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Honey Garlic Sticky Ribs stacked on a white plate

Honey Garlic Sticky Ribs

Sweet, sticky, tender ribs with the best, most finger licking good honey garlic glaze you can imagine.
Course Appetizer/Party Food, Barbecue and Grilling
Cuisine Asian Inspired
Keyword honey garlic, ribs
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings 6
Author Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds pork ribs back or side ribs

For the dry rub

  • 2 tbsp powdered ginger
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the glaze

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 cup honey
  • ΒΌ cup soy sauce low sodium soy sauce is best
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

To make the dry rub

  1. Mix together all ingredients well.

To make the glaze

  1. In a medium saucepan add the 2 tbsp olive oil and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown.
  2. Add the honey, soy sauce and black pepper.
  3. Simmer very slowly together for about 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

To prepare the ribs

  1. There is a thin membrane called silver skin on the back of all pork ribs that I like to remove first. If left on, it will shrink during cooking and cause the ribs to curl. It also prevents the spice mix from seasoning the underside of the ribs. I push a butter knife between the silver skin and the first bone on the rack of ribs to loosen the skin, then I poke my finger into the slit the knife has made, grasp the silver skin and pull it off all the way down the length of the rack of ribs.
  2. Liberally rub the spice mix all over the surface of the pork ribs on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for several hours or as I prefer, overnight. You can of course cook them immediately but you get better flavour penetration into the meat if you do it in advance. They will be delicious either way if you are pressed for time.
  3. Place the ribs, uncovered, on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in a 225 degree F oven for 8-9 hours depending on the thickness of the ribs. Baby Back Ribs tend to take less time than side ribs for example.
  4. In the last couple of hours or so of cooking time, begin brushing on the glaze and turning the ribs every 30 minutes or so. You can continuously brush on layers of glaze for as long and as often as you like to build up the sticky glaze to your taste.
  5. When a bone from the ribs is easily and cleanly able to be pulled away from the meat, then they are done.
  6. Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes before serving.