Sticky Pork ‘Ribs’ in Barbecue Sauce

Justine Pattison’s Sticky Pork ‘Ribs’ in Barbecue Sauce recipe uses pork loin steaks rather than conventional spare ribs to keep the calories low. And while it’s a pale imitation of the real thing, kids and adults will still end up with messy fingers and faces when tucking into this!

The barbecue glaze comprising ketchup, clear honey, Worcester sauce and chilli powder wasn’t particularly ‘sticky’, so I suggest maybe marinating the pork steaks in a bowl (covered) for a few hours if you have time. With some home-made coleslaw and a corn on the cob on the side, this US diner classic still comes in at less than 400 calories per serving.

If you love getting sticky with it, check out sticky chicken with coleslaw, sticky mango roasted salmon, sticky chicken drumsticks or sticky pork steaks with coleslaw. As 2020 draws to a close, personally I’m sick of sticky now :-).

Recipe: Sticky Pork ‘Ribs’ in Barbecue Sauce

Calories: 225 per serving (without coleslaw and corn on the cob); 381 calories with coleslaw and a medium corn on the cob

Serves: 4

Book: Justine Pattison: Without the Calories – Takeaway Favourites

Prep time: Approx 10 mins

Cooking time: Approx 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 pork loin steaks (each about 170g)
• Flaked sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Barbecue Sauce:

• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp chilli powder

To serve:

• Coleslaw (see below)
• Corn on the cob

Cost per portion: Approx £2.67 (pork ‘ribs’, coleslaw and medium corn on the cob)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / Fan 180 degrees C / Gas 6. To make the barbecue sauce, mix the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Put the pork on a board and trim off any visible fat. Cut the pork into long strips, each around 2cm wide. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place on a foil-lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully drain off any liquid. Coat in the barbecue and return to the oven for 10 minutes until the sauce is very thick and stick.

Serve with coleslaw (see below) and corn on the cob, if you like. One medium corn on the cob contains around 75 calories.

Coleslaw: Mix 6 tablespoons fat-free Greek yoghurt and 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise in a large bowl. Finely shred ¼ white cabbage and ½ small red cabbage, coarsely grate 1 large carrot and finely slice 4 trimmed spring onions and add them to the bowl. Add 4 tablespoons cold water and season with ground black pepper. Toss together until well combined. Serves 4. Calories per serving: 81.