Sticky Black Treacle Ribs
Tender pork ribs in a black treacle, roibos and baked apple glaze. This one is good enough for date night! 😉🔥
Jump to recipe
Aprons optional, enthusiasm encouraged
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional). Put the apple halves cut-side up on a baking tray and roast for 25–30 minutes, until completely soft with caramelised edges. Blend until smooth and measure out 40g.
- Put the ribs in a large saucepan with the water, salt, rooibos tea bags, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, fennel, ginger, asafoetida and 2 tbsp black treacle. Bring gently to the boil. Steep the rooibos for 5 minutes, then remove the tea bags.
- Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 1½–2 hours, until the ribs are tender but still holding together. Carefully lift them out and strain the cooking liquid.
- Reserve around 1 litre of the strained liquid for another recipe (it makes AMAZING stock and soups), then return 450ml to the pan. Add the 40g roasted apple purée, brown sugar, remaining 2 tbsp black treacle, white miso and optional dark soy sauce.
- Simmer gently for 30–40 minutes. Keep going beyond “coats a spoon”: you want the consistency of warm golden syrup, with the bottom of the pan briefly visible when you drag a spoon through. Remove from the heat and whisk in the garlic-infused olive oil and black pepper to taste.
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Put the ribs on a wire rack over a lined tray. Brush on a thin coat of glaze and roast for 8 minutes. Brush again and roast for 8 minutes; repeat for 6 minutes, then 5 minutes.
- Brush on one final thin coat. Finish under a medium grill for 60–90 seconds, watching constantly, until the glaze is beautifully dark, shiny and almost black without burning.
- Rest for 5 minutes, then scatter with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onion greens.
A little kitchen cleverness
Why this recipe works
The rooibos, warm spices and black treacle build a deep, savoury-sweet flavour without relying on onion or whole garlic.
Roasted apple gives the glaze body and gentle fruitiness, while repeated thin coats create that sticky, almost-black lacquer without scorching it.
Slow braising makes the ribs properly tender; the hot oven finish gives them the glossy, finger-licking drama that “reflux-friendly” dinners are apparently not supposed to have.
Your body gets the casting vote
Make it work for you
Dark soy sauce is optional, so leave it out if soy sauce is not a good fit for you; it mainly deepens the colour. Garlic-infused oil gives garlic flavour without whole garlic, but individual tolerance still varies.
If spring onion greens or sesame do not suit you, simply skip the garnish. Rich, sticky ribs can be a lot in a very large serving, so start with a portion that feels comfortable for you and serve with rice or vegetables you already know you tolerate.
For now, later, or tomorrow’s smug lunch
Serving, storage and reheating
Serve after the 5-minute rest with steamed jasmine rice or your favourite tolerated vegetables.
Cool leftovers promptly, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat only once, until piping hot throughout. For the best texture, warm the ribs covered in a 180°C fan oven, then uncover briefly to refresh the glaze; the lacquer will soften a little in storage.
The unused strained braising liquid can be cooled promptly and frozen in 250ml portions for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and bring it to a thorough boil before using in soups, rice, gravy or another braise.
