Adam's Sticky Ribs

I've been cooking these pretty much the same way for the last 15 years, at least the concept. One of those classic "Same same but different" things.

The base of the sauce is soy so they have their roots in Asian style ribs however they borrow all the best bits that I like from other styles.
The nice thing about the sauce is that you don't need to be too precious with the quantities and it's very adaptable to flavours.
I've added bourbon or red wine, gone more fruity with apple and pineapple, gone more with a smoky barbecue flavour, it's all good and I recommend that you experiment away, you will not be disappointed. 

It's also almost impossible to dry these ribs out and the longer you cook them, the better they get. You can prep and cook them ahead of time so they only need finishing on the barbeque. On a day when you have lots to do, this can be a real time saver but steal the show big time. 

One word of caution, make sure you have kitchen roll and something to wash hands with. These bad boys take no prisoners when it comes to the mess factor and you will probably find someone not so subtly saying 'You've got a little something, all over your face'. 
Luckily you will most likely be able to return the favour.

Step 1 - Chop your ribs

• Cut your rack up into individual ribs
• Put in a large sealable container that will fit in your fridge
   

Step 2 - Marinading

• Heat a pan and toast the chillies in it for 30 seconds. Keep them moving and don't let them burn otherwise they will become bitter. Remove the stems
• In a blender add all the marinade ingredients and blitz until smooth
• Pour over the ribs, making sure they are covered
• Put in the fridge for as long as possible, overnight is best

Step 3 - Slow cook

• A few hours before you need them set your oven to 140C
• Put the ribs and marinade in a pot on the hob and bring up to a gentle simmer (This can also be done well in a roasting dish covered with foil)
• Put a cartouche to stop the sauce reducing too much
• Cook in the oven for 2-3 hours (You can't overcook them)
• Being very gentle so as not to pull out the bone, remove the ribs from the sauce and put in a dish
• Reduce the sauce for 10 minutes on the hob. For a sweeter stickier sauce, you can add some soft dark brown sugar here (120g)
• Pour the thickened sauce all over the ribs and cover until ready to put over the coals

Step 4 - Finish on the barbecue

• Being very gentle, crisp up the ribs until the sugar starts to bubble and caramelise. Careful not to burn them here!
• This also works well under the grill if you don't have coals to hand

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Adam's Sticky Ribs

• Rack of pork ribs (Or as many as you like! There will be plenty of sauce)
• Dried chillies (Chipoltle and gualjilo used here)
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 tsp ground garlic
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 3 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp dried wild oregano
• 240g soft dark brown sugar
  • 120g for marinade
  • 120g for finishing sauce (Optional)
• 200ml dark soy sauce
• 100ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt