the experts at Weber, who know a thing or two about meat and grilling! “Baby back ribs (bottom of photo) are cut from the top of the rib cage, near the backbone. Spareribs (top of photo) are cut from the bottom of the rib cage, and sometimes they include the brisket, which is a bony piece of meat that hangs from the bottom. The farther down the rib cage you go, the meatier the ribs get.” 

raw spare ribs on cutting board.

I do try to get a ribs that have some fat on them as the fat adds flavor. For this recipe I used spare ribs. I cut them into individual ribs before baking, since I like to get the sauce on the sides of the ribs, but you can certainly bake the whole rack of ribs intact and cut them afterwards. Serve the extra sauce on the side.

ribs on cutting board.

Ingredients for Asian sticky ribs

3 pounds will serve 3-4 people as a main course. This sticky sauce will work on any meaty tender ribs or boneless ribs as well.

ingredients for asian sticky sauce.
  • 2  racks of ribs, (2 3/4 to 3 pounds) spareribs or baby back ribs, trimmed of silver skin, and cut into individual portions. 

​Sticky sauce ingredients:

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 Tablespoons light soy sauce or regular soy sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Chinese whiskey, Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 1-3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce depending on how hot you like it.

How to make this recipe:

Although these ribs cook on a low heat for a total of an hour and 45 minutes, they’re basically hands off except for a couple of brushes with the glaze during cooking

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Cut the spareribs into individual ribs and arrange them on a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. I like to put them fat side up so that it will drip down through the meat. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven. The ribs are brushed twice with the glaze.
rubbing ribs with sauce.

Making the glaze:

  • Combine the rest of ingredients; garlic through sriracha sauce, in a small bowl. 
rib glaze.
  • Brush the spareribs lightly with the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes longer. Turn and brush with more sauce on the back of the ribs, and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.
second glaze on ribs.

Avoid cross contamination!

Once you’ve brushed the sauce on the raw pork the remaining sauce must be boiled to prevent cross contamination!

  • Meanwhile heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan, over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils and thickens.
  • Brush sauce on the finished ribs.
closeup asian spare ribs.

Make it your own!

Taste and adjust to your family’s preferences! I always think of my recipes as starting points. I’ll give a suggestion, like “1-3 teaspoons sriracha sauce, depending on how how you like it.” This general direction is because I have no idea what your family’s  heat tolerance is. I put 1 teaspoon in the last time I made them, and both my daughter and husband said, “not spicy enough!” I, on the other hand, thought the balance of sweet to spicy was perfect! Taste the sauce before you rub them on the raw ribs! Add more (or less) honey, garlic or ginger. Sensitive to alcohol? Skip the Chinese wine and substitute rice vinegar. Brown sugar or molasses can be substituted for the honey for a richer flavor.

What to serve with Asian spare ribs?

Serve with steamed or Fried Rice, stir-fried veggies, or this Asian Salad Dressing over crisp iceberg lettuce to mimic the salads served in Chinese restaurants.

Sweet and spicy spare ribs are a homemade take on an Asian takeout classic. Tangy sweet with a little kick of spice, they're the perfect appetizer or main dish dinner! | What a Girl Eats

​Looking for more easy Asian recipes?

Classic Stir Fry

Classic Stir-Fry with chicken and bok choy.

Chinese Chicken Salad

chinese chicken salad.

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed pork and shrimp dumpllings.

Szechuan Pork Stir Fry

pork stir fry.
asian spare ribs.

Asian Spare Ribs

Cynthia
Asian spare ribs are a delicious and easy recipe perfect for an appetizer or main dish. Tangy sweet, with a little kick of spice (or a lot!)
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 689 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 3/4 pounds spareribs
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons hoisin suace
  • 2 Tablespoons Chinese whiskey or dry sherry
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 1-3 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce depending on how hot you like it.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Cut the spareribs into individual ribs and arrange them on a rack in a baking pan. I like to put them fat side up so that it will drip down through the meat. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven.
  • Combine remaining ingredients and brush the spareribs lightly with the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes longer. Turn and brush with more sauce and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile heat the remaining marinade in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, until it boils and thickens.
  • Brush sauce on the finished ribs.
  • Serve with stir-fried vegetables and rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 689kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 36gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 1.221mgPotassium: 618mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 41IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 3mg
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5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hey Cynthia – what’s catsup?? I suppose I should google it!! Even without knowing what that is, I know this is a winner. You have a great flavour combo there, great depth of flavour (I am so over the 2 ingredient dishes that say Spare Ribs + bottle of BBQ sauce!!) This is actually very similar to what I call my Pantry Chicken. Because all the ingredients for the sauce are usually in my pantry!

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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