This is one of those recipes for the books. Print it and keep it, and make it. It’s seriously one of the best pork rib recipes I’ve ever made and then eaten. This is PERFECT for 4th of july if you’re without a grill. It’s amazing crispy crust with sesame seeds and green onion is just so fricking good. It falls off the bone, and just ugh, I’m really sad that I probably won’t be having these for the 4th, but you should!
Hi Guys! So this summer the boyfriend and I have been doing a lot of rib experimenting. We’ve grilled our ribs, used a slow cooker, baked and broiled them in the oven, and I think my favorite version by far is the oven method, finished on the grill. I really love how tender the ribs get… like fall off the bone tender. You can get this with a slow cooker as well, but I think the slow cooker takes ribs a little too far. I feel like the meat becomes a little too soft and I don’t like how the bones also get so soft you can easily bend an break them in half. While I love cooking them on the grill, I’m still fudging with the process a little. I love the smoky flavor you get, but I’m still having a little trouble maintaining a low temperature for many hours.
If you’re a rib cooking beginner, I think the oven is the perfect way to get your feet wet. Ribs are still fairly cheap right now, so it’s a great time to go to your local market, pick up a slab or two and experiment. The 12 hour dry rub is a must. It really helps to tenderize the meat as well as impart awesome flavor deep into the flesh. I know the dry rub list…well the entire ingredient list for that matter, looks a little scary, but I guarantee you these ribs are worth it. You can totally also simplify the dry rub with a little garlic powder, sugar and salt, but I love this particular combination of spices.
I love these Honey Hoisin Baby Back Ribs because they get nice and sticky once the glaze is slathered on and it’s place back under the broiler. We’ve provided broiler instructions because not everyone has a grill, but if you would rather finish these on the grill, which is my personal preference, I recommend you reserve the braising liquid. I would (carefully) throw the ribs onto a hot grill (pre-glazed), meat side up, and mop the braising liquid over the rack every 3 minutes for 6 to 9 minutes. Brush the glaze over the ribs, on both sides and allow the glaze to caramelize for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the grill.
Although I’ve stuck to Asian flavors for these ribs, you can totally change the flavor profile around with a simple dry rub (as mentioned above) and finish the ribs with a barbecue sauce of your choice if that’s your preference. The overall method is the most important part here to ensure you have soft, tender and moist ribs.
I’m headed to a potluck picnic in Malibu this labor day and the boyfriend and I are seriously considering making these ribs as our contribution. If you’re still looking for a great labor day recipe to feed a crowd, maybe think about making these totally sticky, deliciously messy, crowd pleaser. Enjoy! xx, Jenny
Honey-Hoisin Baby Back Ribs
Serves 2 to 3
Ingredients:
1 (3 lb) rack baby back ribs
dry rub:
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
braising liquid:
1/2 cup sake or white wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon minced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
honey hoisin glaze:
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
garnishes:
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Place ribs on a baking sheet, lined with plastic wrap.
2. Mix together all the dry rub ingredients until well combined. Smother ribs with the dry rub, on both sides, until fully coated and tightly wrap with plastic wrap.
3. Refrigerate and allow ribs to marinate for 12 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325˚F.
5. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together all braising liquid ingredients.
6. Remove ribs from the refrigerator and unwrap. Place ribs atop a large sheet of heavy duty foil, meat side down, and lift up all sides around the ribs. Pour braising liquid over ribs and tightly wrap.
7. Place ribs onto a baking sheet and place into oven for about 2 1/2 hours.
8. While the ribs bake, place all glaze ingredients into a small saucepan and stir together. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the glaze reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from heat and allow glaze to cool.
9. Remove ribs from the oven and carefully unwrap. Remove ribs from the foil completely and place back onto the baking sheet, meat side down.
10. Turn broiler on high in oven.
11. Brush some of the glaze over the ribs and carefully flip over. Brush the glaze over the meaty side of the ribs and place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Brush ribs with more glaze and return to broiler for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until caramelized and the edges begin to crisp.
13. Remove from broiler and allow ribs to rest for about 10 minutes. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve.
These look fabulous! I love the cumin in it too!!
Love that you added some cumin. Did you use fresh ginger?
And now I know exactly how to make my next meal of baby back ribs. This looks like an awesome flavor combination!
A perfect recipe for the weekend.
These look soooo good. I make something similar with spare ribs, but I love the idea of using baby backs. YUM.
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I love this — this is definitely my go-to technique for making baby back ribs too!
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Bookmarking! I love soft, tender ribs but have been looking for a technique to get them just right (tender but caramelized)…this sounds like exactly it!
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These were AMAZING!!! Made them for guests and they couldn’t stop talking about them. Making them for more company tonight! Thanks for a great recipe! :)
I’m glad you brought these beauties back for this Labor Day as they look finger licking good. The hubby loves ribs so I am thinking now might be the time to treat him to a rack.
Now I have the biggest craving! Yum!
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This is a little bit of work, but well worth it. Great ribs.
Hello! This receipe looks delicious! I don’t have a broiler, so what do you suggest I do ?
Thank you
I would just suggest cranking your oven up to 450-500 degrees F, for about 10 minutes, with the ribs on a baking sheet meat side up. That should help to get a caramelized finish!
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Made these for dinner last night and was so pleased! The meat was tender, the glaze was delicious. I added chinese five spice to the dry rub and had to leave out the wine/sake… still tasty!
Wow! These ribs look sooo delicious and I love how the pics make this dish come alive. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
Have you ever tried skipping the broiler and finishing them off on a gas BBQ?
Yes! And that works really well, but I would maybe pull them out of the oven a little sooner so they don’t fall apart when you transfer them to the grill.
You can also make them in the oven ahead of time and refrigerate them tightly wrapped. Then when you’re ready to grill them, the cold ribs will be easy to place onto the hot grill, but still fall off the one when heated up!
Looks great! I love hoisin and these appear delicious!
We made these over the weekend and they were awesome!
It turned out great! We will be making it. It was a dish the whole family loves.
Made these over the weekend and husband and children declared they were the best thing I’ve ever made. I’ve been slowly making my way through your entire catalog of recipes. Chocolate donuts are next. Thank you!