You are either a wet ribs guy or a dry ribs guy. If you've never been on the side of dry ribs, I hope this recipe can change your mind. This is a family recipe from my mom, and it's super easy to make. The salty garlic coating is to die for.
Can't get enough of ribs? Try my Chinese Honey Garlic Ribs next!
๐ฅก About This Recipe
Dry-fried ribs are ribs coated in a dry coating and then deep-fried. The word "dry" here does not mean they taste dry. It means they are seasoned with a dry mixture rather than a sauce or glaze. When done right, dry-fried ribs can be very juicy!
As I get older, I find myself eating more and more dry ribs rather than wet ribs. The sauces for wet ribs tend to have a lot of sugar, which I'm trying to cut back on these days. These ribs are salty, garlicky, and delicious. You won't be able to stop eating them!
โญ My Tips For The Best Ribs
These are my tips that will help you make the absolute best ribs.
- Use Tons of Garlic: My mom's dry-fried ribs were the absolute best. They were so garlicky, and your breath would smell like garlic for the rest of the day. I found out she uses almost half a bulb each time.
- Marinate for at least 45 minutes: I recommend even longer if you have the time. If I'm making this dish for special people, I will let the ribs marinate for at least 12 hours.
- Baking Soda Trick: To make the ribs more tender, you can add a small amount of baking soda to the marinade. The baking soda creates an alkaline environment that chemically tenderizes the meat.
- Use starch instead of flour for the crust: Starch is almost always better for fried foods, in my opinion. The exterior ends up super light and crispy.
๐ง Ingredients
- Pork Ribs: My favorite ribs are spare ribs (side ribs). They come out super juicy because they have tons of fat pockets. But you can use other ribs too. If your ribs are longer, ask your butcher to cut them in half so you can have a higher crispy coating-to-meat ratio.
- Marinade: Garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and baking soda. For the garlic, I'm using five cloves; feel free to double or triple this amount. Pro tip: I hate chopping garlic, so I use a mini food processor to do it.
- Cornstarch: You can also use other starches like tapioca or potato. Tapioca starch is more sticky so I usually mix it with equal parts cornstarch.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl, combine pork ribs, garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and baking soda. Mix thoroughly until all the pork is evenly coated. Place the bowl in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 45 minutes and up to overnight. The longer you marinate the ribs, the more juicy and flavorful they will become.
STEP 2: Add cornstarch to a medium bowl. Remove the ribs from the fridge, and give it a good mix to redistribute the marinade. Gently coat each rib with cornstarch, making sure their are no bald spots.
STEP 3: Add 1 inch of oil to a wok, Dutch oven, or high-walled pot and heat to 350ยฐF over medium-high heat. Deep fry the pork ribs in small batches, about 6-8 pieces at a time, for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate, and serve immediately!
If you want an extra-crispy texture, you can wait 20 minutes and then double-fry them for 1 minute at 400ยฐF, but I find these stay crispy for quite a while afterward, and it's not worth the extra effort.
๐ Recipe
Chinese Dry Fried Garlic Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ pounds pork ribs (either baby back pork ribs cut in half or spare ribs)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ยผ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- โ cup cornstarch (or potato or tapioca starch)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork ribs, garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and baking soda. Mix thoroughly until all the pork is evenly coated. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 45 minutes and up to overnight.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil over medium-high heat to 350ยฐF.
- While waiting for the oil to heat up, put cornstarch in a bowl. Remove the ribs from the fridge, and give it a good mix to redistribute the marinade. Coat each pork rib piece with cornstarch.
- Deep fry the pork ribs in small batches, about 6-8 pieces at a time, for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate, and serve immediately!
Ann
I made this tonight and my ribs turned out very tender and delicious. I followed the recipe as written; however, I might double the marinade next time because they weren't as flavorful as I would have liked, even though I marinated them overnight. Nonetheless, it was a great start and a new addition to my rib game. Thanks for the great recipe!