Ribs without BBQ sauce?

[O'Basque]

When I grew up we'd always have a special treat dinners on Fridays and Saturdays (pizza, rotisserie chicken, ribs, tacos, shellfish etc) and whenever we got ribs we'd always get grilled spareribs. I grew up in Sweden where BBQ sauce, honey bbq, or any kind of sweetness isn't as common when it comes to grilling so the ribs we got were more savoury. I don't even think there's any apple cider vinegar on them...

I have been trying to recreate the flavors of my childhood but on this one I haven't had any success. My parents weren't great cooks so we'd buy them pre-made so there's no family recipe to ask for. So essentially what I am asking for is recipes for grilled (not smoked) ribs without any kind of sweet ingredients. At the most maybe a little brown sugar for caramelisation but thats about it. Any ideas?

I've tried SPOG+paprika+chili and even a "secret" recipe I got from a friend who runs a catering business containing cumin and mustard (I won't reveal more out of respect for him) but without any success. I remember the ribs being kinda oily, brown and red with a lot of bark on them. I'm almost inclined to believe they rubbed them with some kind of tomato paste but that sounds crazy to me.

I am now turning to the greatest BBQ minds I have access to - you guys. Please hit me with everything you got!
I borrowed a picture from a store back home that looks exactly like what we used to get. Not sure it'll help a lot but...

Thanks!

 

[SmokinAl]

S&P, or naked.
But from the looks of the photo, there must be paprika on them. Sweet smoked Spanish paprika may be the ingredient your looking for! Also the photo doesn’t show the kind of thick bark you get from sugar. These look like you are describing?

Al

 

[Brokenhandle]

I can't be of any help but you guys are making me hungry!

Ryan

 

[SmokinEdge]

I have no experience cooking Swedish food, but I am a curious sort so I went cruising the inter webs to see what I could find. I think the ribs you are looking for are called “Revbensspjall” and most recipes are not in English, however I did find one recipe that may get you headed in the right direction, it has some sweet in it but you can leave that out. One of the measurements is dL or deciliter so I looked up the conversion and 1dL is equal to 5.63 Tablespoons. Most recipes I saw they steam or braise the ribs with just S-P until tender then they are glazed and either grilled or cooked in the oven to create a little bark. All that said here is the one recipe I thought may help.

1-2 Kg pork ribs
.5 dL oyster sauce
.5 dL honey
1 dL sweet Chile
.5 dL tomato purée
3 cm ginger (grated)
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp Sambal Olek

Mix this marinade and brush on ribs after steaming but before grilling.

Hope this helps.

 

[O'Basque]

S&P, or naked.
But from the looks of the photo, there must be paprika on them. Sweet smoked Spanish paprika may be the ingredient your looking for! Also the photo doesn’t show the kind of thick bark you get from sugar. These look like you are describing?
View attachment 629864
Al

Hmm I’ve never tried smoked Spanish sweet paprika on them before so definitely worth a try. Looks kinda like them!

I have no experience cooking Swedish food, but I am a curious sort so I went cruising the inter webs to see what I could find. I think the ribs you are looking for are called “Revbensspjall” and most recipes are not in English, however I did find one recipe that may get you headed in the right direction, it has some sweet in it but you can leave that out. One of the measurements is dL or deciliter so I looked up the conversion and 1dL is equal to 5.63 Tablespoons. Most recipes I saw they steam or braise the ribs with just S-P until tender then they are glazed and either grilled or cooked in the oven to create a little bark. All that said here is the one recipe I thought may help.

1-2 Kg pork ribs
.5 dL oyster sauce
.5 dL honey
1 dL sweet Chile
.5 dL tomato purée
3 cm ginger (grated)
2 pressed garlic cloves
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp Sambal Olek

Mix this marinade and brush on ribs after steaming but before grilling.

Hope this helps.

Haha yes, revbensspjäll is the Swedish word for spare ribs . I never thought of it as a uniquely Swedish way to make them, just not the typical BBQ sauce/glaze. I’m a bit skeptical to both the honey and the sambal olek but I guess it’s worth a try.
And yes, every Swedish recipe for ribs that I’ve found says to steam or boil them first before grilling them

Thanks guys!

 

[noboundaries]

Every online recipe I looked at had allspice and sugar as the main ingredients. Wouldn't make them red, though.

 

[O'Basque]

Every online recipe I looked at had allspice and sugar as the main ingredients. Wouldn't make them red, though.

This is the Swedish version of allspice called “grillkrydda” (grill spice) https://www.scandi-shop.ch/products/grillkrydda-320-g
I wonder if that’s what they put on there and call it a day?
I have had grillkrydda on other things though and it doesn’t taste quite the same but definitely on the same spectrum

 

[noboundaries]

Ingredients​

• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• I teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

This grillkrydda recipe found online would definitely turn meat red.

Might have to try this myself!

 

[O'Basque]

Ingredients​

• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• I teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

This grillkrydda recipe found online would definitely turn meat red.

Might have to try this myself!

Looks similar to what I’ve found too, definitely trying this. Thanks!

 

[zwiller]

For the most part my BBQ is sugarless and prefer the CenTex style cue. Will make ribs for a holiday with some sauce but that's about it.

Love trying to help identify flavors or food. IMO location plays a big role in identifying flavors. Wouldn't surprise me at all if those ribs got treated like gravalox and cold smoked then thrown on a grill but admit you got some great info so far.

 

[chopsaw]

But from the looks of the photo, there must be paprika on them.

I agree . Also looks like they've been boiled .
I bet both play into the color .

 

[Bearcarver]

If it's Swedish, it might help to check with Sven Svensson .
He's our Resident Swedish Dude!

Bear

 

[Fueling Around]

Scandinavian here
The traditional cook for ribs is boiled, then oven baked.
Sauce is usually tomato based and not sweet or spicy.
My German wife likes spare ribs browned in a skillet then oven baked in sauerkraut.

 

[gmc2003]

Scandinavian here also, but I don't what to scare you away by telling ya how my dad did ribs when I was young. They were awful and tough as all heck.

Chris