Chef notes
If you make a trip to your favorite Chinese chain restaurant just to be able to get an order or two of their spare ribs, you’ll love this easy slow cooker version. The 5-ingredient recipe (two of which are water and salt) takes just a few minutes to assemble in the slow cooker, then cooks for hours while you go about other things. It's a super simple main dish that goes perfectly with your favorite game day sides and appetizers, or just with an easy salad for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
The secret ingredient for these copycat short ribs is five spice powder. If you’re unfamiliar with the spice blend, here’s what it’s all about. Five spice powder is a spice blend of five ground spices — star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds — that is commonly used in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. The specific combination of spices allows the blend to incorporate all five tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. It’s frequently used as a rub or in marinades for meat and poultry but its warm spiced flavor has many other uses, too. Try tossing five spice powder with hearty vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower before roasting or use it in baked goods like sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls or fall fruit pies.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make and enjoy these ribs. Simply utilize your oven, instead. Bake the ribs in a 300 F oven on a wire cooling rack set inside a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, then cover the ribs with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 2 hours more until the rib meat is very tender and wiggles off the bone.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Chinese five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
- 4 pounds spare ribs or baby back ribs
- 1/2 cup water
Preparation
1.In a small bowl, combine the five spice powder, sugar and salt together.
2.Cut the rack of ribs into 2 to 3 sections so they'll comfortably fit into your slow cooker. Generously rub the ribs on all sides with the spice blend.
3.Pour the water into the slow cooker, then add the ribs. Cook on low for 6 hours.
4.Slice the cooked ribs into individual ribs, then place on the baking sheet, meaty side up. Broil until the ribs are sizzling and crispy; timing will vary based on your oven settings, but should be no longer than 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with barbecue sauce, if desired.
Make-Ahead: The ribs can be slow cooked 1 day in advance. Remove from the slow cooker and cool to room temperature on a cutting board, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature, slice into individual ribs and broil as instructed above.
