The Secret Ingredient (Maple Syrup): Maple Baby-Back Ribs Recipe

By
Kerry Saretsky
a photograph of Kerry Seretsky, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kerry Saretsky

Kerry Saretsky interned at Serious Eats in 2008, and wrote the French in a Flash recipe column. She also writes her own blog on modernized French cuisine called French Revolution Food.

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Updated October 09, 2018
20100830MapleRibs610.jpg

[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

Maple syrup is made, not surprisingly, from the sap of the maple tree. I love it as a sweetener because not only is it sweet, but also smoky, which lends itself well to savory applications as well as the tried and true sweet ones.

For this recipe, I marinate tender, lean baby back ribs in maple syrup and apple cider vinegar for a sweet-tart complexity. I then bake the ribs in a low oven for three hours, until the meat is tender and flaking off the bone, and the syrup has burnt and caramelized on the ribs, intensifying both its sweetness and smokiness. These ribs are simple and subtle, but also satisfying and excellent.

Recipe Details

The Secret Ingredient (Maple Syrup): Maple Baby-Back Ribs Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 3 hrs
Marinate 60 mins
Total 4 hrs 5 mins
Serves 2 servings
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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds baby back ribs

  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. In large bowl, combine ribs with maple syrup, cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer to gallon-sized zipper-lock back and refrigerate for one hour.

  2. Transfer ribs to foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake, turning every 45 minutes until ribs are dry and tender and marinade has caramelized, about three hours total. Remove from oven, allow to rest 5 minutes, and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
2200 Calories
146g Fat
54g Carbs
157g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 2200
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 146g 188%
Saturated Fat 53g 265%
Cholesterol 572mg 191%
Sodium 2538mg 110%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 49g
Protein 157g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 398mg 31%
Iron 6mg 36%
Potassium 1816mg 39%
*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.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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