Recipe/ Southern African Food

“Lick Your Lips Like Crazy” Rooibos Spareribs

Rooibos syrup spareribs
Rooibos syrup spareribs

Rooibos syrup spareribs

I cannot remember where or how I discovered this recipe, all I know is that I first made this when I lived in Melbourne. I vaguely remembered the ingredients and searched on google till I found it here.

All ingredients for rooibos ribs

All ingredients for rooibos ribs

1.8 to 2kg spareribs
1 rosemary sprig
1/4 cup honey (My Afro-cosmo twist is to use rooibos syrup instead)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I had white, oh well!)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pre-boiling spareribs

Pre-boiling spareribs

Cover  spareribs and rosemary sprig in water and heat to the boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour or so, pork ribs are tender anyway. (Now, I get asked the question, why boil the ribs? I think it is because the sauce is sweet, if the ribs are grilled for too long, sauce may burn. Not too sure, but I tried it this way and the ribs were magnificent. Does anyone want to try it without pre-boiling?)

Spicy rooibos syrup sauce

Spicy rooibos syrup sauce

Meanwhile, heat rooibos syrup, ketchup, vinegar, orange juice, garlic, Tabasco sauce and salt to boiling in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened. (I honestly leave it to thicken a little longer so it is well and truly sticky!)

Spicy honey sauce

Spicy honey sauce

I made this a few weeks ago with the honey recipe, see the difference in colour? The rooibos sauce is so rich!

Glossy rooibos spareribs

Glossy rooibos spareribs

Preheat grill to medium (I preheat to BURN!) or preheat oven to 230 degrees C (I converted from 450 Fahrenheit). Place ribs on rack on grill or pan. Brush ribs with rooibos syrup sauce. Cook 20 minutes or until heated through, brushing occasionally with rooibos syrup mixture and turning once.

Prepping the veggies

Prepping the veggies

We had the ribs with mashed potatoes that my bloke proudly made, and simple veg selection of green beans and sweetcorn.

Sparerib meal complete with veggies

Spare rib meal complete with veggies

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14 Comments

  • Reply
    Billy Palm
    January 27, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Awesome….you know I love to cook, so I’ll definitely try it out!

    • Reply
      MyBurntOrange
      January 27, 2012 at 9:28 pm

      Hey cuz! I think it is a southern recipe (american), and you will not regret trying this! You will get addicted, it is so simple!

      • Reply
        Dana Andrews
        April 26, 2021 at 2:17 am

        I add a little vinegar to my water as well. I’m not sure why, but it has always been done this way in my family. It adds a little extra tang to the pork. Yummy delicious!!

        • Reply
          myburntorange
          May 15, 2021 at 4:10 pm

          Hi again Dana

          The recipe I did from memory from a Southern recipe, I made a few adaptations. I can’t find the recipe anymore but the ribs are pretty good. I think the vinegar must help tenderize meat as well, but the tang is a yummy must.

  • Reply
    trixfred30
    January 27, 2012 at 11:29 pm

    Now that looks fantastic!

  • Reply
    Jo
    January 28, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    hmm, you really make my mouth water! I’m always looking for inspiration from your blog. Continue with the good work.

    • Reply
      MyBurntOrange
      February 1, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      Thanks so much Jo Jo!!!!!!!!! Enjoying it, but questioning my sanity as to where I get the time.

  • Reply
    trixfred30
    January 30, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    I tried this the other day (inspired by this post!) – boiling up the ribs before hand really works!

    • Reply
      MyBurntOrange
      January 30, 2012 at 9:55 pm

      Yay! Please put up photos on your blog if you have some.

  • Reply
    Breakfast anyone? « My Burnt Orange
    February 1, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    […] Comments « “Lick your lips like crazy” rooibos spareribs […]

  • Reply
    Deittra
    March 29, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    O-M-G these looks SO good. I WANT THEM RIGHT NOW! I grew up in South Carolina. During the winter months, and when time was a comodity I saw more boiling of ribs. Especially, if you weren’t cooking them outside on an actual bbq grill, but in your oven. Not only does it tenderize them, but it cuts down on the actual roasting time…, and yes, as a result less scorching of that great sweet sauce! The way that they pull away from the bone, I KNOW they were tender. YUM! I’m officially hungry (again! lol.) I see the steeping of some rooibos in my immediate future. What a fantastic idea!

    • Reply
      MyBurntOrange
      March 29, 2013 at 11:24 pm

      Thank you Deittra! Rooibos has such a mild honey bush taste but the flavour certainly comes through in the syrup. Thanks for the insight on pre boiling the ribs. They so fall apart, so lusciously soft.

  • Reply
    Esi
    February 19, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    This looks amazing and will definitely be the next recipe that I try!

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