Sticky pork ribs with sherry vinegar caramel

Name: Sticky pork ribs with sherry vinegar caramel
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h 25 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 racks pork loin ribs; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 onions; 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika; 200 ml sherry vinegar; 150 ml cloudy apple juice; 500 ml fresh chicken stock; 20 g pack fresh rosemary; 80 g caster sugar; 30 g toasted pine nuts; 30 g sultanas; 25 g pack flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

This recipe comes from chef and food writer Ben Lippett who says: “Good-quality wine vinegars carry an inherent sweetness that will really elevate your savoury cookery and, for my money, sherry vinegar is the king. Combined with a bitter caramel, the sweet vinegar brings the most amazing ‘swavoury’ quality to the braise, the glaze and the resulting sauce, enhanced by a flourish of nutty, rich, earthy pine nuts and sweet sultanas.” Follow Benn Lippett on Instagram.

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Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare20 mins
Cook3 hrs 25 mins
Total time3 hrs 45 mins

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4 racks pork loin ribs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
200ml sherry vinegar
150ml cloudy apple juice
500ml fresh chicken stock
20g pack fresh rosemary
80g caster sugar
30g toasted pine nuts
30g sultanas
25g pack flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 160ºC, gas mark 3. Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper and season with salt. Put 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-based, ovenproof pan and sear the ribs on the flesh side over a medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Once coloured, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Peel and roughly chop the onions and add to the pan along with the garlic cloves and paprika. Sauté for 5 minutes before deglazing the pan with 100ml of the sherry vinegar. Bring to the boil, then bubble until reduced by half. Add the apple juice, stock and rosemary. Bring to a simmer, then add the ribs back to the pan. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 2½ hours, turning the ribs halfway, until tender.
Strain the cooking liquid from the ribs and tip into a clean pan. Bring to the boil and bubble for 5-6 minutes until reduced by half. Meanwhile, tip the sugar into a separate pan and cook over a low heat until it becomes a deep golden brown caramel (this is a dry caramel and won’t crystallise so don’t worry about that). Add the remaining vinegar and whisk to combine (be careful, as it will bubble vigorously). Add 200ml of the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer, reducing for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is sticky.
Preheat the grill to high (around 230ºC). Brush the ribs with the sticky sauce and put under the grill for 8-10 minutes, brushing with more sauce and turning until the ribs are caramelised and starting to char. Add the remaining cooking liquid to the glaze along with the pine nuts and sultanas, then scatter with the chopped parsley.
Cut the glazed ribs into portions. Serve on a platter over some creamy polenta, if liked, with plenty of the sauce spooned over the top and perhaps some steamed greens on the side.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe