Braised Country Style Pork Ribs in Hoisin Sauce

Tender country style pork ribs are braised in a savory-sweet hoisin and ginger ale sauce. Most of the cooking time is hands-off, which makes this such a simple meal to make.

If three delectable food choices - let's say chocolate cake, a bowl of ice cream, and anything with soy or hoisin sauce - were set in front of me, I would choose the salty, savory one every day of the week and twice on Sunday. We go through so much soy sauce in our house that Kikkoman is bound to be pounding on our door any day with a "Biggest Fan" sign and a year's worth of the salty elixir. The last time I cooked these meaty (and cheap!) boneless ribs in my Crockpot Braised Country Style Ribs with Tomato & Red Wine Sauce, I managed to resist dousing them in soy sauce. This time, I figured it was time to stop fighting the inevitable. After searing the ribs to a caramel golden brown, they were braised in a mixture of soy sauce, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, and ginger ale. That's right - ginger ale. It's sweet, slightly spicy flavor added a real zing to the braising liquid that tempered the saltiness of the soy sauce. As I came in from outside, the heady aroma seeped through every pore of my body and filled my senses with anticipation. Was it worth the wait?

Was it ever! There was not a morsel of these ribs or sauce left in the pot by the time we were done with dinner. As the sauce soaked into the brown rice that we served it over, there was not a single complaint from my kids about finishing their portion of rice. Even though this dish requires two hours of cooking, it is inactive time. The preparation time is limited and the whole process could not be easier. If you would like, cook the ribs up to two days in advance of eating them. Simply refrigerate the cooked ribs in the sauce. When you're ready to serve, reheat the mixture on the stovetop and then reduce the sauce. Do the cooking on the weekend and have a hearty meal ready for a busy weeknight in a flash.

How to make braised country style pork ribs:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Season 2 pounds country-style, boneless pork ribs with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the pork, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.

Turn the heat to medium and remove all but 1 teaspoon of the oil.

Add 2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup good-quality ginger ale, ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Stir with a whisk until the hoisin sauce dissolves. Add the pork ribs to the pan and turn to coat.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and cook in the oven until the meat is very tender, turning occasionally, about 2 hours.

Lower the oven heat to 200 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the braising liquid, place in an oven-proof dish, and keep warm in the oven.

Skim fat off the surface of the liquid. Set the saucepan with the braising liquid over medium heat and boil until the sauce reduces by half. In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Whisk into the sacue and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

With two forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and stir into the sauce. Serve over rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Other recipes with country-style pork ribs or beef short ribs:

Cookin' Canuck's Crockpot Braised Country Style Pork Ribs in Tomato & Red Wine Sauce
David Lebovitz's Braised Short RIbs
White on Rice Couple's Korean Short Ribs with Ginger-Soy Marinade
Use Real Butter's Braised Beef Short Ribs
Just Braise's Bourbon-Pomegranate Molasses Beef Short RIbs

Braised Country Style Ribs in Ginger Ale & Hoisin Sauce

2 lbs. country-style (boneless) pork ribs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup good-quality ginger ale
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch
2 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Season pork ribs with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the pork, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.

Turn the heat to medium and remove all but 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add ginger ale, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, and soya sauce. Stir with a whisk until the hoisin sauce dissolves. Add the pork ribs to the pan and turn to coat. Cover the pan tightly with foil and cook in the oven until the meat is very tender, turning occasionally, about 2 hours.

Lower the oven heat to 200 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the braising liquid, place in an oven-proof dish, and keep warm in the oven.

Skim fat off the surface of the liquid. Set the saucepan with the braising liquid over medium heat and boil until the sauce reduces by half. In a small bowl, stir together arrowroot or cornstarch and water. Whisk into the sacue and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

With two forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and stir into the sauce. Serve over rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Make-ahead: Once the ribs are cooked, remove the foil and let cool completely. Cover the saucepan and store in the fridge for up to two days. When ready to use, uncover and skim off the fat. Reheat the ribs over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs from the pan, keep warm, and follow the directions above for finishing the sauce.

Serves 4 to 6.

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