Sticky Pineapple Ribs

Sticky Pineapple Ribs

These pork ribs are braised low and slow in a sweet-savory mix of pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic and onion until the meat surrenders, then finished under high heat with a glossy ketchup-honey glaze that caramelizes into something sticky and a little smoky. Because the ribs are cut apart instead of being cooked as a rack, each one gets perfectly seasoned and completely glazed all over. The braise does most of the work of building deep flavor and the finishing glaze handles the rest. Serve with white rice or cornbread and a sharp slaw to cut the richness.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For the Ribs

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

½ teaspoon black pepper

3 to 4 pounds St. Louis- or country-style pork ribs, cut into individual ribs (see Tips)

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil for searing, plus more if necessary 

1 medium onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 cup pure pineapple juice

⅓ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Glaze

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup honey

2 to 3 tablespoons (light or dark) brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For serving

Cooked white rice, cornbread or coleslaw, optional

Prepare the ribs: Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and rub the seasoning evenly over every side.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches so the pot is not crowded and lowering the heat as necessary to avoid scorching, sear the ribs on all sides until deeply browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate as they finish. 

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot, nestling them into the liquid — it should come about halfway up the ribs. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour, remove the ribs from the oven and gently toss and rearrange. Return to oven and cook another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until very tender but not falling off the bone. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and uncover it. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. 

While the oven heats, prepare the glaze: Combine the ketchup, honey, brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Transfer the ribs to a rack set on a baking sheet. Pour or brush the glaze over the ribs, turning each piece to coat. Return the ribs to the oven and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until caramelized. If you’d like, skim the fat from the braising liquid in the pot. Serve the ribs hot, with the braising liquid spooned over rice or reduced into a sauce on the side.

Tips: Country-style ribs or a St. Louis cut both work. Baby backs cook a touch faster — start checking at the 1 hour 30 minute mark.

Ask the butcher to cut the rack into individual ribs, or do it yourself with a sharp chef's knife between the bones before seasoning.

Delicious and absolutely falling off the bone tender. We used the instapot so the kitchen didn’t heat up for the 1 1/2 hr -2 hr low roast part of the recipe. 13 min in the instapot so really sped up the process. Gave 4 stars because it’s pretty sweet. I’ll lower sugar next time I make. Or if you like sweet, than Sweet Baby Rays sauce will do the trick if you don’t want to make the sauce.

Glaze: Decreased brown sugar to 1 Tbls and added 1/4 tsp of cayenne.

On the other hand my family and I have made an Asian style marinade for what we call “Grandma’s Chicken” either these ingredients for years and years. Sometimes using pineapple juice, sometimes lemon juice, sometimes Asian vinegar. Depends on how the cook feels that day. Marinate overnight and roast in the oven at 350. Easy and very tasty.Go for it!

Braise: Removed fat from braising liquid, strained, and reduced a little on stove to pour over rice (super flavorful - worth it!)

Browning the meat makes a huge difference in the flavor and texture of the final dish. If you skip this step, then it will not be nearly as good. It's not just extra, unnecessary work. Browning truly matters. Good question.