John Torode's ribs and wings

Wednesday 9 May at 4:46pm

If your gang like to roll their sleeves up and dive in for a finger-lickin’ family feast, you’re in luck! John Torode’s in the garden cooking some mouth-watering chicken and ribs, perfect for BBQ weather and coming in at just over £2 a head!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 kg of pork belly spare ribs, a good 2.5cm thick200ml oyster sauce200ml soy sauce200g soft brown sugar200ml sherry or Chinese Shaoxing rice wine100g hunk of ginger2 cloves of garlic4 star anise (optional)1 stick cinnamonApproximately 2 litres of water12 chicken wings

Method:

Place everything except the chicken wings into a large pan, cover with cold water and give everything a good stir – the meat should be free and able to move about – if it’s packed too tightly you need to use a bigger pan. Put the pan on the hob and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer the heat until the liquid is simmering, give it another stir and cook gently for 1 hour.
Put the chicken wings in a heatproof bowl. Take the ribs off the heat and ladle a good amount of the hot liquid over the chicken wings. Leave both the wings and ribs to settle for a good 30 minutes.
Light the BBQ or preheat the oven to 220C / gas 7. Pour off half the chicken cooking liquid and bubble it in a separate pan until it’s thick and sticky.
By now the BBQ should be embers or your oven should be hot. Take the ribs and chicken out of the marinade.
If you’re cooking them in the oven, place them on a tray, cook them for 5 minutes, then brush them with the thick sauce you’ve made and give them a stir. Cook them for another 10 minutes - they should go all crispy and dark
If you’re using the BBQ, put the ribs and wings on the grill and brush them with the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, turn them, brush them with more sauce and cook for another 5 minutes – then repeat this process another two times so they have cooked for a total of about 20 minutes.
Put the ribs and wings in a big bowl. Have plenty of finger bowls and maybe some napkins and let everybody dig in!

Asian Slaw

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small green cabbage2 largish carrots3 long red chillies, diced2 tsp of roasted sesame seeds1 tablespoon of crème fraîche12 cherry tomatoes, splitSalt and pepperJuice of 1 lemonHandful each of mint, coriander and basil20g pea shoots (keep these separate for the top)

Method:

Shred all the vegetables super finely. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze over the lemon and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Stir in the crème fraiche and add the rest of the bits and pieces.