Oven Baked Pork Ribs With A Homemade Balsamic Sauce

Oven baked pork spare ribs that are covered in the most delicious balsamic sauce - that braai tasting mouthwatering garlic ribs! The photos are not my best work 🙂 but the ribs? Oh the ribs are so good!

MORE ON THESE PORK SPARE RIBS

This balsamic sauce is finger licking good and the tender fall of the bone oven baked ribs is a meat lovers dream!

I always left the ribs to my husband to cook because to be honest they were not my favorite messy fingers dish - I know that's crazy when it's this good, right?! Anyway, it started years ago when we used to eat out he always ordered ribs and I really couldn't understand why someone would go out and order such a messy dish! It wasn't long after that we were buying spare ribs at home and onto the braai they went (barbecue) and always with my own homemade sauce - that problem solved.

However, I never seemed to get the tenderness right whenever I baked them until I learnt a few things that worked like a charm and turned our spare rib occasions into a delightful oven baked spare rib mess!

5 IMPORTANT TIPS TO REMEMBER

1. Low and slow. Repeat, low and slow.
2. A generous amount of dry rub
3. Use your clean fingers to gently rub it over the meat (I always make a paste with the olive oil - see the recipe below)
4. Make enough balsamic glaze because you can always keep it in a glass jar, sealed. It lasts for months!
5. Have enough foil and make sure the pan is thickly layered because this sauce will stick to and burn the pan, trust me.

WAYS TO SERVE THIS SAUCE

Be open minded about the sauce because slathering it on the meat is just the beginning 🙂 There's a few ways that I will hope you can forgive me some of them but it's just so good;

• It is amazing on pulled pork - also pork chops, grilled or stove top chicken fillets, spare ribs, eggs and baked beans and the rest is your imagination.

SIMMER BEFORE OVEN BAKE - OR - STRAIGHT INTO THE OVEN?

It's a personal to choice to simmer, boil or par boil ribs before baking them in the oven. Both ways work and the ribs end up tasty either way but I prefer just getting them in the oven without the simmer or the boil. I remember my mother used to always simmer the ribs for a little bit and then bake them and my husband still does the same thing and but like I said it's preference. The reason they like simmering first (don't ever boil them they will end up tough!) is because it cuts the oven cooking time down. It also makes the meat more tender they say because I went about on a little spare rib interrogation:)

REMOVING THE MEMBRANE

The thin layer of skin that covers the rack of bones otherwise it remains tough when cooked and you want tender spare ribs. Fortunately the butcher had removed it for us from these spare ribs so you might be able to have your butcher do the same.

Use a knife to gently slide under the membrane and then pull away from the bone and it should peel off easily. If it doesn't then just hold it with a kitchen towel, it will stop your fingers from slipping.

You can use the barbecue sauce below, it's truly the simplest thing.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato - Regular canned tomatoes, not chopped or whole or anything, just a can of tomato puree.

Brown sugar - I just prefer honey and love the caramelized tones and the sweetness of the sugar but you are more than welcome to use honey too. Regular brown sugar.

Sriracha sauce - a little bit of heat

Worcestershire sauce - a bit tangy, savory, sweet, and salty in one tablespoon - flavor flavor

Paprika dry rub - this spice has everything in that you will need in one power-house jar!

Balsamic glaze - very big difference between balsamic vinegar and balsamic glaze depending on what you're using it for. This sauce must go on the heat for a couple minutes so balsamic vinegar might be a challenge. It will definitely take longer and it might not be such a good idea having balsamic on heat for an extended time frame and that's besides the fumes it will let off? Just check if you are planning to use the pure balsamic vinegar.

Balsamic Glaze - works beautifully!  Listen, I think I have made myself clear on this blog about my love for balsamic glaze. At one time it was a bit crazy, we were spreading it on everything! The stuff is beautiful, bold taste and since I've been making it homemade I have never looked back! One ingredient Balsamic Glaze - do yourself a favor and make it, it lasts for ages in a sealed jar in the fridge!

Salt and Pepper - coarse black pepper and salt worked like a charm and balances all that flavor.

Water - taste as you go. If you find it too thick add just about a tablespoon at a time of water.

MY BALSMIC GLAZE SAUCE

The easiest sauce to make ever! I have an extremely easy 1 ingredient balsamic recipe if you want to make your own. I had 2 bottles in the fridge (heads up, it last forever!) and I always make my own only because t's ridiculously easy (1 ingredient) and store bought balsamic glaze can cost a pretty penny.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, add the balsamic glaze and you have yourself a homemade balsamic meat sauce! Too easy for words.

HOW TO COOK PORK SPARE RIBS IN THE OVEN

• Remove the membrane
• Season both sides with the rub and olive oil.
• Add some liquid.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake on a low temp - 1-2 hours
• Slather the baked ribs with the meat sauce and then grill for just a few minutes.

Let's quickly go over the steps;

Step One

1. Use the spice and olive oil mix to season the ribs, both sides generously
2. Add the garlic to the pan, no peeling necessary but pressing with the back of a knife or spoon to release flavor and aroma - yes
3. Pour in the liquid - just on the side is fine not over the meat
4. Cover with foil and bake - middle rack
5. Make the sauce - start with the sugar
6. Add the rest of the ingredients
7. Slather the ribs
8. Serve.

Or, see the full recipe below.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

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Super Simple Oven Baked Fall-Off-The-Bone Balsamic Glaze Spare Ribs

Miranda | My Anosmic Kitchen

Slow cooked on low heat, you know it's gonna be good! Once these pork spare ribs are cooked all that's left is to smother them in this balsamic sauce and return them to the oven to grill for a few minutes.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Pork Ribs

• ▢ 1 to 1.5 kg pork spare ribs just one rack
• ▢ 2 tbsps paprika dry rub
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup white wine vinegar

BALSAMIC SAUCE

• ▢ 400 grams tomato plain tomato, puree it's a regular can size
• ▢ ½ to ¾ cup brown sugar normal brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsps sciracha sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsps paprika dry rub
• ▢ ¼ cup balsamic glaze
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt & coarse pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup water

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Instructions 

• Heat the oven to 130/140 degrees C.
• Make sure to remove the membrane that covers the rack if your butcher has not done this for you already. Or see my notes below.
• In a small bowl add the paprika dry rub, salt and olive oil - make a paste and using your clean fingers gently rub the paste all over the ribs making sure everything is covered especially the more meatier side.
• Place the seasoned ribs into an oven tray - bone side down (meat side up).
• Pour in the white wine vinegar making sure to pour into the sides of the dish not over the meat.
• Cover with a sheet of foil and place in the middle rack of the oven.
• Bake on 130/140 C until cooked, approximately and hour for this weight of meat. It won't look golden brown when you first take them out but that's fine don't worry, continue with the recipe.

BALSAMIC SAUCE

• While the ribs are baking add all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan except the balsamic glaze. Bring it to a heat, once boiling reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer - uncovered. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until it thickens. 5 minutes before finishing, add the balsamic glaze and continue for the last 5 minutes. If it's not thick enough give it more time, don't worry if it's slow it will thicken.

Remove the ribs from the oven

• When the ribs are cooked about an hour and (this is when they don't look golden brown) - take them out.Turn up the heat to 190 CRemove the foil (don't throw it out)Drizzle of olive oil on the ribsReturn them them to bake for about 10 minutes - now we want them to go golden brown.
• Remove the ribs from the oven after 10 minutes and this time place them on the foil and then lift the foil with the ribs in and return it to the oven tray. TIP: Make sure the pan is completely lined with foil and even add more paper (if necessary) so that the sauce doesn't seep through because this balsamic sauce will stick to the pan!
• Pour the sauce (not all!) over the ribs and use a cooking/pastry brush to slather them covering everything. Slather top and bottom. Put them back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Take them out, turn them over repeat with the sauce, put them back another 5 minutes or so.
• You can use up all the sauce or use the remaining sauce to pour over when serving. Cut the spare ribs along the bone for serving.

Notes

REMOVING THE MEMBRANE

The thin layer of skin that covers the rack of bones is the membrane. Personally I find that the meat remains tough when cooked if it's not removed.

It might also be already done by your butcher!

HOW TO REMOVE THE MEMBRANE?

Use a knife to gently slide under the membrane and then pull away from the bone and it should peel off easily. If it doesn’t then just hold it with a kitchen towel, it will stop your fingers from slipping. 

 

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