Honey Spare Ribs Recipe

This recipe for Honey Spare Ribs is intended for Chinese style spare ribs that are cut from inside the thick end of the belly of pork, and not to be confused with the thicker spare rib chops that come from the neck end of the animal. Most butchers and larger supermarkets sell Chinese style spare ribs.

Though the cooking time is long, spare ribs 'look after themselves', so you will be able to carry on with other things in the meanwhile.

How to make Honey Spare Ribs:

Cut the spare ribs into single ribs using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Place them into a large roasting tin and sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of the Demerara (turbinado) sugar and the salt. Place them in a preheated hot oven (Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC) and roast for 30 minutes.

Place the remaining 4 tablespoons of Demerara (turbinado) sugar plus the honey, orange juice, wine vinegar, soy (or Worcestershire) sauce, tomato purée and mustard into a pan and heat gently until everything has melted together and is bubbling.

Remove the roasting tin from the oven and pour the sauce over the ribs. Shake the tin well to mix the sauce and the meat juices then return to the oven. After a further 30 minutes, remove the ribs from the oven and turn them over in the sauce. Reduce the oven temperature to Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC and roast for a final 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze over the ribs. Serve hot!