Asian Style Baby Back Ribs

One of my favorite meat groups, baby back ribs.  There was a time I was intimidated by pork ribs, I wasn't sure how to cook them, afraid they would turn out tough (actually happened) and overall just wouldn't measure up to the fine ribs the real barbecuers' cook.  Since then I have come along way with my rib cooking and I think I can cook ribs with the best of them when I have my grill, a real charcoal grill.  At this moment I don't have a grill so I have to make do with the next best thing, my oven.

 I am always looking for different ways to cook ribs so when the wife said there was a baby back rib recipe in her new Taste of Home magazine I was interested.  The photo certainly made the ribs look good as it should, the ingredients were easy to come by and the recipe had an asian flare, always a good thing in my book.  (If you are interested in the original recipe from Taste of Home magazine you can click here and print it.)

Let's get started with this weeks Sunday Dinner Episode with introductions of the cast of supporting characters.  Looks like a fairly normal cast this week of which most of the ingredients can be already found in most pantries.  Like I have said before I don't like looking all over creation for my ingredients.  It's the kiss principle Keep It Simple Stupid. 

Now of course if you are an astute reader you will notice one character has yet to be introduced and that of course is the baby back ribs.  I buy my baby back ribs from Whole Foods, simply put they have the best, always fresh, they aren't injected with anything, and a lot of times the tough skin on the back of the ribs is already removed for you.  Sure you pay a few extra cents per pound but in the end it is worth it.

The first order of business is to make an initial glaze to put on the ribs at the beginning of cooking.  This glaze starts with molasses, never a bad thing.  To be honest it's the molasses that got my attention when I read over the recipe.  The glaze gets brushed on, both sides of course.

Once the ribs are in the oven it's time to make the final glaze for the ribs.  It's pretty simple, toss all the ingredients in a sauce pan and reduce.  This is where I decided to change the recipe more to my liking.  I thought the sauce was a bit "tangy" for what I wanted so I made an executive decision and added 2 tablespoons of molasses and 2 tablespoons of honey.  Yep that did the trick for me, a little sweeter and I like sweet.

One hour later I pulled the ribs out of the oven, yep you read that right 1 hour later.  I'll admit I was a bit skeptical since I have always cooked my ribs the real barbecuers' way, low and slow.  That's the way I learned how to cook ribs but I was willing to try a new method, I was praying I wouldn't ruin them in the mean time too. 

Since I am without a grill at this time I put the ribs under the broiler for the final 10 minutes.  The outcome?  Well I was pleasantly surprised.  Were they as good as cooking them on the grill, no, but they are certainly a good alternative.  With keeping in mind they were cooked in the oven and trying not to compare them with ribs cooked on the grill I rate these a 4 out of 5 forks.  I'll certainly make them again and can't wait to cook them on a grill.  I think the grill will give them a completely different flavor.

Asian-Style Baby Back Ribs

(Adapted from Taste of Home Asian Style Baby Back Ribs)

(Printable Version)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds pork baby back ribs
4-1/2 teaspoons molasses
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

GLAZE:
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
Chopped green onion

Directions

Pat ribs dry. Combine the molasses, garlic salt, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce; spoon over meat. Place ribs on a rack in a small shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake at 350° for 90 minutes or until tender.

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, pineapple juice concentrate, vinegar, hoisin sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, molasses, honey and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Brush ribs with some of the glaze; grill over medium heat for 8-12 minutes or until browned, turning frequently and brushing with additional glaze. Serve remaining glaze on the side.

Garnish with onion.