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.
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
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?)
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!)
I made this a few weeks ago with the honey recipe, see the difference in colour? The rooibos sauce is so rich!
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.
We had the ribs with mashed potatoes that my bloke proudly made, and simple veg selection of green beans and sweetcorn.
14 Comments
Billy Palm
January 27, 2012 at 9:18 pmAwesome….you know I love to cook, so I’ll definitely try it out!
MyBurntOrange
January 27, 2012 at 9:28 pmHey cuz! I think it is a southern recipe (american), and you will not regret trying this! You will get addicted, it is so simple!
Dana Andrews
April 26, 2021 at 2:17 amI 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!!
myburntorange
May 15, 2021 at 4:10 pmHi 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.
trixfred30
January 27, 2012 at 11:29 pmNow that looks fantastic!
MyBurntOrange
January 27, 2012 at 11:52 pmWhy thank you kind sir!
Jo
January 28, 2012 at 2:00 pmhmm, you really make my mouth water! I’m always looking for inspiration from your blog. Continue with the good work.
MyBurntOrange
February 1, 2012 at 9:22 pmThanks so much Jo Jo!!!!!!!!! Enjoying it, but questioning my sanity as to where I get the time.
trixfred30
January 30, 2012 at 9:35 pmI tried this the other day (inspired by this post!) – boiling up the ribs before hand really works!
MyBurntOrange
January 30, 2012 at 9:55 pmYay! Please put up photos on your blog if you have some.
Breakfast anyone? « My Burnt Orange
February 1, 2012 at 10:43 pm[…] Comments « “Lick your lips like crazy” rooibos spareribs […]
Deittra
March 29, 2013 at 11:02 pmO-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!
MyBurntOrange
March 29, 2013 at 11:24 pmThank 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.
Esi
February 19, 2014 at 8:35 pmThis looks amazing and will definitely be the next recipe that I try!