Honey chipotle ribs

These sticky ribs - costillitas con chipotle y miel - are perfect summer fare.

Credit: Pati's Mexican Table

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• ⅔ cup honey
• 4 tbsp sauce from chipotles in adobo sauce
• 3 chipotle chillies from chipotles in adobo sauce, minced, seeded, optional (or more to taste)
• 10 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• tbsp Maggi or soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tsp dried oregano
• 1.3 kg (3 lbs) pork baby back or spare ribs

Allow at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours marinating time.

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, sauce from the chipotles, chipotle chiles, garlic, olive oil, mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi or soy sauce, black pepper and oregano. Mix well.

Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour some sauce on the bottom of the pan, put in the ribs and pour the remaining sauce on top. Cover with foil, sealing the entire top of the pan, and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. If marinating more than 30 minutes, keep the ribs refrigerated.

When ready to cook the meat, remove it from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Slip the pan with the ribs into the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Take the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil, taking care not to be burned by the steam. Spoon the thickened sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the ribs and place them back in the oven to roast another 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are beautifully browned and sticky. Remove from the oven, let rest, then slice into 2- to 3-bone pieces and pile on a platter.

Alternatively, after you remove the foil, you can finish off the ribs on the grill at medium heat, for about 15 minutes.

Find more recipes from Pati's Mexican Table here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.