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Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs

posted by Liz Berg on December 29, 2014 (updated 1/6/24)

These oven-baked Asian Baby Back Ribs are so tender, succulent, and flavorful, you’d never guess they weren’t grilled! They’re a terrific company entree, but easy enough for Sunday night dinner at home.

This Baby Back Ribs Recipe is a family favorite. It’s worth every napkin and sticky fingers to indulge in these BBQ ribs!

Asian Baby Back Ribs on a small white plate with some thin scallion slices.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Ingredient Notes

3 How to Make

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 You May Also Like:

6 Slow Cooked Asian Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Why You Must Make

Bill had been at meetings all week and arose at 4 AM to catch his flight back home. With only a glass of orange juice for breakfast, he was definitely ready for dinner when he dropped his suitcase at the door late in the afternoon. Only a pile of bones remained on his plate after dinner. Along with the bones came with a lot of praise for this rib recipe as he went back for “just one more” a few times.

Inspired by Wolfgang Puck, a master of Asian flavors, ensures a top-notch recipe.
The sublime combination of rice wine vinegar, (affiliate link) mirin (affiliate link), honey, soy, ginger, scallions and garlic is reduced to a syrupy glaze.
I promise you these are finger-licking good ribs!

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Honey, Soy Sauce
Baby Back Ribs – 2 racks, have your butcher remove any membranes.
Beer – 1 bottle, should be decent quality but not necessarily a premium brand.
Rice Wine Vinegar – Look for with the other kinds of vinegar or in the Asian food section of your grocery store.
Mirin – A low-alcohol wine made with rice. Used frequently in Japanese cooking.
Fresh Garlic – Peeled and minced.
Fresh Ginger – Peeled and minced.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Add more or less depending on your heat tolerance.

Overhead view of Oven Baked Asian Baby Back Ribs on a small white plate.

How to Make

We typically BBQ ribs on the grill in the summer and ignore them the rest of the year. Such a shame. So when I found a package of baby back ribs in the freezer this autumn, I knew I needed to test out a new “indoor” method. I’ve used Penzey’s low and slow technique to start my ribs, but finish them off on the grill for that to die for lightly charred exterior and infusion of smokey flavor.

Cook this baby back rib recipe covered on a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link) at 250º for 5-6 hours. This makes for fall of the bone tender meat.
They’re awfully gray looking at that point. So take off the top layer of foil, carefully pour off the excess liquid, and crank up the oven.
Brush with glaze every 10 minutes allowing for the coveted caramelization, without burning or drying out the meat.
Grab some extra napkins and dig in!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Baby Back Ribs?

They are pork ribs found where the ribs meet the spine. They are “baby” since they’re shorter than spareribs. They are also known as pork loin back ribs, back ribs, or loin ribs.

What’s The Best Way to Cook Ribs?

Baby back ribs need to be cooked at low heat over a long period of time. This low and slow method helps break down the connective tissue making for tender, fall off the bone meat. This can be done in the oven or on a well-regulated barbecue grill.

What Temperature Are Baby Back Ribs Done?

Though they need to reach 145 degrees F. to be safe to eat according to the FDA, they will not be tender at that point. Instead, cook until their internal temperature reaches 190-203 degrees so that both the collagen is broken down and much of the fat is rendered.

When Should You Add a Glaze or BBQ Sauce?

Sauces should be added during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking. This prevents the sugars in the sauce from burning. If you like extra saucy ribs, just pass some BBQ sauce when serving.