Sweet and sticky pork ribs with apple wedges
- Published: 8 Aug 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
The sugars in the apple juice make these pork ribs even more sticky and moreish – yes, they’re messy to eat but you’ll be hearing no complaints once your guests have tasted them.
This recipe is taken from James Rich’s cookbook Apple: Recipes from the Orchard and
Ingredients
- 1 litre cloudy apple juice
- 150 ml apple cider vinegar
- 350 ml water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 kg pork ribs
- 2 sharp, green eating (dessert) apples, such as Granny Smith, cored and cut into wedges
For the sticky sauce
- 100 ml apple syrup or runny honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, grated (shredded)
- 1 onion, chopped
To serve
- Apple and red cabbage slaw or green salad
Method
- Put the apple juice, cider vinegar, water, bay leaves, salt, cinnamon stick, star anise and black peppercorns into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the ribs and reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat a fan oven to 200°C (400°F/gas 8). Take the ribs out of the liquid and place in a large roasting pan. Pour enough of the liquid from the saucepan into the roasting pan to almost cover the ribs to keep them moist.
- Next, make the sticky sauce by adding the apple syrup or honey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion and 500 ml of the apple juice liquid into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the liquid has reduced by about one-third and is thick and very sticky.
- Next, lift the ribs out of their cooking liquid and reserve the liquid (you might need it later). Pour the sticky sauce over the ribs and turn so that are coated in the sauce. Add the apple wedges to the pan and roast with the ribs for 30–40 minutes, turning midway through, until the ribs are dark and almost blackened.
- Check regularly to make sure they do not burn – add a little of the reserved liquid to the pan if necessary. When the ribs are ready, serve with slaw or a green salad.
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