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Chinese Ribs simmer low and slow in a sweet ginger soy broth loaded with star anise, scallions, and garlic until they are fall apart tender, then take a quick trip to the grill for that takeout style char. The first time I made these on a *Sunday afternoon*, the house smelled like our favorite restaurant. If copycat takeout like my bourbon chicken is your weakness, these ribs belong on the menu.
Baby back ribs braised in a sweet soy ginger broth, then flashed on the grill for takeout char.
Chinese Ribs Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 2 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 820kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet and savory soy with warm star anise, fresh ginger, and a smoky grilled finish
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, mostly hands off simmering, simpler than my chow mein
Quick Answer
Slice a rack of baby back ribs into individual pieces and place them in a large stock pot. Add sliced ginger, bruised scallions, smashed garlic, star anise, soy sauce, sugar, shaoxing wine, and water. Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for an hour and a half to two hours until the ribs are tender. Lift the ribs out, discard the liquid, and either serve them as is or flash them on a hot oiled grill for a couple of minutes to get char marks.
Jump to:
- Chinese Ribs Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chinese Ribs
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chinese Ribs FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Takeout Recipes
- Chinese Ribs (Takeout Style Sweet Ginger Soy)
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The braise is a classic master stock. Soy sauce, sugar, wine, ginger, and star anise make the same style of seasoned simmering liquid Chinese restaurants use, so flavor soaks deep into the meat instead of sitting on the surface.
- Individual ribs mean more flavor. Slicing the rack before simmering exposes every side of every rib to the broth, so each piece is seasoned all the way around, not just at the edges.
- Slow simmering makes them tender. A gentle simmer melts the connective tissue over an hour and a half to two hours, taking the ribs to fall apart tender without any oven time.
- Bruising the scallions releases flavor. Whacking the scallions with the back of a knife breaks their cells open so their aromatics infuse the broth quickly.
- Star anise brings the takeout flavor. Its warm licorice spice is the signature note in Chinese braised meats, and four pods perfume the whole pot.
- The grill finish adds char, not work. The ribs are already fully cooked, so a couple of minutes on a hot grill just caramelizes the surface for that smoky restaurant finish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are fall apart tender from a mostly hands off simmer, no smoker, no oven, no babysitting.
- The sweet ginger soy flavor tastes just like your favorite Chinese takeout ribs.
- They deliver that takeout flavor at home, just like my black pepper chicken, for a fraction of the price.
Key Ingredients
A simple braise built on pantry sauces and fresh aromatics.
- Baby back ribs: The star. Sliced into individual ribs so the braise seasons every side. Slightly frozen ribs are easiest to cut cleanly.
- Soy sauce: The backbone. A mix of regular and lite soy builds deep salty savory flavor without going overboard.
- Fresh ginger: The warmth. A full cup of slices perfumes the broth and cuts the richness of the pork.
- Star anise: The signature spice. Four pods give that unmistakable Chinese braise aroma.
- Shaoxing wine: The depth. This Chinese cooking wine adds savory complexity, dry white wine works in a pinch.
- Sugar: The sweet balance. It rounds out the salty soy and helps the ribs caramelize on the grill.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One pot of braised ribs, a few fun directions.
- Brush the grilled ribs with hoisin or char siu sauce for a sticky glazed finish.
- Add a cinnamon stick and a few cloves to the braise for five spice depth.
- Skip the grill and crisp the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes instead.
- For heat lovers, a spoonful of my homemade chili oil over the finished ribs is incredible.
- Save a cup of the strained braising liquid and reduce it with honey into a dipping sauce.
How to Make Chinese Ribs
- Slice the rack of ribs into individual pieces, this is easiest when they are slightly frozen in the middle. Place the ribs in a large stock pot.
- Wash and slice the ginger, bruise the scallions with the back of a knife, and peel and smash the garlic. Add the aromatics and all remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for an hour and a half to two hours, checking for tenderness at the 90 minute mark.
- Carefully remove the ribs and discard the liquid and vegetables. Serve them as is, or get a grill very hot, oil the grate, and grill the ribs for just a couple of minutes to get char marks. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cut the ribs while slightly frozen. Thirty minutes in the freezer firms the rack so your knife glides cleanly between the bones.
- Keep it at a gentle simmer. A hard boil makes the meat tough and stringy. Look for lazy bubbles, not a rolling churn.
- Check tenderness at 90 minutes. The meat should pull from the bone with gentle pressure but not fall off completely, especially if you plan to grill.
- Bruise, do not chop, the scallions. Whacking them with the back of a knife releases flavor while keeping them easy to strain out later.
- Oil the grill grate well. The sugar in the braise makes these ribs eager to stick, so a hot, well oiled grate is essential for clean char marks.
- Grill fast and hot. The ribs are already cooked through, so a couple of minutes per side is all they need for color and smoke.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve them over my fluffy coconut rice to soak up the flavor.
My chicken fried rice turns them into a full takeout night.
Add my chow mein for the complete restaurant spread.
And my grilled lemongrass chicken rounds out a backyard Asian barbecue.
Chinese Ribs FAQs
Restaurant style Chinese ribs are usually pork ribs cooked in a seasoned soy based liquid or marinade. This version simmers baby back ribs in soy sauce, sugar, shaoxing wine, fresh ginger, scallions, garlic, and star anise, the same flavor family as a classic master stock braise. The result is deeply seasoned, fall apart tender meat with that unmistakable takeout aroma.
Yes. Spare ribs are meatier and fattier, so give them an extra 30 minutes or so in the simmer and check for tenderness the same way, the meat should pull easily from the bone. Riblets and rib tips also work beautifully with this method and are closer to what many takeout spots serve.
Dry sherry is the closest match, and a dry white wine works too, the recipe was tested with it. Mirin adds a sweeter note, so cut the sugar slightly if you use it. For an alcohol free version, use chicken broth with a splash of rice vinegar. Each keeps that savory depth the braise needs.
No, the ribs are fully cooked and delicious straight out of the braise. The grill step is purely for char, caramelization, and a little smoke, which takes them from tender braised ribs to restaurant style presentation. A broiler or a screaming hot cast iron pan gives a similar finish in a couple of minutes.
Refrigerate the cooled ribs in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat them covered in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or wrap them in foil on the grill. A quick splash of water or broth in the packet keeps the meat moist. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.
After two hours with the pork, the liquid has given up most of its aromatics and picked up a good deal of rendered fat, and this simple version treats it as a cooking medium rather than a sauce. That said, you can strain and reduce a cup of it with a spoonful of honey into a glossy dipping sauce if you hate to see it go.
Made these Chinese ribs? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if you gave them the grill finish!
Chinese Ribs (Takeout Style Sweet Ginger Soy)
Ingredients
- 1 package baby back ribs
- 2 Cups soy sauce
- 2 Cups lite soy sauce
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 4 each star anise
- 2 Cups sugar
- 2 Cups shaoxing wine or dry white wine
- 1 Cup sliced ginger
- 2 Cups water
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
Instructions
- Slice all of your ribs into individual pieces, this is easiest to do if they are slightly frozen in the middle. Place ribs in large stock pot.
- Wash and slice the ginger, wash and bruise the scallions by taking the back of a knife and whacking the scallions all over. Finally, take the garlic cloves, peel them and smash them with the knife.
- To the stock pot, add the ginger, scallions, garlic and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. They will cook for a hour and a half to two hours. Check for tenderness at a hour and a half.
- Take the ribs out carefully and set aside. Discard the liquid and vegetables.
- If you don’t want to grill them, then serve the ribs as is right away. If you would like to grill them, prep your grill while the ribs are finishing to cook in the liquid. Get the grill very hot and oil the grate. Place the ribs on the grill just for a couple minutes to get grill marks. Take off the grill, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Yes, 2 cups of each, I know it seems like a lot! LOL, let me know how they come out!
Just checking about the amount of soy sauce on your ingredient list. 2 cups soy sauce & 2 cups lite soy sauce? I’m making my grocery list as-we-speak, and looking forward to featuring your ribs for our St. Paddy’s Day dinner! 🙂 Thanks for your help.
P.S. I really like the oven variation. Thanks again!
These look amazing. I am drooling! Thanks so much for sharing it at Sewlicious Home Decor. Pinned 🙂
These ribs sound amazing, love the flavor of star anise too. Thanks for sharing them on foodie friday.
Can’t wait to try these, because I know my family will love them!
Definitely! Set the oven to broil on the highest temperature and let it heat up all the way. Then, place the ribs on a sheet tray on the rack right under the broiler. This will only take a minute or two so keep an eye on them. When they get slightly browned on top, take the tray out, flip the ribs over with a tongs or spatula and broil on the other side until slightly browned again. Try not to keep them in the oven for more than a couple minutes on each side, or else you risk drying out the ribs. That’s it! If you aren’t comfortable doing that, you can even skip that step, they are amazing just right out of the stove pot. I hope this helps, let me know how everyone likes them!
Do you think I can bake the ribs instead of grilling at the end? If so, how high do you think I should set the temperature? Thanks! I am planning on making these tomorrow for a dinner party!
I just put ribs on my grocery list for this week since they are on sale at the store. Now I know what I’ll make with them!
My mouth is totally watering. This is my kind of food 🙂
I’ve never made ribs before but I enjoy them when someone else makes them for me 🙂 The ginger in this recipe really caught my eye! I think I will have to give it a try!
Thanks