Slow Cooked Chinese Style Ribs

When you think of BBQ food you may often think of charred sausages, undercooked chicken and dried out burgers, but with a little forward planning it doesn't have to be this way. Meat can be pre cooked beforehand in the oven, slow cooker or sous vide and then finished off on the bbq for that bbq taste, without the risk of making your guests ill!

We have a gas bbq which is great for all year round cooking, and as it's the type with lava rock it really does taste as though it's been cooked on a charcoal bbq. Bbq's in our house don't have to be a major event, and I'll quite often cook dinner outside when the weather is nice, which can save on a lot of washing up!

Pork ribs are delicious on a bbq, but they can often be tough if they haven't been pre cooked, or dried out if they've been on the bbq for too long. This recipe for Chinese style ribs produces moist meat that's full of flavour and comes away easily from the bone. I've pre-cooked them in the slow cooker, coated with sauce and then finished off on a hot bbq.

The ribs in the large bbq pack from Great British Meat Co, are perfect for this recipe. 1kg of ribs contains around 10 ribs; enough as an appetiser for a family, or a meal for one or two.

Slow Cooked Chinese Style Ribs

2 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp Hoisin sauce

1cm fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp honey

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (optional)

1kg pork ribs

• Mix together the soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, honey, garlic, balsamic and Chinese 5 spice together
• Coat the ribs in the sauce and add everything to a preheated slow cooker
• Cook on high for 2 hours, or until the meat comes easily away from the bone, but doesn't fall off when touched
• Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and add the liquid to a saucepan
• Bring the sauce to the boil and simmer for approx 10 minutes, until thick enough to coat the ribs - if you like your ribs spicy then add the sweet chilli sauce now
• Coat the ribs with the thickened sauce and cook on a hot bbq for a few minutes each side, ensuring they are heated through thoroughly

I've got quite a lot of bbq recipes & tips on this blog, which can all be found here.

I was provided with a large bbq pack free of charge. The pack is currently on offer at £32.50, and contains enough meat for for 8-10 people.