Melt-in-your-mouth Bourbon-Honey Glazed Ribs
User Reviews
5
60 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
5 hrs
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Servings
26 Ribs
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Melt-in-your-mouth Bourbon-Honey Glazed Ribs
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This recipe prepares pork baby back ribs coated with a complex dry rub and slow-cooked at low temperature, then glazed with a bourbon-honey BBQ sauce. The dry rub combines sugars, spices, and smoked paprika to build a flavorful crust. The bourbon-honey glaze adds sweet and tangy notes enhanced by ingredients like Dijon mustard, hoisin sauce, and chili garlic sauce. Cooking ribs slowly at 225ºF yields tender meat that easily pulls from the bone, making it ideal for a slow-cooked dinner or special barbecue meal.
Description
Melt-in-your-mouth Bourbon-Honey Glazed Ribs start with removing the membrane from pork baby back ribs to improve texture. The ribs are coated in a spice-rich dry rub combining white and brown sugars, garlic, onion, and smoked paprika to develop a sweet and smoky crust. Cooking the ribs low and slow in the oven at 225ºF ensures the meat becomes tender while retaining juiciness. The accompanying BBQ glaze is simmered and reduced to concentrate flavors including bourbon, honey, molasses, Dijon mustard, and a touch of heat from gochujang or chili garlic sauce. After cooking, the ribs can be brushed with the glaze before serving to add a glossy, sticky coating that balances sweetness, heat, and umami. This method emphasizes long cooking for tenderness, balanced by a richly flavored finishing sauce. The glaze can be made ahead and refrigerated, allowing flexible preparation timing. Cutting racks in halves before cooking makes handling and serving easier.
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Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork baby back ribs about 2 racks, or spare ribs
- 8 oz apple juice
- For the Dry Rub or use a good store-bought rub:
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ground mustard powder about 1/2 tablespoon
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- paprika 1 tablespoon
- smoked paprika 1 tablespoon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt coarse
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper cracked
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- For the Bourbon-Honey Glaze BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup bourbon + 1 tablespoon at the end
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon gochujang optional, though if omitting, you might want more hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark molasses
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chili garlic sauce like sambal or Sriracha*
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper ground
Instructions
- For the Sauce: Combine all the ingredients (except for 1 tablespoon of the bourbon) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by 1/3, stirring often. Sauce should be dark and slightly thickened (about 20 minutes). Turn of the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of bourbon. Sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- For the Ribs: Preheat the oven to 225º F. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Slide a sharp knife under the white membrane on the back of the ribs and cut a hole into the membrane. Use your fingers to slide under the membrane and pull it away from the meat. Usually it helps to use a paper towel for extra grip. Remove all of the outer membrane and discard.
- Pat ribs very dry with paper towels and cut each rack in half (to make them easier to turn later). Sprinkle a good tablespoon of dry rub on each side of the ribs and press until it’s well-coated all over. (you should use about 4 tablespoons for 2 whole racks).
- Lay a large piece of foil on a baking tray and place one rack on it, meat-side up. Fold up 3 sides of the foil to create a rim: pour half the apple juice into this pocket and then fold over and crimp the packet closed. Wrap the packet in a 2nd layer of foil. Repeat with the second rack. Cook for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The ribs are ready when you can pierce them easily with a fork. Remove the ribs from the oven and set aside. Unwrap the ribs carefully and place them on a baking tray, meat side up. (Ribs can be par-cooked the day ahead and refrigerated at this point. If making the day ahead, let the ribs cool for 20 minutes, then take them out of the foil and place in sealable bags and refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature before the next step).
- Note: Ribs can be finished in the oven or on a grill. Turn the broiler on high (or prepare a grill with medium-high heat) and set an oven rack about 6 inches from heat. Coat the the ribs well with BBQ sauce. Place the ribs under the broiler or on grill and cook until the sauce just starts to bubble (4-5 minutes). Take them out and apply another coat of glaze and cook again until glaze bubbles and browns (Do not walk away while broiling! They can burn easily so watch carefully). Remove from the broiler or grill, cut the ribs and serve.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
60 reviews
Excellent
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