Slow-roasted sticky Chinese pork ribs with Asian greens

Marinated pork ribs recipe

For a flavour-packed dish with plenty of aromatic spices, nothing beats marinated pork ribs in the oven, slow roasted for meltingly tender meat. It’s perfect served with Asian greens and steamed rice for a hearty meal. Inspired by the famous Cantonese favourite, char siu pork, this dish has beautifully balanced savoury and sweet flavours coating melt-in-your-mouth meat. Asian greens, pak choy and choy sum, are served with the pork, as well as steamed rice to soak up all the delicious sauce.

Ingredients you’ll need for marinated slow-cooked pork ribs

To make the marinade for the pork ribs, you’ll need hoisin sauce, which gives the dish its signature umami flavours, soy sauce, plus dry sherry or orange juice and brown sugar for a hit of tanginess and sweetness. Ginger, garlic, cinnamon and star anise are the ingredients that will give the dish wonderful fragrance and spice, as will Chinese five spice, which is the most important aromatic used in this dish. Of course, a good-quality cut of meat is also needed, and Aussie pork spare ribs are a great choice. The greens used for this recipe are choy sum and baby pak choy, and the ribs are served on a bed of steamed white rice.

How to cook pork ribs in the oven

Cooking pork ribs in the oven couldn’t be easier. First, marinate the meat by combining the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, dry sherry or orange juice, brown sugar, ginger cut into matchsticks, crushed garlic, Chinese five spice, cinnamon and star anise in a shallow bowl. Add the pork to the bowl, turning to coat it in all the marinade ingredients, then place it in the fridge for 1 hour to allow all the spices and other ingredients to saturate the meat and develop the flavours. Preheat your oven to 140°C and transfer the pork with the marinade in shallow roasting pan. Arrange the pork in a single layer so each piece cooks evenly, then cover with foil. Roast, turning occasionally, for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes. This will allow the sauce to thicken and caramelise, giving the pork a mouthwatering glaze.

To cook the sliced greens, simply place them in a steamer that’s placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Steam for 1 minute or until the veggies are bright green, then place them in a bowl of iced water to refresh. When you’re ready to serve, place the pork ribs on some steamed rice and top with the veggies. You can also serve with spring onion curls if you like.

Now get cooking

For another great pork recipe with Asian-style flavours, try our slow-roasted lime and ginger pork shoulder. And if you can't resist pork crackling, the show-stopping crispy skin pork belly with caramelised apples is sure to hit the spot. Dinner is sorted in just 25 minutes, thanks to this one-pan pork with apples, and for more great dishes using super-versatile pork, check out our collection of pork recipes.