Sweet and sour ribs are often sweetened with maple syrup.
Sweet and sour ribs are small cooked pork ribs with a sticky sweet and sour coating. Popularly eaten in North America and Asian countries like China and Vietnam, these tasty bits are usually enjoyed as a side dish to a buffet-style meal, as an appetizer, or as an appetizer. There are seasoning variations in the recipes, but the cooking method tends to be the same.
Sweet and sour ribs can be found in some buffet-style meals.
This dish can be bought at the supermarket or at the butcher shop. Sweet and sour ribs are about an inch wide and come in strips taken from the side rib closest to the back. This cut is also called center cut pork ribs. These long strips are then cut before cooking into individual bite-sized baby back ribs, each with a single bone.
The key to cooking sweet and sour ribs is to marinate them for several hours first, as this helps make them more tender and intensifies the final flavors. Cooks then place the ribs in a covered dish, in the oven or slow cooker, along with the marinade, and let them simmer for an hour. This will make the meat tender. If no marinade is used, water needs to be added to the dish to keep the ribs moist. Seasonings like bay leaf, ginger, and chives add flavor to the water and season the ribs.
After the ribs have cooked for at least an hour, they are uncovered. Ribs that are cooked in a marinade do not need any other ingredients. If they weren’t, cooks would add the sweet and sour sauce at this point. The ribs are then cooked uncovered for an additional hour until the topping caramelizes and becomes gooey, coating the ribs. This process is also usually done in a wok; however, it is important to ensure that the ribs remain moist during cooking, as more moisture will escape into the air.
The ingredients that give sweet and sour ribs their distinctive flavor can vary. The sweet element tends to come from ingredients like sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Sweet fruits like pineapples and oranges work, but need to be used in conjunction with at least one of the sweeteners listed above to get the right gooey texture. The tartness in sweet and sour ribs comes from tamarind or vinegar and cider, rice or balsamic vinegar.
Additional seasonings often include garlic, ginger, and pepper. The onion and soy sauce also help give this dish its signature flavor. Once cooked, the ribs are often garnished with sesame seeds and served.