Smoked char siu baby back ribs
Ingredients
for the ribs
4 racks Hampshire baby back pork ribs, about 500g each
4 tbsps fine sea salt
200g unsalted butter, cut into 4 equal-sized pieces
for the dry rub
100g cracked black pepper
2 tsps Chinese five-spice
2 tsps garlic powder
2 tsps mustard powder
1 pinch of mace
1 pinch of allspice
for the char siu dressing
100g hoisin sauce
100g oyster sauce
100g mushroom soy sauce
100g honey
40g sriracha sauce
Method
To prepare the ribs, peel off the membrane from the rear of the baby back rib (this looks like a fatty layer of skin that can be easily peeled off in one piece); this allows the rub to penetrate the rib from both sides creating much more flavour. Season the ribs with the sea salt, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
To make the dry rub, combine all the ingredients together and rub both sides of the ribs.
To cook the ribs, set up your smoker (see page 127) to 140°C/275°F. Smoke the ribs for 2 hours, turning halfway through. After the 2 hours, wrap the ribs in tin foil, adding a piece of butter per rib, and cook for another 1½ hours.
To make the char siu dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
To finish the ribs, remove the tin foil and using a pastry brush apply char siu dressing liberally. Sear over hot coals for 45 seconds on each side, or until the dressing starts to bubble and crisp.
To serve, this can be eaten on its own or served as part of a barbecue, cut into individual ribs and drizzled with extra char siu dressing.