Sticky Ribs with the Secret Marinade

Sticky ribs are the BBQ benchmark — when they're done right, the meat falls off the bone, the glaze caramelises into a sticky-sweet-savoury coating, and there's silence at the table for the first 5 minutes of eating.

This recipe uses an all-purpose marinade you can make in 10 minutes and store in the fridge for a month. Pork, beef or lamb ribs all work. Marinate overnight if you can — the longer it sits, the better.

Photo by Ambitious Studio* | Rick Barrett on Unsplash

Serves: 4 · Prep: 10 minutes (+ marinating) · Cook: 25-30 minutes

Photo: Artem Beliaikin / Unsplash

• 500g – 1kg pork, beef or lamb ribs
• 1 cup of the Secret Marinade (recipe below)
• Sprigs of rosemary or other hardy herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinate. Coat the ribs in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, ideally overnight. The longer the marinate, the better the result.

2. Pre-heat the BBQ or grill. Set to high. Gas BBQ on high; charcoal grill with the coals raked to one side for indirect cooking.

3. Sear. Place the ribs on the hottest part of the grill, sear both sides for 2-3 minutes to get the colour started.

4. Lower heat, lid on. Move ribs to lower heat / indirect side. Reduce gas to low; close the lid. Cook for 15 minutes, turning once or twice and basting with reserved marinade.

5. Glaze and crisp. Open the lid for the last 5-10 minutes. Brush with more marinade. The sauce will glisten and the ribs will look crisp on the outside, sticky on the surface.

6. Rest 5 minutes off the heat before serving — the meat releases from the bone better after a brief rest.

Serve with coleslaw, corn on the cob, or just bread to mop up the juice.

Photo: Óscar Salgado / Unsplash

This marinade is the engine of the dish. Makes about 2½ cups (enough for 2-3 batches of ribs). Keeps a month in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup molasses (or ⅓ cup honey, or ¼ cup brown sugar dissolved in water)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ tablespoon black pepper
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Method: mix all ingredients together in a bowl or jar. Use immediately, or store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month.

Variations: add 2 tablespoons soy sauce for an Asian twist, hoisin sauce for sweetness depth, or plum sauce for fruit notes. Worcestershire sauce adds umami complexity.

• Pork ribs are the easiest — slow cooking releases the connective tissue beautifully. Beef short ribs work too but need longer (closer to 45 min). Lamb ribs are sweeter and richer; cook them shorter (15-20 min total)
• Don't burn the glaze — sugar in the marinade caramelises fast on direct flame. Keep heat low after the initial sear, watch for charring
• For oven-cooked ribs at home: 160°C for 1.5 hours covered with foil, then unwrap and brush with marinade, blast at 220°C for 10 minutes to glaze
• For camp oven cooking: cook covered with low coals for 1 hour, then uncover with extra coals on the lid for the final glazing 10-15 minutes
• Make a double batch of marinade — once you've tasted it, you'll be using it for chicken, sausages, kebabs all summer

The marinade is the secret. Make a big batch and keep it in the fridge — once you've nailed the sticky-rib glaze on a Sunday BBQ, it becomes the recipe people request when they come over.

Pair with a cold beer, corn on the cob, and don't apologise for getting sauce on your chin.