Bacon Ribs with an Apricot Glaze

Bacon ribs slowly braised in the oven until tender then finished with a simple, sticky apricot & mustard glaze, these things are very moreish!

The long (2½ hour) cooking time for this recipe masks how wonderfully easy this dish is to make, and you’ll definitely be back for more!

Glazed Cured Pork Ribs

I love ribs, they are the finest sharing finger food as far as I am concerned and my site is littered with them.

I have everything from oven-baked BBQ ribs to some glorious Instant Pot cooked Chinese spare ribs and even smoked BBQ pork ribs!

My latest offering is some wonderful apricot jam and dijon mustard glazed bacon ribs.

They are outrageously easy to cook, although they do take a bit of time.

First, they are slowly braised with mustard, treacle, bay, thyme and pepper. During this time you can chill out and relax because there is nothing for you to do!

Finally, they are glazed with apricot jam, dijon mustard and a little red wine vinegar, which takes around 20 minutes.

When you are done you get the most wonderful salty, sweet and sour ribs that will have you wondering why you didn’t make more!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are bacon ribs?

They are ribs, regular pork ribs that have been cured… just like bacon.

If you have never tried them be prepared to have your mind blown, because they are spectacularly good!

Are they smoked?

Most cured pork ribs in the UK are not smoked, they are brined. You may be able to find some, however this recipe has not been tested with smoked cured pork ribs.

Can I use a different glaze?

Yes, use anything that you like and the timing will be identical. You could get creative and make up your own, or, by all means, use your favourite store-bought glaze.

A word of advice though, avoid anything too salty, as you would expect from a brined piece of pork it already has plenty of salt!

You do need something sweet to balance that saltiness. However, if you want spicy think about something like the glaze on my mango and habanero wings or even my honey and Sriracha spicy chicken wings.

Serving Suggestions

Ribs are proper sticky finger food and these bacon ribs are no different, I like to serve them with similar style dishes, mainly featuring potatoes! After all, my site is called Potato (in Hungarian).

Here I have gone for some air fryer cooked potato wedges, and because the oven is used at a low temperature for most of the cooking in this recipe, an air fryer can help out.

You could just as easily knock up some air fryer chips, air fryer French fries or even air fryer sweet potato fries.

If you wanted to go to town you could rustle up some salt and pepper chips, which I also cook in the air fryer!

Air fryers are not for everyone though and there are plenty of other options for potato-based sides. Two that spring to mind are my crispy fried straw potatoes and my fried new potatoes.

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Oven.
• Hob/stovetop.
• Deep baking tray, with a baking grid. Mine is 30cm (12″) x 25cm (10″).
• Kitchen foil.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Kettle or some other kit to boil water.
• 15cm or 6″ saucepan.
• Stirring spoon and basting brush.
• A combination of weighing scales and or a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.