Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs
These oven-baked Asian Baby Back Ribs are so tender, succulent, and flavorful, you’d never guess they weren’t grilled! They’re a terrific company entree, but easy enough for Sunday night dinner at home.
This Baby Back Ribs Recipe is a family favorite. It’s worth every napkin and sticky fingers to indulge in these BBQ ribs!
Why You Must Make
Bill had been at meetings all week and arose at 4 AM to catch his flight back home. With only a glass of orange juice for breakfast, he was definitely ready for dinner when he dropped his suitcase at the door late in the afternoon. Only a pile of bones remained on his plate after dinner. Along with the bones came with a lot of praise for this rib recipe as he went back for “just one more” a few times.
- Inspired by Wolfgang Puck, a master of Asian flavors, ensures a top-notch recipe.
- The sublime combination of rice wine vinegar, (affiliate link) [easyazon_link identifier=”B0002YB210″ locale=”US” tag=”thskchcaba-20″]mirin[/easyazon_link] (affiliate link), honey, soy, ginger, scallions and garlic is reduced to a syrupy glaze.
- I promise you these are finger-licking good ribs!
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Honey, Soy Sauce
- Baby Back Ribs – 2 racks, have your butcher remove any membranes.
- Beer – 1 bottle, should be decent quality but not necessarily a premium brand.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Look for with the other kinds of vinegar or in the Asian food section of your grocery store.
- Mirin – A low-alcohol wine made with rice. Used frequently in Japanese cooking.
- Fresh Garlic – Peeled and minced.
- Fresh Ginger – Peeled and minced.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Add more or less depending on your heat tolerance.
How to Make
We typically BBQ ribs on the grill in the summer and ignore them the rest of the year. Such a shame. So when I found a package of baby back ribs in the freezer this autumn, I knew I needed to test out a new “indoor” method. I’ve used Penzey’s low and slow technique to start my ribs, but finish them off on the grill for that to die for lightly charred exterior and infusion of smokey flavor.
- Cook this baby back rib recipe covered on a [easyazon_link identifier=”B000G0KJG4″ locale=”US” tag=”thskchcaba-20″]rimmed baking sheet[/easyazon_link] (affiliate link) at 250º for 5-6 hours. This makes for fall of the bone tender meat.
- They’re awfully gray looking at that point. So take off the top layer of foil, carefully pour off the excess liquid, and crank up the oven.
- Brush with glaze every 10 minutes allowing for the coveted caramelization, without burning or drying out the meat.
- Grab some extra napkins and dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
They are pork ribs found where the ribs meet the spine. They are “baby” since they’re shorter than spareribs. They are also known as pork loin back ribs, back ribs, or loin ribs.
Baby back ribs need to be cooked at low heat over a long period of time. This low and slow method helps break down the connective tissue making for tender, fall off the bone meat. This can be done in the oven or on a well-regulated barbecue grill.
Though they need to reach 145 degrees F. to be safe to eat according to the FDA, they will not be tender at that point. Instead, cook until their internal temperature reaches 190-203 degrees so that both the collagen is broken down and much of the fat is rendered.
Sauces should be added during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking. This prevents the sugars in the sauce from burning. If you like extra saucy ribs, just pass some BBQ sauce when serving.
You May Also Like:
If you are looking for an Instant Pot rib recipe, these short ribs are fabulous! Check out more of the best baby back rib recipes:
- BBQ Baby Back Ribs from Grandbaby Cakes
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- Apricot Glazed Baby Back Ribs
- Fall Off the Bones Baby Back Ribs
- More of the best Entree Recipes
Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs Recipe
These slow cooked fall off the bone ribs are glazed with an Asian BBQ sauce
Ingredients
- Salt, pepper and garlic powder
- 2 racks baby back ribs, membrane removed
- 1 bottle of beer
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mirin
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- A scant ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250º.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Season ribs well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place ribs on the baking sheet, meaty side up, and pour beer around the perimeter.
- Cover the top of the ribs with foil and fold down around the edges to seal. Bake for 5-6 hours.
- Make glaze by combining the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, till reduced to a cup or less. Strain into a clean container and let cool. The glaze should become slightly thick and syrupy as it cools.
- After 5 hours or so, remove the foil and brush the ribs with the glaze.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350º and continue to brush the ribs with the glaze every 10 minutes for 40 minutes or till the glaze is almost gone and the ribs are browned.
Notes
If you'd like your ribs to have a smoky flavor, finish them off on your grill. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 697Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 988mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 46gProtein: 38g
47 Comments on “Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs”
I loved this! Really amazing and easy to make!
First of all, I love the skinny tip you shared here, I never thought about how nail polish would keep me from eating! I wouldn’t want to be kept from these ribs, they are amazing!
Love the addition of beer to this recipe! Loved the way these turned out.
My family also left a stack of bones. These are so delicious!
Can i just leave the beer out? Planning on making tomorrow!
Hi, SK, I think you’ll need the moisture to help tenderize the meat. Maybe add some apple cider or broth? But you can definitely not use beer. Hope you enjoy!
I made this last night for dinner and it is amazing!! I did add one other ingredient to the sauce – 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce – but otherwise followed recipe exactly . . . this is my new go to rib recipe . . . it is a keeper for sure!!
One of my favorites, too! Thanks so much for letting me know, Terri 🙂
THIS, is summertime on a plate!
Everyone would approve these at my house! They look amazing! 🙂
These look mouthwatering and amazing and very easy to make. They are actually perfect for a winter day when I like having an excuse to keep the oven on all day! Also, we live in an apartment and don’t have a grill, so I love summer grilling recipes that are transformed for us non-grill people.
Happy New Year!
This recipe is great! Also I used green onions instead of scallions. Delicious recipe.
Wonderful, Nanditha! So glad you enjoyed!
These look so good. It is a good meal when all that is left is a pile of bones!
I love Wolfgang Puck! I like to cook ribs long and slow so I would love these. I also love them with Asian-inspired flavours! I’m so glad Bill had a meal! And starting your day at 4am does give you a big appetite. I hope your holiday in NZ is going well. Happy New Year to you and Bill and all the family xx
Any chance you have space for one more at the table next time you make these? They’re one of my fave foods, so I don’t know why I haven’t given them a go before now. Love the sound of that glaze on these!
I recently cooked up a batch of ribs very similar to these for the Canadian Lufe Style Show, Steven and Chris. The were absolutely finger licking good so I can just imagine how delicious these would be.
Truly amazing looking ribs, we should make them in the winter. That is the trick: low heat fora long time! Happy New Year, all the best!
This ribs looks wonderful.. Sounds a great idea even for New Year’s Eve dinner.
Mmmm…. these look delicious! I love how tender and sticky they look and the Asian flavors in the sauce!
This must be a winner of a recipe if it is hubby approved! I think the hardest part is having to smell that wonderful aroma while you waited for hours for the ribs to be cooked. Good things you have to wait for! Wishing you and your family a super 2015!
oh my husband would be all over this he loves him some baby back ribs and interestingly enough we have never done “Asian” flavors with them before. It looks like a must try. pinning this for future!
So yummy looking…One of my favorites! And I am definitely going to make these Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs