Asian-Style Spare Ribs

I heard that Memorial Day is the official start to barbecue season.  Not sure if that is true for everyone; I barbecue even in the winter! No matter when you barbecue, this is a great alternative to regular barbecue sauce.  It works well with spare ribs and baby backs but would also work with chicken.   

Ingredients - For 2 slabs, double the recipe
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 scallions, white and pale green parts only
3/4 cup of hoisin sauce
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vodka
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
5-10lbs. of spare ribs

In a food processor chop garlic and scallions.  Next, add hoisin, ketchup, honey, soy sauce, vodka, rice vinegar, and five-spice powder and blend together.  

Once the marinade is ready, prepare the ribs.  Turn the ribs over and see if there is a membrane covering the meat and bones.  You want to remove this.  If it is left on it will make the ribs tough and chewy.  

Take a sharp knife, I like to use a boning knife for this, and slice the membrane in the middle along all the ribs.  You can then begin to loosen and peel the membrane off.  I usually start in the middle and pull each side.  Discard this membrane.

Cut each slab into two equal portions and place them in a large plastic bag.  For two slabs you will need two bags.  Pour all but 1/2 cup of the marinade equally into the bags, seal the bags, and move the marinade around so that it is covering all the ribs. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours; overnight is best.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Place a rack on a rimmed baking pan, remove the ribs from the marinade, and place on the rack.  Fill the bottom of the baking pan with water (I used 2 cups).  You want enough water in there to steam the ribs but the ribs should not touch the water.  Cover the entire baking pan with foil and bake 2-1/2 hours.  

After 2-1/2 hours, remove from the oven and finish on the grill basing with the reserved marinade. OR If you don't want to grill them, you can remove the foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes basting with the reserved marinade.