Simple BBQ Braised Spare Ribs
These super simple BBQ pork spare ribs are slow cooked in the oven until the meat falls off the bone! With just 10 simple ingredients this recipe comes together in one pot with minimal effort and very little clean up. Use your favorite jar of BBQ sauce, chicken bone broth, allspice, smoked paprika and ginger to create this tangy, sweet sauce. The ribs are infused with flavor as the meat becomes fork tender. Enjoy the meat in tacos, on mash potatoes or with creamy coleslaw.
What are Pork Spare Ribs?
These ribs are less meaty than our baby back ribs, but with a little more fat and a richer flavor. They have flat bones with mostly meat in between the bones instead of on top. The meat of pork spare ribs can be tough but they are well suited for smoking, pressure cooking or low and slow cooking.
Cooking Variations
How to cook in the slow cooker?
You can also make this in a slow cooker. Make sure to brown the meat in a cast iron pan and build flavor with the aromatics. Turn the slow cooker on low for about 4-5 hours. Cover with the lid and cook until tender.
How to cook in the Instant Pot?
Make sure to brown the meat in a cast iron pan and build flavor with the aromatics. Add meat and sauce into the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes and allow for a 20 minute natural release.
BBQ Braised Pork Spare Ribs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 ½ hours
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients
2 - 3 pounds pork spare ribs
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
3 cups chicken bone broth
½ cup bbq sauce (your favorite)
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Heat oven and season meat: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Open and remove meat from the packaging. Place on a large cutting board, pat dry with paper towels. If there are large fat clumps, trim off excess fat. Cut into 4 to 5 bone chunks. Season generously with salt. Let sit at room temperature until all ingredients have been prepped. Set aside.
- Sear meat: Heat avocado oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Once the oil is hot, add the ribs in a single layer (you may need to work in batches). Sear until meat pieces are browned. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove ribs and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the liquid & meat: Then slowly pour just 1 cup of bone broth to deglaze the Dutch oven. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all those caramelized bits off the bottom. Return ribs along with any juices back into the Dutch oven. The ribs will be in about 2 to 3 layers in the pot. Then pour the rest of the bone broth over the meat, along with the bbq sauce. Add allspice, smoked paprika, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Give the mixture a good stir. Make sure there is enough liquid that the ribs are almost fully submerged. There should be just enough to keep the pork moist while cooking. Trust us, you’ll want extra of that sauce! On medium-high heat, bring to a simmer.
- Braise in the oven: After it comes to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. Cook for about 2 ½ hours or until fork tender. Make sure to check on the meat and move it around during cooking. Cook time will vary, but when it’s tender and falling apart from the bone, it’s done! Around 2 hours, when the meat becomes almost fork tender, remove the lid and let the liquid reduce down for about 30 minutes. This will give the meat a nice caramelized crust as well.
- Remove from the oven and let rest: Take the meat out of the Dutch oven and set aside on a cutting board. Meat should be tender enough to pull off the bone.
- Let’s eat: Enjoy shredded meat on tacos or with mashed potatoes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.