Slow-Cooker Asian Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro separated – stems coarsely chopped and leaves minced
- 8 scallions separated – whites coarsely chopped and green thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons ginger minced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- zest from one orange
- 1-3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 6 pounds pork baby back ribs
- vegetable oil spray
- 1 10 ounce jar of red currant jelly ~3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
Instructions
- Combine hoisin sauce, sugar, soy sauce, sherry, cilantro stems, scallion whites, ginger, garlic, orange zest and 1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper in a bowl. Season ribs with salt and pepper and arrange standing upright in a slow cooker, with meaty sides facing away from the sides. Pour sauce over ribs, cover and cook until ribs are tender, 6 to 8 hours on low.
- Position oven rack 10 inches from the broiler element and preheat broiler. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-safe rack on top of baking sheet. Coat rack with vegetable oil spray. Carefully transfer ribs, meaty side down, to rack on prepared baking sheet and tent with foil (it’s okay if some of the meat falls off the bones). Let braising liquid from slow cooker settle for 5 minutes. Remove fat from surface using a large spoon (alternately you can use a gravy separator).
- Strain 3 cups of braising liquid into a medium saucepan – discard the remaining liquid. Whisk in jelly, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and cilantro leaves. Simmer until thickened and measures reduced by about a cup, about 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Brush ribs with some sauce and broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip ribs over, brush with more sauce and continue to broil until ribs are well browned and sticky, 9 to 12 minutes longer, brushing with additional sauce every few minutes.
- Transfer ribs to a serving plate. Sprinkle with scallion greens and serve with remaining sauce.
Notes
* For a gluten-free version use gluten-free hoisin sauce and gluten-free soy sauce or gluten-free tamari in place of traditional soy sauce.
* Minimum slow cooker size for a full recipe is 5-1/2 quarts. Ribs will be tightly packed. Standing them up means they don’t sit in the fat from the meat.
* Depending on the size of your oven you may need to do the broiling step in two batches. Tent the first batch after you've broiled it.
* Recipe can be cut in half.
* Minimum slow cooker size for a full recipe is 5-1/2 quarts. Ribs will be tightly packed. Standing them up means they don’t sit in the fat from the meat.
* Depending on the size of your oven you may need to do the broiling step in two batches. Tent the first batch after you've broiled it.
* Recipe can be cut in half.
