This recipe has a few moving parts: a rub for the meat, a sauce for flavor and a honey glaze to make them sticky. To eat these properly, you need a stack of napkins and a cold draft beer or an ice-cold soda where the bubbles go up your nose on that first sip. I use “St. Louis style” ribs, which is a butcher’s cut where cartilage and rib tips are removed for even cooking. You can absolutely grill the ribs and finish cooking them in the oven. You can roast them and then run under the broiler for a couple minutes before glazing with the honey, too. I like to blanch them for a couple minutes to make them slightly leaner and the remaining fat crispier once the ribs are cooked. The flavors are tasty, and that’s the big goal here. These ribs will taste addictive. I serve them with a side of steamed rice seasoned with a splash of rice wine vinegar. You can also serve with grits. I like a side salad of mustard greens with chopped scallions, too.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 9 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 2 racks (5 to 5 1/2 pounds) St. Louis pork ribs, cut into 4 to 5 racks of a few ribs each
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- 2 cups hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
- 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar, or more as needed
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 8 large cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons Sichuan chile crisp
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt. Submerge the ribs, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, and simmer in the water for 2 minutes each. Remove and drain.
- For the rub: In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the brown sugar with the salt, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, ginger and clove. Rub the mix all over the racks of ribs. Refrigerate, unwrapped, for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.
- For the sauce: In a medium saucepan, add the hoisin, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. In a small saute pan, add the sesame oil with the garlic cloves and coriander seeds and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 1 minute. Add to the sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat and allow to cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Turn off the heat and keep warm. Stir in the chile crisp. Divide the sauce into two bowls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush half the sauce on both sides of the racks and arrange, meaty side up, on 2 baking sheets fitted with baking racks. Cover the ribs with foil and seal the edges. Place the baking sheets close to the center of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and cook until nicely browned and tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven.
- For the sticky glaze: In a large skillet, bring the honey to a simmer. When it starts to foam and brown, remove from the heat and slowly add the apple cider vinegar. Return the skillet to the heat and simmer, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the ginger.
- Transfer the racks to a flat surface and cut between each bone to make individual ribs. Arrange the ribs meaty side up on a baking sheet. You can serve them immediately, or spoon more sauce over the ribs and return to the oven, 10 to 15 minutes, so it dries and really coats the meat.
- Remove the ribs from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sticky glaze all over the ribs. Sprinkle apple cider vinegar directly on the meat as desired. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 1267 |
| Total Fat | 76 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 90 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 71 g |
| Protein | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 240 mg |
| Sodium | 2713 mg |
Reviews
Does anything bad happen if you leave the rub on more than 12 hours?
These ribs were outstanding. I used St Louis style ribs. It was an all day process with the rub, resting and making sauces and cooking. I was skeptical about the sticky glaze, when tasting it seemed too vinegary. But Wow it added a new dimension. We served it at the table letting each try it. Made the ribs over the top!
The sauce is amazing. The ribs were super tender and moist. I was iffy on the sticky glaze, so only put it on a small portion. We liked the ribs better without it. We think it would be good on chicken or salmon.
These were amazing. It took time to put this together but it was well worth it. Delicious!
Excellent, maybe the best ribs I have made, much less tasted.
Wonderful! I had to make some substitutions. Regular oil for sesame oil, coriander powder for the real thing, cayenne for the chile crisps (which I have never seen in any grocery) and a lump of frozen ginger for the grated fresh. This is the best rib treatment I’ve seen in years. It takes a while, and is messy, but it’s delish. Buy the extra-large, extra-strength barbecue foil if you can find it. I served with good sourdough. Next time good tomatoes and corn are in, they are on the menu, too. The sticky glaze will be good on many things or as a dip for fried tidbits such as egg rolls, noodle dishes, other hors d’oeuvres.
A good deal of ingredients, a decent amount of prep (boil, rub, sauce, sauce).
Mine took me 12 hours while I was working at home.
These are great. The sauces together are amazing and worth the effort.
I really did enjoy making these and the fam is happy!
Mine took me 12 hours while I was working at home.
These are great. The sauces together are amazing and worth the effort.
I really did enjoy making these and the fam is happy!
I made this yesterday. The recipe does have a lot of ingredients but is well worth it! They were tender and delicious! Thanks!
Bizarrely, I had every single ingredient in my kitchen already. I did use baby backs instead of spare ribs, because that’s what I had. I chose to divide the cook up into two days, leaving the rub on overnight. This is not a quick recipe, but so delicious. I only made half the ribs cause it’s just my husband and I but I made a full recipe of sauce to use in other ways. The next day I did take some meat off the leftover ribs that I made and made Asian tacos topped with cabbage and carrots slaw. The veg really was a nice balance to the rich sweet sticky of the ribs. I am planning on keeping it in my pocket for future guests!
I’ve got them in the oven now for the first hour and a half. I’m using baby backs since the St. Louis ribs didn’t look that good when I was shopping. The house smells insane but I am alittle worried about the acidity of the sauce. I’m hoping that it calms down during the baking process.