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1.
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Let ribs come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes.
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Pat dry and season with Chinese 5 spice, salt and pepper.
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Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed, large stock pot, over medium high heat until shimmering then add ribs in a single layer.
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2.
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Sear ribs, on all sides until browned, about 9-10 minutes total (3 minutes per side, dont disturb/move ribs while browning on each side).
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Use tongs to remove ribs and transfer to a slow cooker.
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Add sake to the pan, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
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Cook until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.
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3.
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Pour reduced sake over the ribs.
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Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl then add it into the slow cooker.
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Cover, set slow cooker to high until ribs are fall off the bone tender, about 5-7 hours (or 9-11 hours on low).
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Turn/flip ribs over 2 or 3 times during cooking.
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4.
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Carefully (they will be tender) remove ribs from slow cooker and transfer to a serving platter or clean work surface.
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Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
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Strain the cooking sauce and let fat separate (use a fat separator or wait a minute for fat to rise to top).
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Discard fat.
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Transfer sauce to a small saucepan over medium/low-medium heat.
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Cook for 10-12 minutes or until reduced by half.
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In a small bowl mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
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Whisk slurry into sauce and continue to cook an additional 2 minutes, or until thickened.
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Pour or brush over ribs, reserving some to serve on the side.
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5.
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For the lettuce wraps: Use two forks to remove meat from bone and shred.
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Divide rice, cucumber salad (optional, recipe on related blog post) and meat among lettuce cups.
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Spoon some of the additional sauce over the lettuce wraps and garnish with sesame seeds.
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Notes: 1.
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To cook sushi rice: Place one cup of rice in a fine mesh strainer.
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Rinse with cool water until water runs clear.
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Allow to drain.
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Transfer rinsed rice to a heavy 2 quart saucepan and add 1 1/4 cups of cold water.
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Bring to boil over high heat.
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Immediately reduce heat to low and cover.
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Cook for 20 minutes.
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Leave lid on and remove from heat.
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Allow it to sit, covered for 10 minutes.
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Remove lid and fluff.
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Serve.
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2.
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Ribs can be made a day in advance and placed in a container with a tight fitting lid.
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Strain the sauce, cover and refrigerate.
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The fat will be very easy to remove the next day, simply scoop it off the top and discard.
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Continue making the sauce as directed above.
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To warm the ribs, heat oven to 300 F. Place ribs on a rimmed sheet pan, covered with aluminum foil.
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Bake, turning over once or twice, until warmed throughout, about 10-15 minutes.
