Maple Cocktail Spareribs Recipe

These little oven-baked spareribs make a perfect appetizer for any party or buffet. The atypical sauce is sweet and tangy with the flavors of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, molasses, and brown sugar. You may also use full-sized spareribs or beef short ribs with equal success.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds spareribs, cut into 4-inch pieces (see Note)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons unsulfured molasses
• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a shallow baking pan with non-stick foil.

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Arrange ribs bony side down in a single layer in the baking pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine maple syrup, Dijon mustard, molasses, cider vinegar, and cumin until well-mixed.

Remove the spareribs, and drain the fat from the pan. Turn ribs over. Coat the ribs with 1/2 of the maple syrup sauce. Bake another 25 minutes. Turn ribs again, add remaining sauce, and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 10 servings as an appetizer (2 ribs each)

Note: I couldn't find any pre-cut cocktail-size ribs this time, so I picked up a full rack of ribs at the grocery store and simply asked the butcher to cut the rack in half lengthwise. The sauce is great with full-size spareribs as well as beef shortribs. Recipe is easily doubled.

_{Maple Cocktail Spareribs Recipe Photo © 2009 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.}