Oven Baked Ribs African Style – Includes Instant Pot + Grill Versions (Keto Ribs)
This recipe for Oven Baked Ribs (West African Style) will produce heaven on a plate. They are fall-off-the-bone good and a must-try. This oven baked ribs recipe is low in carbs and suitable for Keto, Paleo, Whole 30 and Gluten-Free diets. This post has been updated to include an Instant Pot version and grill version! Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Ribs ribs ribs. Sierra Leone style (salone style) oven baked ribs – well that’s just heaven on a plate.
You know the verse ‘Jack sprat would eat no fat his wife would eat no lean’? That is the in-joke in the family about me. They can eat all the breast, legs and other fleshy bits of meat that they want. And as for me, well I just want dem bones. Wings and ribs win every time peeps, wings and ribs.
Ok when I go out in public I eat whatever part of the meat I am given. Or at least I try to. Freddy has other ideas. He ‘helpfully’ announces to full dinner tables (smart or not) about how I really, really like the bones so can ALL bones be sent down my way.
I grin inanely and pretty much pray for the ground to swallow me as I end up with bowls piled high with bones. You can only imagine the strange looks I have received over the years.
So since I am such a lover of (wings and) ribs, it should go without saying that I know a good ribs recipe when I see it. And this Oven Baked Ribs (West African Style) recipe is very, very good. Verrry good. Heaven on a plate, in fact.
(Don’t want to make these in the oven? I’m serving you up Instant Pot and grill versions in this post too.)
What I love about this ribs recipe is it’s bursting with flavour but doesn’t require a lot of salt or any sugar to get there. So many ribs recipes rely too much on salt or sugar… not these ribs. These ribs are just good. This fact also makes them fully compliant with a lot of diets: Keto, Paleo, and Whole 30. No ‘extras’ in here, folks, just good food.
How to Make Oven Baked Ribs – Step-by-Step Tutorial
Ready for some oven baked ribs? I know I am. This oven baked ribs recipe is pretty easy to make and you will have most of the main ingredients in your pantry already.
Step 1. Take the onion, garlic, ginger, dried chili flakes, all-purpose seasoning, and vegetable oil and whiz them into a paste in the blender.
Step 2. Taste paste and adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.
Step 3. Marinate the pork ribs for 1 hr so that the flavour seeps into the meat.
Step 4. Then throw your marinated ribs into the oven, uncovered, for about 40 mins or until it starts pulling off the bone. (Because you want to make those oven baked ribs fall-off-the-bone delicious.)
And out comes your oven baked pork ribs ‘salone style’. So little effort for something that tastes so good.
How to Make Instant Pot Ribs – Step-by-Step Tutorial
Want a super easy version of these ribs? Try this Instant Pot ribs recipe!
Step 1. Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs, salt and stock) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
Step 2. Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
Step 3. Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub paste all over them.
Step 4. Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hr.
Step 5. Add trivet to bottom of inner pot of Instant Pot.
Add pork ribs on top of trivet…
then add stock to inner pot.
Step 6. Lock the lid, set valve to SEALING position, select manual, high pressure and 20 mins cook time.
Step 7. When cook time ends, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally before opening the pot and removing the ribs.
Optional step. After removing the ribs from the Instant Pot, broil them for 5 mins on a baking tray to give them more colour.
To serve. Let the ribs rest for a few mins and serve.
Enjoy your Instant Pot ribs!
How to Grill Ribs – Step-by-Step Tutorial
Want to enjoy your ribs on the BBQ instead? Try this version…
Step 1. Light the barbeque to medium heat.
Step 2. You will cook the ribs indirectly. This means that you move the coals to one side and put the ribs on the other side.
Step 3. Put the ribs into the bbq (not over the coals) and then cover the bbq. If you have a thermometer for your bbq it will be between 100ºC and 150ºC (210ºF and 300ºF).
Step 4. Check the ribs after about 20 mins. The meat should be just beginning to pull away from the ends of the bones. If the ends nearest the coals are starting to get dark brown or black, turn over the ribs. If not, give them another 10 mins.
Step 5. Turn over the ribs and continue to cook for another 20 mins.
Step 6. At this stage have a look at the ribs and cut into the middle of them. There should be no blood. If there is, cook for a little longer.
Step 7. Take off the bbq and let the ribs rest for at least 10 mins then serve.
How to Season This Ribs Recipe
Note that it is easy to vary the combination of ingredients and spices to suit your taste. Get creative. I won’t be offended if you change the recipe around to please your taste buds.
These are keto ribs – perfect for the keto diet
(If you’re looking for a keto dessert after these keto ribs, try my 17 Unbelievably Good Keto Desserts {Includes Net Carb Counts} roundup.)
The keto diet is all the rage these days (if you haven’t heard, the keto diet is a ‘low carb, high fat’ diet), and keto dieters (as well as low carb dieters) will be happy to hear this oven baked ribs recipe is fully keto compliant and will make a tasty keto dinner.
So many oven baked spare ribs recipes are loaded with sweeteners like honey or brown sugar, or they contain barbeque sauce which is full of white sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. (All those sweeteners = carb overload.) Not these oven baked ribs, and that’s why they make for the perfect keto ribs.
Note: To ensure that these are keto ribs, make sure to use coconut oil as your vegetable oil of choice in this recipe.
Weight Watchers Points
If you increase the number of servings to 8, there are 13 Blue Plan SmartPoints points per serving.
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Get The Oven Baked Spare Ribs – Sierra Leone Style Recipe
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Oven Baked Ribs West African Style
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes or to taste
- 2 tsp all purpose seasoning
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 kg (2.2 lbs) pork ribs
Additional ingredient for Instant Pot version ONLY:
- 240 ml (1 cup) stock
Instructions
Oven instructions:
- Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs and salt) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
- Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
- Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub paste all over them.
- Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hr.
- Pre heat oven to fan assisted oven 170ºC / 180ºC / 325ºF/ gas 3.
- Cook pork uncovered for about 40 minutes or until it starts pulling of the bone.
- If the pork is not brown by then then crank oven up to fan assisted oven 180ºC / 190ºC / 375ºF/ gas 5 for about 5- 7 minutes to brown pork all over.
- Remove from oven, let it rest for a few minute and serve.
Instant Pot instructions:
- Put all the ingredients (except the pork ribs, salt and stock) in a blender and whiz them into a paste.
- Taste paste for salt and adjust as necessary.
- Put pork ribs on a baking tray and rub paste all over them.
- Cover and leave to marinate for about 1 hr.
- Add trivet to bottom of inner pot of Instant Pot. Add pork ribs on top of trivet, then add stock to inner pot.
- Lock the lid, set valve to SEALING position, select manual, high pressure and 20 mins cook time.
- When cook time ends, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally before opening the pot and removing the ribs.
- (optional) After removing the ribs from the Instant Pot, broil them for 5 mins on a baking tray to give them colour.
- Let the ribs rest for a few mins and serve.
Grill instructions:
- Light the barbeque to medium heat.
- You will cook the ribs indirectly. This means that you move the coals to one side and put the ribs on the other side.
- Put the ribs into the bbq (not over the coals) and then cover the bbq. If you have a thermometer for your bbq it will be between 100ºC and 150ºC (210ºF and 300ºF).
- Check the ribs after about 20 mins. The meat should be just beginning to pull away from the ends of the bones. If the ends nearest the coals are starting to get dark brown or black, turn over the ribs. If not, give them another 10 mins.
- Turn over the ribs and continue to cook for another 20 mins.
- At this stage have a look at the ribs and cut into the middle of them. There should be no blood. If there is, cook for a little longer.
- Take off the bbq and let the ribs rest for at least 10 mins then serve.
Notes
What to Serve with These Ribs
I have a few ideas for you:- Make this easy Instant Pot brown rice for a quick side (or any of my Instant Pot rice recipes).
- How about Some Jollof Rice?
- Or you can try these Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes or Scalloped Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potato.
Wow, I had never thought of doing a ginger, garlic and chilli marinade for pork ribs before. I have only had them with a plum sauce marinade. This is definately on my list to try. Thanks for sharing!
Plum sauce marinade on pork is a first for me too. Sounds very yummy and I will try that too. Enjoy.