Recipe: Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs

CHINESE-STYLE BABY BACK RIBS

1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sweet sherry
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Chinese brown bean paste (or Chinese chile paste with garlic)
2 teaspoons Asian peanut oil
4 racks baby back ribs

Combine oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, sherry, garlic, bean paste or chile paste and peanut oil in bowl and blend well. Place ribs in zipper-lock bag or shallow bowl and pour marinade over them. Cover if necessary and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days, turning the meat occasionally to coat well.

About 30 to 60 minutes before cooking:
Remove ribs from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place a baking pan of water on a rack in the lower third of the oven to increase humidity.

Remove ribs from marinade; reserve marinade. Lay ribs, meat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan.

Put them in top third of oven and roast 1 1/2 hours, basting ribs from time to time with reserved marinade. Stop basting ribs the last 20 minutes of roasting. The ribs are done when meat nearest the end begins to shrink away from the bone. The internal temperature should read 165 to 175 degrees F.

Slice slabs into individual ribs and serve.

Central Market Chefs' Table

Makes 8 servings
Source: Karen Haram, San Antonio Express-News, October 15, 2008