Meaty pork spareribs cut short, fried until the edges caramelise, then glazed in a sticky honey-garlic barbecue sauce. Sweet, savoury and unapologetically messy - the Golden Hill dish people order with napkins ready.
Chinese-Canadian barbecue spareribs are their own thing - not a smokehouse rib and not a dry rub. Ours are cut into short, single-bone pieces so there is crust on every side, cooked hot so the fat renders, then tossed in a glaze of honey, garlic, soy and a little vinegar that clings and tightens as it cools.
They work as an appetizer for the table or as the meat centre of a bigger order alongside Cantonese Chow Mein and Chicken Fried Rice. If you want something crisp and boneless instead, try our Ginger Beef.
The ribs are cooked in two stages: rendered and crisped first, then finished in the wok with the glaze so the sauce reduces onto the meat instead of sitting in the bottom of the box. They hold their texture well on the drive to Taradale, Skyview Ranch or Redstone.
Crust on every side
Cutting single-bone pieces means more caramelised surface and less gnawing.
Sticky, not soupy
The sauce is reduced onto the ribs in the wok so it thickens instead of pooling in the container.
Appetizer or main
One order opens a family dinner; two make the centre of a spread for guests.