Barbecue: Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze Recipe

Name: Barbecue: Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 255 min
Total time: 745 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 racks of pork spare ribs; Your favorite dry rub; 3 cups pineapple juice; 1/8 cup olive oil; 1/8 cup chopped onion; 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic; 2 cups ketchup; 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; 1/2 cup apple juice; 1/8 cup honey; 3/4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Closeup of Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze, served in a basket on top of a thick slice of toast. — Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

I can barely control my excitement as I sit here and stare at my Fast Pass for the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, thinking about the enormous amounts of 'cue I'm destined to consume next weekend. The anticipation was a little too much for me handle the other day—I couldn't wait a second longer for some smoke-kissed meat, so I fired up the smoker and threw on a bunch of beautiful racks of spare ribs and was eating pretty five hours later.

I've been partial to Mike Mills's Apple City Ribs both at home and at the BABBP for years now, never finding a good reason to stray from perfection, but I decided to switch it up a bit and tried a recipe from Chris Lilly, pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson's (who makes the best pulled pork that will ever cross your lips). The recipe gave me pause for a second—with its smoke/braise/smoke formula, I questioned the authenticity of it being true 'cue, but then I figured it sounded too delicious to pass up and forged ahead. It ended up that this was a recipe for success—the ribs were succulent, retaining their smokiness while adding a layer of depth with the sweetness from the pineapple braise. The only problem is that they were gone so fast that I'm now left with no 'cue, and with my thoughts trained on the BABBP, I'm coming to the realization that one week is too long to live without more.

May 2008

Barbecue: Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze Recipe

Prep 10 mins

Cook 4 hrs 15 mins

Chilling Time 8 hrs

Total 12 hrs 25 mins

Serves 4 to 6 servings

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For the Ribs:

2 medium rib pork spare ribs
Your favorite dry rub
3 cups pineapple juice

For the Glaze:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Remove the membrane and trim the ribs. Rub each rack liberally with your favorite dry rub. Place ribs in the refrigerator overnight.
Lightly sauté the onions and garlic with the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the remaining glaze ingredients and heat until the sauce bubbles. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the ribs from the fridge while you preheat your smoker to 225°F (110°C). Place the ribs in the smoker, meat side up, and smoke for 3 hours.
Remove the ribs and wrap each slab meat-side down in double aluminum foil. Pour 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice over each rack and seal foil tightly. Place ribs back into the smoker and cook for an additional hour.
Remove ribs from the smoker and the foil. Lightly apply more dry rub, and then place back into smoker, meat side up, to cook for an additional hour or until done.
Brush glaze on top of the ribs and continue to cook until the sauce caramelizes. Remove from the smoker, slice, and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
378	Calories
10g	Fat
70g	Carbs
5g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	378
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 2g	11%
Cholesterol 18mg	6%
Sodium 950mg	41%
Total Carbohydrate 70g	25%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 60g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 67mg	334%
Calcium 62mg	5%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 538mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.