12 recipes of Christmas: How to make Farmer’s Daughters’ BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family, which comes with the joy of indulging in a hearty meal or having a few drinks. For some, these celebrations can trigger heartburn or indigestion, but thanks to Gaviscon, you can enjoy this delicious time without hesitation. In celebration, we’ve partnered with Gaviscon to bring to you the 12 recipes of Christmas by some of our favourite Aussie chefs. See all 12 recipes here.

When chef Alejandro Saravia arrived in Australia after years of working in Europe, there was at least one way in which it was like coming home. 

“I’m Peruvian, so I’m used to a warm southern hemisphere Christmas – in Lima we say you need to be tan by Christmas! So coming to Australia was like taking me back to growing up in Peru, with summer ingredients and barbecues in the backyard.” 

Saravia’s family Christmases were always a major celebration presided over by his grandmother. “She was in charge of the menu, but we all had to bring something to the table – we all had a role.” 

Saravia opened Farmer’s Daughters in January 2021, a combined deli, restaurant and bar designed as a showcase of Gippsland, one of the food bowls of Victoria. His extra delicious BBQ Pork Spare Ribs recipe is partly inspired by the stunning quality of the organic meat from Farmer’s Daughters suppliers Eaglehawk Creek Farm. 

Key to his recipe is the homemade barbecue sauce, made healthily from scratch. “It’s not overly sweet because we use the natural sugars of the tomatoes and the capsicum, and apple cider vinegar to give it a bit of tanginess,” he says. Cooking the ribs in cider, meanwhile, helps to tenderise the ribs.

Saravia recommends serving them with a range of salads: “A fresh coleslaw, and I love potato salad, it’s one of my favourite dishes to do at home – boiled potatoes with avocado and fresh onions.

“The spare ribs are very easy to replicate at home but brings the standards of a restaurant dish to your kitchen, perfect to impress friends and family.”

Heartburn (also known as reflux) can be triggered by certain foods and drinks we love to enjoy at holiday times, including fatty and salty foods, garlic and tomatoes. Add Gaviscon to your shopping list if you're worried this might affect you, and eat and drink with confidence this holiday season – find out more here. 

_{Photograph: Graham Denholm}

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

Ingredients

2kg Eaglehawk Creek Farm spare ribs 
2 long red chillies (deseeded) 
100g (about 1.5) eschallots 
530g Roma tomatoes
1 yellow capsicum (deseeded)
1 large garlic clove 
30g (about 8) Swiss brown mushrooms 
300ml apple cider vinegar
100g raw sugar
100g honey
Gaviscon – if you suffer from heartburn and indigestion and want to eat and drink with confidence during the holidays!

Sauce method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Roughly chop the long red chillies, eschallots, Roma tomatoes, yellow capsicum, garlic clove and mushrooms. 
2. Roast all vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Place them in a bowl and add the apple cider vinegar, raw sugar and honey, and marinate for two hours.
4. Blend all ingredients to a smooth consistency.

Spare ribs method

1. Preheat oven to 165°C.
2. Place ribs on a tray in a single layer. Pour 500ml apple cider underneath the ribs, cover with foil then bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
3. Turn oven up to 180°C. Remove foil, baste the ribs with the sauce creating a thick layer, then return ribs to oven for ten minutes or until the sauce starts to caramelise, turning golden brown. Repeat this process every ten minutes for 30 more minutes.
4. Cut ribs into individual or multiple rib portions and serve (serves 6).

Heartburn an issue? Pick up Gaviscon from your local grocery store or pharmacy. Make it a Christmas to remember and win a $2,000 Visa Gift Card from Gaviscon to spend on summer entertaining – head to www.gaviscon.com.au/win to enter.