Martin's ribs

Waterloo butcher Martin has been swatting up on the Ginger Pig meat book, and has chosen one of Fran's delectable recipes to prepare for his Waterloo customers.

Jacob's rib - or short ladder ribs - are big meaty beef ribs, providing bags of flavour and succulence for a fairly small sum.  Martin has taken the hard work out of Fran's spiced rib recipe and rubbed the ribs with the spice mix for you, meaning they're ready to be glazed and oven baked (or, fingers crossed, cooked on the BBQ). His marinaded ribs will be available for the next two weeks so hop to our counter in Greensmiths, Waterloo, if you fancy putting some in your face.

Here's the recipe if you want to make them at home.
Recipe by Fran Warde, from the Ginger Pig Meat Book.

Serves four

For the ribs
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
8 individual Jacob's ladder ribs
Vegetable oil for baking tray

For the glaze
25g butter
25g sugar
2tbsp white wine vinegar
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp mustard
2tbsp honey

1. Mix together all the spices, garlic powder and seasoning, place in a resealable plastic bag, add the ribs and shake the bag to coat the ribs. Leave them in the bag, in the refrigerator, to marinade overnight. Remove them from the fridge at least an hour before you'd like to start cooking them.

2. Melt the butter for the glaze in a small saucepan, over a low heat, add the sugar and vinegar and stir until dissolved. Mix in the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.

3. If cooking on a BBQ, the ribs will need a good 1.5 hours over a lowish heat, with fairly constant turning. If cooking in the oven, preheat to 170C / Gas Mark 3, place on a lightly oiled baking tray and cook for 1.5 hours, until cooked through. Both methods of cooking require the ribs to be frequently basted with the glaze - use a brush to paint it on evenly, delivering a wonderful, sticky finish.