Chinese-Style Smoked Ribs

[UWFSAE]

I haven't made this in the Smokin-It yet but I used to run these on a stick burner with great success.  Char siu style ribs are those wonderful frighteningly red pieces of pork you find in Chinese restaurants throughout the nation.  This is a prep that relies on marinating rather than rubs but I think it's a great change of pace for most of us.  For this preparation I'd recommend a rack of babybacks.

CHINESE-STYLE RIBS
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup Chinese rice wine
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use Kimlan Ponlai Soy Sauce)
3 Tbsp Sriracha
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp powdered ginger
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tsp red food coloring
1 Tsp Chinese Five Spice
1/2 Tsp corn starch

Mix all the marinade ingredients until it reaches a smooth, even consistency.  While this sounds counter-intuitive, butcher a rack of baby backs into one-rib or two-rib segments ... this will help the marinade penetrate, decrease cooking time and increase smoke flavoring.  Let the ribs marinate for 4-6 hours.

Place in smoker with 3 oz. of cherry wood at 250 degrees.  At the two hour mark, glaze each rib segment with honey, and again one hour later; continue to smoke for 60-90 minutes, or until you see pull back on the bones.

Remove them from the smoker, garnish with minced green onion or chopped cilantro and you've got a great little appetizer.

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[afratki]

We always get those ribs when we carry out, love them. I never thought of cooking them in the smoker.

[UWFSAE]

These tend to be a bit spicier than most take-out ribs but you can always cut back on the Sriracha or add another round of honey glaze as they come out of the smoker for resting (a quick trip to the broiler will caramelize it and help it to set).

Honestly, I like them better than the ones from the Chinese delivery place I use and I get to do something a bit different during football season for guests ...