Glazed Pork Spare Ribs — Camp Oven Method

Glazed pork spare ribs — slow-cooked American-style pork ribs with the all-purpose Honey Glaze + soy sauce. Sticky, sweet-savoury, fall-off-the-bone tender. The simpler camp-oven cousin of the proper smoked ribs (no smoker needed).

Pairs perfectly with coleslaw + cornbread + cold beer.

Photo by patrick le on Unsplash

Serves: 4-6 · Prep: 10 minutes (+ 1-2 hour marinate ideal) · Cook: 2 hours · Equipment: camp oven OR oven with roasting tray + foil

Photo: Louis Hansel / Unsplash

• 1kg pork spare ribs (American-style)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Honey Glaze (see our Honey Glaze recipe) — about ½ cup

Quick Honey Glaze:

• 2 tbsp treacle (or molasses)
• 4 tbsp honey
• ½ tsp ground cloves + ½ tsp allspice + ½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tsp English mustard powder
• 1 tbsp brandy (optional)

To serve: creamy coleslaw, cornbread, baked beans, BBQ sauce, beer.

1. Make the Honey Glaze if not pre-made. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to boil, stir to dissolve. Cool.
2. Prep the ribs. Remove the silvery membrane from the back (slide a knife under, grip with paper towel, pull off in one strip). Pat dry.
3. Mix marinade. Combine soy sauce + ½ cup Honey Glaze in a bowl.
4. Marinate the ribs. Coat thoroughly. Cover + refrigerate 1-2 hours minimum (overnight ideal).
5. Pre-heat camp oven to medium (~160°C equivalent). Or oven 160°C.
6. Wrap in foil. Place ribs on a sheet of heavy foil. Pour over half the marinade. Wrap tightly into a parcel.
7. Slow cook 1.5 hours in the camp oven at low coal heat. Foil traps steam = tender meat.
8. Open foil + glaze. Remove ribs to a tray; brush with the remaining marinade.
9. Crisp finish 20-30 minutes at higher heat (more coals on lid). Brush with extra glaze every 10 minutes for the sticky lacquered finish.
10. Rest 5-10 minutes, slice between bones, serve with sides.

• Remove the membrane — chewy if left, tender if removed
• Foil-then-crisp method = tenderest result without smoking
• Don't burn the glaze in the crisping step — sugar burns fast
• Honey Glaze keeps a month — make double, use on chicken, pork, salmon
• Without camp oven: kitchen oven 160°C wrapped 1.5 hours then 200°C unwrapped 20 mins
• For PROPER smoked ribs see our hickory smoked pork ribs guide

The simpler ribs recipe — no smoker needed, foil-cooked tender, honey-glaze-finished sticky. Camp oven mastery in one go.