Swedish Christmas spare ribs with mustard glaze
Serves 6 · 2 hours 30 minutes · Baking tin 40x35 cm
Pork spare ribs spiced with ginger, cloves and pepper, slow-baked until tender and glazed with mustard and syrup. The large enamelled steel baking tin holds two whole racks in one layer.
Swedish Christmas spare ribs are pork ribs rubbed with salt, pepper, ginger and cloves, baked covered at a low heat until tender, then glazed with mustard and syrup in a hot oven. Low and slow first, then a short blast of heat, gives juicy meat with a sticky surface.
Ingredients
Serves 6
Ribs
- 2 kg pork spare ribs (2 whole racks)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves or allspice
- 100 ml water
Glaze
- 2 tbsp sweet, coarse-grain mustard
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Method
- Heat the oven to 150 °C. Pull off the thin membrane on the back of the bones if it is still there; loosen it with a knife and grip it with kitchen paper.
- Mix the salt, pepper, ginger and cloves and rub all over the meat. Lay the racks meat side up in the baking tin and pour the water into the base.
- Cover the tin tightly with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and starting to come away from the bones.
- Stir together the mustard, syrup and soy sauce. Take out the tin, remove the foil and turn the oven up to 225 °C.
- Pour off most of the liquid. Brush the glaze over the meat side and return the tin to the oven, uncovered, for 10–15 minutes until sticky and a deep, glossy brown. Keep an eye on it towards the end so the sugar doesn't burn.
- Rest for a few minutes, cut between the bones and serve warm or at room temperature.
Why it works
The large tin fits two whole racks in a single layer, and its straight sides keep the liquid in under the foil so the meat steams until tender. Enamel copes with the sugar and salt in the glaze, and anything baked on lifts after a soak.
FAQ
Can I prepare the ribs the day before?
Yes. Bake them under foil the day before, cool and refrigerate. Glaze at 225 °C just before serving, allowing a few extra minutes.
How do I know when spare ribs are done?
The meat should have shrunk back from the ends of the bones and a bone should twist out easily. The internal temperature will be around 90 °C.
What can I use instead of Swedish mustard?
Wholegrain Dijon mustard works well. It is a little sharper, so add an extra half tablespoon of syrup.
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