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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Make your own delicious spareribs at home! With this tasty but simple glaze, made from inexpensive ingredients, you won’t have to head to a fancy BBQ restaurant next time you’re craving spareribs.

Why not have a go at making your own Worcestershire Sauce to use in your glaze? You could also try this Classic Homemade Coleslaw Recipe or some of The Absolute Best Ever Twice Baked Potatoes to serve with your ribs!

Barbecue ribs on a white plate, next to a bowl of coleslaw, salt and pepper shakers, and a striped napkin on a marble surface.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This is a very easy recipe, especially if you can convince someone else to remove the membrane from the ribs for you.
Total Time: Unlike many ribs recipes which take several hours, this one will take you approximately 60 minutes from start to finish.
Variations: The glaze ingredients for this recipe are quite basic, so you can add on to them easily. Add some hot pepper flakes or hot sauce if you’d like, or use a different BBQ sauce. A few drops of liquid smoke would add some intense flavour, as would adding some hickory wood chips to your grill when you’re cooking the ribs.
Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a basting brush, a large pot, a whisk, and a grilling pan or barbecue.

A plate of barbecued pork ribs topped with sauce and garnished with herbs, served next to a portion of coleslaw with green and purple cabbage on a white plate.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Ribs: This recipe calls for pork spareribs, which are generally tender and have a decent amount of meat on them. If you prefer not to eat pork, you could use beef ribs instead. Beef ribs are larger and usually a lot more expensive, but they can be just as tasty. If you go with beef ribs, choose a short rib for similar results.

Glaze: The glaze for these spareribs is very simple. Onion, oil, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and a bay leaf are all fairly standard ingredients for barbecue sauces. The combination of sweet, salty, and tangy provides the perfect flavour profile for pork.

Raw pork ribs on a white plate, surrounded by small bowls containing chopped onions, brown sugar, tomato sauce, olive oil, soy sauce, and a bay leaf, all on a white marble surface.

How To Make Glazed Spareribs

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

A large piece of meat simmers in broth in a white pot, surrounded by bowls of ingredients including tomato paste, chopped onions, brown sugar, oil, Worcestershire sauce, and a bay leaf on a white surface.

Overhead view of a pot with chopped onions being sautéed. Surrounding the pot are a plate with cooked meat, a bowl of brown sugar, a bowl of tomato sauce, a bowl of soy sauce, a glass with a bay leaf, and a striped cloth.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add spare ribs and turn heat down to medium. Let the ribs simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Add the oil and onion to a large pot and sauté at medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining glaze ingredients to the sauteed onion and bring to a light boil. Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Put the ribs on a plate. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on them and spread it on both sides with a basting brush.
Grill ribs for 20-25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Baste with remaining glaze near the end of cooking time.
Serve with coleslaw or baked potatoes.

A plate with four glazed barbecue ribs topped with herbs, served alongside creamy coleslaw with shredded cabbage and carrots; a fork rests on the plate. Parsley garnish and a striped napkin are nearby.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Glazed Spareribs

Side Dishes: When you’re planning what to serve with these ribs, think about the foods that you enjoy when you buy ribs from a restaurant. Do you love corn bread or are biscuits more your style? Do you like coleslaw, corn, or a completely different vegetable altogether? Do you prefer your potatoes mashed, baked or roasted? You could also serve this recipe with rice or pasta, if that’s what works for you.

Proper Glazing: Don’t forget to turn and baste your ribs while they cook. Make sure to leave enough time between turns to let the glaze cook into a caramelized layer, but still turn often enough to end up with a glossy, lacquered look on the completed ribs. If you haven’t got a brush specifically for basting, you can try a pastry brush or even a large (clean!) paintbrush.

A plate of barbecued pork ribs topped with sauce and herbs is served next to creamy coleslaw. A fork rests on the side, and another plate with ribs and parsley is blurred in the background.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Once cooled, you can store the leftovers in a sealed container or wrapped in foil in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freezer: You can store the leftovers in a sealed container or freezer bag in the freezer for several months.

More Delicious Rib Recipes

Looking for more ways to cook ribs?

Try these Country Style Ribs or Sweet & Smoky Whisky Smoked Ribs for a big meal.

Salt and Pepper Ribs are an easy and delicious snack for a party.

Or make use of your slow cooker for some Slow Cooker Molasses Short Ribs.

There you go, folks. An easy recipe for delicious spareribs that don’t require a trip to a restaurant. Try out this recipe and let me know how it turns out for you.

Happy Cooking!

Karlynn