CHINATOWN SPARERIBS
WITH BEIJING BARBECUE SAUCE
nlike most of the people I met while researching this and my other
books, I did not grow up with barbecue. No ancestral line of pit mas
ters passed me the torch; no smoker burned away in our backyard. The
closest I got to ribs growing up was weekly Chinese carryout, and I never
thought to question whether those “barbecued” spareribs ever saw the
inside of a pit. (Oven and fryer, yes, but not a smoker.) Well, if you think
the sweet-salty-umami flavors of Chinese ribs are good, wait until you try
them enhanced with old-fashioned American wood smoke. These ribs get
a quadruple blast of flavor: first from an anise-scented 5-4-3-2-1 Rub (the
derivation of the name will be obvious); then from a rice wine-cider spray
to keep them moist; then from fragrant cherry wood smoke. The last step
is lacquering and grilling with a sweet-spicy Beijing Barbecue Sauce.l)
YIELD: Makes 2 racks, enough
to serve 4
METHOD: Hot-smoking
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
SMOKING TIME: 41 /? to 5
hours
FUEL: Cherry or apple wood-
enough for 5 hours of smoking
(see chart on page 6)rl
GEAR: A rib rack (optional);
spray bottle
! SHOP: You’ll need to know
about a few Asian ingredients,
most available at larger
supermarkets or online. Five-
spice powder is a traditional
Chinese blend with a smoky
anise flavor, made from fennel,
cinnamon, star anise. Szechuan
peppercorns, and cloves. Rice
wine is an alcoholic beverage
made from fermented rice;
if you can’t find Chinese
Shaoxing, substitute sake or
sherry. Hoisin sauce is a thick
sweet-salty condiment made
with soybeans. Asian (dark)
sesame oil is an aromatic oil
pressed from roasted sesame
seeds.I
INGREDIENTS
V2 cup apple cider
Beijing Barbecue Sauce (page 101)2 racks spareribs (3 to 4 pounds each)
5-4-3-2-1 Rub (recipe follows)
V2 cup Chinese rice wine (shaoxing).
sake, or dry or cream sherry- Set up your smoker following the
manufacturer’s instructions and
preheat to 225° to 250°F. Add the
wood as specified by the manufacturer. - Arrange the ribs on a rimmed
baking sheet. Remove the thin
papery membrane from the back
of each rack of ribs following the
instructions on page 97 (number 3). - Place the ribs directly on the rack
in the smoker, bone side down. If
space is limited, use a rib rack to
smoke them vertically. Smoke the ribs
for 1 hour. - Sprinkle the rub on both sides
of the ribs, rubbing it into the meat
with your fingertips. You’ll need
3 to 4 tablespoons of rub for each
rack of ribs.
WHAT ELSE: I call for
spareribs here, but you can
certainly use baby backs or
St. Louis-cut ribs. Figure on
4 hours or so for smoking baby
backs or St. Louis-cut ribs.- Place the rice wine and apple cider
in a spray bottle and shake to mix.
Start spraying the ribs with this
98 | PORK