Chinese spare ribs by "Top Chef" champ Stephanie Izard
Chef Stephanie Izard is best known for becoming the first female competitor to claim victory on Bravo's "Top Chef." Shortly after her win, she opened her restaurant Girl & the Goat in Chicago, and a few years later she opened Little Goat Diner.
The most recent addition to her restaurant endeavors is Chicago's Duck Duck Goat, which boasts an extensive menu of Chinese-inspired dishes, including this one.
Prep time: 1 hour | Chill time: 4 hours | Cook time: 3 hours | Total time: 8 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
½ cup shaoxing rice wine
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dark soy sauce
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
⅓ cup maltose syrup or corn syrup
3 tablespoons red fermented tofu, found in asian markets or online
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
½ tablespoon salt
1 cup canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ tablespoon salt
2 full slabs baby back or Chinese spare ribs
Sesame seeds and sliced scallions for garnish
Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the wine, both soy sauces, the honey, hoisin, maltose syrup, tofu, sesame oil, five spice, white pepper and salt. Pour half into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate to use for the glaze. Add the canola oil, garlic, and ginger to the remaining half of the marinade in the blender and blend until smooth. Slather the ribs with 3/4 of the the marinade, reserving the remaining 1/4. Lay them in a pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil. Put the ribs on a sheet tray and roast for 3 hours, until just fork tender. Unwrap the ribs and allow them to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Cut between the ribs to separate them and then brush them with the reserved glaze. Grill until a caramelized crust forms, about 5 minutes, making sure not to burn the sugary glaze.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.