Roast Pork Spare Ribs in a Barbecue Glaze

I have only just recovered from my birthday celebration weekend. Yes, that's right. Reggie is 40!

Mrs Ribeye planned a whole weekend of surprise parties and fun, and I didn't have a clue about what she had planned until (a) six different friends told me that they were 'looking forward to the party'; (b) Mrs Ribeye looked stressed-out a few times and when I asked what the problem was, she replied: 'I can't tell you, it's nothing bad - in fact you'll be quite pleased'; and (c) two weeks ago when I asked her what the plan was for my birthday, she said rather unconvincingly: 'nothing is planned, don't ask me any questions, stop getting involved.'

So, with me all dressed up on Friday night to go: 'for a walk', and then appearing at the fabulous restaurant 'Rocket' in Mayfair (review coming soon to Potless) to meet up with all my family; and then all dressed up on Saturday to go: 'out for a quiet drink', and then appearing at a brilliant bar called 'Thirst' in Soho to meet up with all my friends, I applaud my wife's organising skills, if not her subterfuge skills.

Anyway, all this celebrating has left me in the mood for a quiet night-in with no booze whatsoever, and a decent meat-laden meal to build my strength back up after all of the alcohol-induced pounding that it took for the past 48 hours. Since spare ribs are a Mrs Ribeye favourite, I shall show her how much I love and appreciate her through the medium of cooking.

Today's recipe is the culmination of many years of tried and tested barbecue sauce glazes, marinades and sauces, and this version is far and away the best ever. Serve these ribs with my Fully Loaded Potato Skins (recipe to follow in the not-too-distant future) for a fantastic Sunday night dinner in front of the TV, just like we did.

The biggest juiciest pork ribs were on offer this week at my local Sainsbury's supermarket at an incredible £3.50 per kg, which means that this dish comes in at a fabulous £2 per serving.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2kg pork spare ribs

Marinade:

Thumb of ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
25ml Worcestershire sauce
50ml tomato ketchup
50ml hoi sin sauce
25ml honey
25ml soy sauce
25ml lemon juice
Pinch of dried chili flakes

100ml water

Place ribs in a large airtight plastic bag or roasting dish. Mix the marinade ingredients (not the water), pour over ribs and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Place ribs with marinade into a roasting dish, into a preheated 200c oven. Add the water. Turn the ribs occasionally to ensure they receive equal time on the top and bottom layers in the dish. Baste every 15 minutes with the marinade in the bottom of the dish. Roast until  ribs are slightly charred and cooked-through and the sauce has thickened to a glaze (1-1.5 hours approx).