Name: Braised sticky pork ribs recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 kg spare pork ribs; lime wedges, to serve; steamed rice, to serve; 1 tbs brown sugar; 1/2 tbs salt; 2.00 tsp chilli powder; 2.00 tsp paprika; 1 tsp mustard powder; 2.00 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 brown onion; 2 garlic cloves; 100 ml olive oil; 1 cup brown sugar; 250 ml malt vinegar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp English mustard powder; 2 tbs tomato sauce; 2 tbs Dijon mustard; 1 onion finely chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 chilli finely chopped; 1 orange rind, finely grated; 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 limes quartered; 1 1/2 tsp salt

by twochat2 Last updated on 01/06/2025

Knives and forks have no place here. Finger-licking good, these pork ribs are marinated in a herb and spice mix and then generously basted with a tangy chilli sauce while they’re cooked in the oven until fall-apart-tender. So good!

How to make braised sticky pork ribs: key tips

These ribs need to be marinated for at least 3 hours in the gorgeous herb and spice mixture. For an even bigger flavour hit, you can marinate the ribs the day before cooking. Turn the ribs occasionally in the marinade so that every bit of meat has a chance to absorb the amazing seasoning.

If you have a barbecue handy, it is a great way to seal the ribs before baking them, but you could also use a frying pan or chargrill pan, if you like.

Simmering the sauce ingredients gives the onion and orange rind a chance to soften and lets all those delicious sugar and spice flavours meld together. You want this sauce to be nice and thick so that it “sticks” to the ribs when basting. You’ll know it’s cooked enough when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Basting is what makes these ribs sensationally sticky and the more you baste the ribs as they bake, the stickier they will be.

Key ingredients in this braised sticky pork ribs recipe

Pork ribs work so well with this marinade and sauce, but pork belly is also a nice fit and would be better for a more formal meal. You could give beef ribs a go, too.

Chilli adds a delightful heat to these ribs. If you don’t like too much heat, reduce the ground chilli to ½ teaspoon in the marinade and sauce, and remove the seeds from the bird’s-eye chilli in the sauce before finely chopping it. You could also leave out the fresh chilli altogether.

Ribs cooked until they are meltingly tender are welcome at my dinner table any night. Here are some extra tips on how to cook ribs, plus some more of our best rib recipes to try.

This recipe was originally submitted by twochat2, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg spare pork ribs
lime wedges, to serve
steamed rice, to serve

Marinade

1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tbs salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 brown onion
2 garlic cloves
100 ml olive oil

Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
250 ml malt vinegar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp English mustard powder
2 tbs tomato sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1 onion finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 chilli finely chopped
1 orange rind, finely grated
1/4 cup olive oil
2 limes quartered
1 1/2 tsp salt

Method

Step 1

Marinade: Blend all ingredients in a blender.
Step 2

Coat pork ribs with the marinade and then place in fridge for 3 hours.
Step 3

Heat a barbeque plate. Drizzle oil onto ribs, place ribs fat side up on barbeque and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until sealed.
Step 4

Sauce: Place all ingredients in saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened slightly.
Step 5

Transfer ribs to an ovenproof pan. Pour hot sauce over ribs, cover with foil and bake at 180C for 1½ hours or until meat is falling off the bone.
Step 6

Turn 3-4 times during cooking.
Step 7

Squeeze lime juice over ribs and serve with steamed rice.

Equipment

1 blender
1 barbecue

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

How will I know when my pork ribs are cooked?

Use 2 forks to check your ribs – if you can pry the meat apart with little effort and it is almost falling off the bone, it is done. They are hard to overcook, so don’t be afraid to cook the ribs for longer until you are truly satisfied.

What can I serve with these braised sticky pork ribs?

You can serve these sticky ribs on their own with lime wedges to squeeze… and plenty of napkins! However, I like to serve the ribs on rice so that any sticky sauce can be captured on the grains and gobbled up. It also makes this a more filling dish. Add a side, such as a green salad, potato salad or coleslaw, if you desire.