Serves 6

Stacie Stewart brings us our latest summer recipe and says: "A good barbecue sauce recipe is gold dust! I’ve been using this one for years and it never fails.  It works just as well with any meat and is a perfect dipping sauce for nachos, corn on the cob and lots more barbecue favourites!.

Ingredients

For the ribs

3 racks (approx. 550g each) of pork spare ribs (to serve around 3 ribs per person)
1 onion, finely diced
80g soft brown sugar
80ml dry sherry
1 inch piece of grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200ml tomato ketchup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
100ml soy sauce
1 pinch of chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin

For the salad

1 can of your favourite beans (I like butterbeans), drained and rinsed
A handful of vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large courgette, diced  
1 small red onion, chopped very finely
Coriander and parsley, chopped or torn
The juice of 1 lemon
1 red chilli, seeds in if you can take the heat, finely chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
1 tsp ground cumin

Method

1. For the sauce heat a little oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion gently until it’s soft.  Add the garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and ginger and cook for one minute, still on low.

2. Turn the heat up to medium, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered on a low heat for 15 minutes, until thick.  The marinade can be made in advance and keeps perfectly well in the fridge, covered, or in a sealed container.

3. Meanwhile, put your ribs in a pan of boiling water and simmer for the same time it takes you to make the marinade (around 20 minutes).

4. Pat your ribs dry and brush generously with the marinade.

5. To cook the ribs, barbecue for 20 minutes over hot coals; or roast on an oven set to 220C (gas mark 7) for 40 minutes.

6, Whichever way you cook them, brush the ribs with more marinade and turn them as they cook, at least twice.

7, Making the salad couldn’t be simpler. Gently fry the courgette until golden in a little oil and then add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Toss everything to combine then taste the salad. Does it need perking up with more lemon, salt or pepper? If so go for it.  You can make the salad in advance; it's best served at room temperature for the flavours to mingle, so take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

To serve

Serve the charred sticky ribs with the bean salad and an extra bowl of the marinade on the side for dipping.

Don’t forget the napkins!