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Sticky pork spare ribs

The secret the rib joints don't tell you: great ribs are cooked twice. Slow and gentle first until tender, then lacquered over the coals until sticky and burnished.

Medium coals · 8-second hand test Serves 4 2 hours (mostly hands-off)

The secret the rib joints don't tell you: great ribs are cooked twice. Slow and gentle first until tender, then lacquered over the coals until sticky and burnished.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg pork spare ribs
  • 125 ml tomato sauce
  • 60 ml soy sauce
  • 60 ml honey or smooth apricot jam
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Black pepper

Method

  1. First cook: wrap the ribs in foil with a splash of water and cook in a 160 °C oven (or kettle braai, indirect) for about 1½ hours, until tender but not falling apart.
  2. Whisk everything else together into a basting sauce.
  3. Finish over medium coals: 10–15 minutes, basting and turning every few minutes, building up sticky layers until glossy and charred at the edges.
  4. Cut between the bones and serve with a stack of serviettes you will run out of anyway.
Engineer's view

Read left to right: ingredients merge into steps, steps merge into supper.

IngredientProcess →
Pork spare ribs 1.5 kgWrap in foil + a splash of water160 °C oven or kettle (indirect) · ±1½ h → tenderFinish over medium coals · 10–15 min · baste & turn → sticky lacquer, charred edges
Tomato sauce 125 mlWhisk together → basting sauce→
Soy sauce 60 ml
Honey or apricot jam 60 ml
Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp
Garlic 2 cloves
Smoked paprika & pepper 1 tsp
Which fire? Hold your palm at grid height and count: 4 seconds is hot, 6–8 medium, 10+ gentle. The full fire-craft lives in the Fire & Wood guide.

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