Glazed Chinese Spare Ribs

Spare ribs are probably among the most popular dishes in a Chinese restaurant and rightfully so. They are absolutely delicious. Tender and juicy pork drenched in a sweet barbecue sauce that is delightfully caramelized. Indeed delicious because they contain an enormous amount of refined sugars usually found in the barbecue sauce. I have been cooking Cantonese style cuisine since my early teenage years and had perfected a restaurant style spare rib long ago. Now, I have used my original recipe as a guideline to create my low carbohydrate version of these delectable ribs. The cooking technique is what makes them come out perfectly tender each and every time and the low carb glaze has the wonderful flavors we expect. This recipe is higher in fat than most of my recipes are and are not something we eat everyday but after all, they are pork spare ribs. If you prefer you can use a leaner cut of pork such as center cut chops or a pork tenderloin and you will achieve the same delicious, restaurant style taste. I hope you enjoy.

Glazed Chinese Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 lb. slab of ribs, trimmed of all visible fat, skirt (under-flap) removed and cut into individual ribs

1/4 cup sugar free apricot preserves (I use Smucker's brand but any will do)

2 Tbsp. low carb or low sugar ketchup

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. dry Sherry

2 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar

1tsp. five spice powder

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. Splenda

vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 425'

Blend together all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside for flavors to marry a bit while you place a large pot of water on high to bring to a boil. Carefully place a few ribs at a time into the boiling water and let simmer for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove ribs and arrange ribs with the bone side up on a cooling rack, which has been sprayed with vegetable spray, and placed in an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Repeat this process until all of the ribs have been blanched in the simmering water.

Brush the ribs on the bone side only with the glaze mixture and place in oven to roast for 15 minutes. Turn ribs and glaze the meaty side and return to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until reddish brown and caramelized.

Note ~ for a reduced fat version you can substitute either center cut pork chops or a pork tenderloin. Skip the blanching step and roast as you normally would in the oven at 425' until an internal temperature of about 145' is reached. Make sure to line your pan with aluminum foil for a quick and easy clean up.

Nutrition Facts

8 - 3 Ounce Servings of Spare Rib Meat Only (without bone or debris)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 353.2

Total Fat 25.8 g

Saturated Fat 9.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.5 g
Cholesterol 102.9 mg
Sodium 270.8 mg
Potassium 279.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 3.7 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 0.4 g
Protein 25.0 g