Viet style sticky ribs

Every now and again, I get obsessed with making something and this time it was sticky, slow cooked ribs. It coincided nicely with the factor that my butcher was selling Angus ribs for $3/kg. I based the recipe off this one from Not Quite Nigella. I added a few other bits and pieces to the recipe, mostly I've added cinnamon and more star anise so it smells more like pho!

I've made this recipe many, many times over the last few weeks. In total five times at the time of writing. Ribs night is now a big deal at work because news has spread that I do bloody good ribs. Manda and Dani,, both say that they would either marry me or request it as their last meal. I also spam my Instagram with pictures of my ribs in various states of cooking.

I usually can only afford super cheap ribs, they're not the American style ribs you imagine when you get ribs. These are literally chunks of meat, fat and gristle with a bit of bone shoved it, as you imagine its still pretty delicious but its not real rib meat. One day I'll get real ribs, but for now, cheapo $3 ribs are much better than $20/kg ribs.

For marinade times, the minimal is about two hours and the longest time I've ever done it is over two days. Basically the more you want it to be delicious, the more effort you put in. Every hour give the box a shake, or mix the pieces around. Otherwise do the easy marinade option, two hours, flip the box, another two hours, flip again. If you are efficient, flat packed bags are great or I just put my ribs in my largest cake container and shake like a maniac every time I open the fridge. That's the kind of love I have for my food.

Ingredients:
2-3kg of beef ribs,
1 cup of dark soy sauce
1 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of brown sugar
2 large limes/lemons juice, and rinds thrown into the marinade
6 cloves of garlic, skins removed and smashed
7 pieces of star anise
1 large piece of cinnamon bark
2 inches worth of ginger
1 large onion, cut in half
Water to top!
A large 6L slow cooker!

Optional:
As many hot red chilies as you can stand
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of rice wine
Extra 1 cup of sugar for sauce

Sans optional ingredients

1. Make the marinade. Literally mix everything up, dissolve the brown sugar in the sauces, smash up your garlic, cut your onion in half, squeeze your limes/lemons and give it a good mix.

2. Put your ribs on top. Marinade for as long as you can stand.

Yay!

You can top up with water if you want to be lazy

3. Separate your sauce and spices into your slow cooker. Seal off the ribs if you want, or don't. It just adds more colour to it.

So pretty

4. Chuck everything into your slow cooker, the ribs, spices, marinade and put in extra water or the leftover sauce from the last time you made ribs. Just remove the lemon/lime halves. Cook for either four hours on high or eight hours on low.

5. Allow to cool overnight if desired so the fat is easier to scoop off. Separate the meat and the sauce.

6. Boil one cup of the sauce down with a cup of brown sugar to make a sticky glaze you can coat the meat in and serve with whatever you want. Favourites of the girls at work include cheap Woolies/Coles brand pasta/potato salad, a fresh salad, good bread and butter, steamed white rice and potato bakes.