Last Updated on September 7, 2017 by Leyla Kazim
Why we love to eat sticky ribs
Sticky ribs is a meal that pokes its tongue out to etiquette and utensils – they are not welcome here.
There’s something liberating about pulling meat off bone with your teeth. Throw into the scene a spread-eagled woolly mammoth rug and a couple of tusks, and I could well be making dinner for a pair of grunting Neanderthals.
You’ll find the sauce from sticky ribs systematically migrate across your face. Further reaching with every bone you gnaw and suck dry, as you throw back to the days of our ancestral cavemen and get your muzzle in amongst all that juicy meat.
A recipe for Gordon Ramsay ribs with a spiced marinade
Sticky, chewy, sweet and sour, this sticky ribs recipe is impossible to resist. It ticks all the boxes for any animalistic tendencies you fancy exercising, with a little bit of added finesse when it comes to flavour. The glaze is full of vibrant citrusy notes and the sweetness from the honey counteracts the spices very well.
The secret is to get the ribs really well caramelised before adding any of the other ingredients. As they braise in the oven, all that colour turns into the most amazing flavour with a hint of the Orient. This recipe is one from Gordon Ramsay’s book Ultimate Cookery Course.
Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Ribs Recipe
Serves 3-4
- 1 kg pork ribs, separated
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 3-4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes (to taste)
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 whole star anise
- 4 tbsp runny honey
- 150ml soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 300ml Shaoxing rice wine or medium dry sherry
- 5 spring onions, sliced
- 400ml chicken stock
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Preheat the oven to 180C.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper, pushing the seasoning into the meat. Heat a roasting tray on the hob with a little olive oil and brown the ribs for 5-10 minutes until they are coloured on all sides.
Tip If you don’t have a roasting tray that can be used on a hob, you can colour the ribs in a large frying pan instead.
Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and honey and continue to cook over the heat for 2 minutes until the honey begins to caramelise. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and Shaoxing wine and bring to the boil, simmering for 1 minute. Taste and adjust the flavours, adding more vinegar if necessary. Add the spring onions and stock and bring to the boil.
Tip If the above was done in a frying pan, now transfer all of the contents into a roasting dish that’s been heated up in the oven.
Place the roasting dish back in the hot oven and cook for 1 hour until tender, turning the ribs halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the pan from the oven and place back on the hob (or tip the contents back into the large frying pan). Heat the marinade and reduce for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Turn the ribs in the sauce to ensure they’re fully coated. Serve – with napkins.
If you can’t quite manage that amount of protein in one hit, leave any remaining ribs sitting in their sticky marinade for a day or two which will help develop their flavour. When you come to finish them off, give them about 20 minutes in a hot oven to ensure they’re well heated through.
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I was wondering if anyone else found this recipe to be very salty? The meat on the ribs was falling off the bone, but the sauce was extremely salty.
For me also was too salty. 🙁
if you use knorr cube chicken stock or some store bought chicken stock instead of homemade, that will indeed result in super salty ribs coz knorr cube is salty. if you used home made chicken stock (boiled chicken bones in water) then no additional salt there.
Then you’re maybe using a cheap soy sauce. Cheap soy sauce is usually just liquid salt, make sure to get a good one from a Chinese store.
We did use premium soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee) and the sauce is very salty with 150ml of soy. The second time I did it, I did 100ml of soy sauce and 50ml of water (to dilute) and it came out much better. Delicious recipe 🙂 Thanks Leyla!
There isn’t a mention on when to add the chicken stock. Are we to assume we add it when we add the soy and wine??
it says add the spring onion and the stock then bring to a boil.
This was seriously amazing. Got a great group of friends over last night to make this. My mind is still blown.
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Ahh this is so amazing to hear Charles! I actually made this myself again for the other half and I on Valentine’s Day. It’s a cracker isn’t it!
Have you ever tried it with baby back ribs?
Have you ever tried it with baby back ribs?
Have you ever tried it with baby back ribs?
I will apply this formula to my family.I think people will be excited about this.It is an attractive dish for this winter.
Mine turned out abit dry on the insides. No idea why
Looks dark and deadly- would like some on my plate
Thanks for the recipe, I'm gonna try this tomorrow. Is it possible to cook these little longer so that the meat easily separates from the bone and melts in your mouth?