A plate of ribs coated in a glossy sweet and sour glaze, served with roasted potatoes and garnished with fresh herbs.

Low, slow, and sticky. 🍖 These Sweet & Sour Ribs are glazed to perfection and paired with crispy golden potatoes. The ultimate comfort food.

This sweet and sour rib glaze works beautifully with pork, lamb, or beef ribs and turns glossy, sticky, and slightly caramelized under the grill.

Preparation time 15 minutes
Making time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings about 1 kg ribs
Course Main course, dinner
Country / Region Fusion

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mustard, optional
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 1 small onion, very finely chopped or grated
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 100 ml orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • about 1 kg pork, lamb, or beef ribs
  • potatoes, optional
  • rosemary, optional

Instructions Link to heading

Make the glaze Link to heading

  1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and slightly golden.
  3. Add the ketchup, honey or brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, and orange juice.
  4. Stir well and let the sauce simmer gently for 5–10 minutes.
  5. Season with paprika powder, salt, and pepper.

Bake the ribs Link to heading

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  2. Season the ribs with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  3. Place the ribs on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes.
  4. Turn the ribs and bake for another 45 minutes.
  5. Add potatoes to the tray if you like. Toss them first with a little olive oil, salt, and rosemary.
  6. Bake everything for another 40–45 minutes.

Glaze and finish Link to heading

  1. Switch the oven to the grill setting.
  2. Brush the ribs with the sweet and sour glaze for the first time.
  3. Move the tray closer to the heat.
  4. Grill carefully, brushing the ribs again every 10–15 minutes and turning them so the glaze caramelizes evenly.
  5. Watch closely near the end, the goal is a dark, sticky, slightly “burnt” glaze, not actually burned ribs.
  6. Let the ribs rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. The glaze will set, thicken, and become beautifully shiny.
Sweet and Sour Rib Glaze
Season the ribs with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Sweet and Sour Rib Glaze
Place the ribs on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes.
Sweet and Sour Rib Glaze
Sweet and Sour Rib Glaze
Sweet and Sour Rib Glaze
Watch closely near the end, the goal is a dark, sticky, slightly "burnt" glaze, not actually burned ribs.

Notes Link to heading

This glaze works with pork, lamb, or beef ribs. I tried it with lamb and it worked really nicely.

Ribs need time, so plan for at least 2–3 hours of baking. The final grilling step is where the magic happens: the honey, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and orange juice turn into a glossy sweet-and-sour coating.

The short rest at the end is important. After 5–10 minutes, the glaze thickens and sets on the meat, giving the ribs that shiny, sticky finish.

Vesela kuharija 😋👌

The best part? No knife needed. These bones literally slide right out. Safe to say, there weren't any leftovers!

The best part? No knife needed. These bones literally slide right out. 🤤 Safe to say, there weren’t any leftovers!