This recipe starts with a dry rub that's left to cure overnight, giving the spices time to season the meat before it even reaches the oven. The ribs are then slow-cooked until tender before being basted several times with our VSK Pineapple & Jalapeño Sauce, allowing each layer to caramelise before the next is added.

The result is everything you want from a great rack of ribs: tender enough to pull apart with ease, deeply seasoned throughout, and finished with a sticky glaze that's sweet, smoky and just gently spiced.

If there's one lesson this recipe teaches, it's that great flavour takes time.

Instead of relying on a sauce at the very end, we build flavour at every stage of cooking. First comes the dry rub, which seasons the meat overnight.

Then comes the slow cook, allowing the ribs to become tender while those spices continue to develop.

Finally, rather than brushing on one thick layer of glaze, the ribs are basted several times. Each layer caramelises in the oven before the next is added, creating a glaze that's rich, sticky and full of flavour instead of simply sitting on the surface.

It's a little more effort, but it's the difference between good ribs and unforgettable ones.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3–4

  • 1.5kg pork spare ribs

For the dry rub

  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tbsp paprika

  • 1 tbsp garlic powder

  • 1 tbsp onion powder

  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 tbsp salt

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp ground coriander

For Glazing

  • 1 cup VSK Pineapple & Jalapeño Sauce

METHOD
24 Hours Before

  • Combine all the dry rub ingredients.

  • Pat the ribs dry and coat generously on all sides with the spice mixture.

  • Wrap tightly in foil or cover well and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The Next Day

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  • Place the ribs onto a roasting tray and pour a little water into the base of the tray to create steam while cooking. Keep topping up this water as the ribs cook.

  • Cover tightly with foil.

  • Bake for approximately 2½ hours, or until the ribs are tender and the meat pulls away easily from the bone.

  • Remove the foil.

  • Generously baste the ribs with the VSK Pineapple & Jalapeño Sauce.

  • Return to the oven for 8–10 minutes.

  • Repeat the basting process 3–4 more times, allowing each layer to caramelise before adding the next.

  • Serve immediately.

AT THE TABLE

These ribs are right at home alongside creamy coleslaw, fries, buttery corn, potato salad or smoky baked beans.

For us, they were served with slow-cooked black-eyed beans and a crisp slaw.

A combination that balanced the sweet heat of the glaze beautifully.

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