Smoked Asian Style Ribs
Smoked Asian-style ribs cooked in a sweet and sticky sauce are the best ribs you never knew you needed. They're the perfect combination of Asian flavors and traditional American-style BBQ techniques. Warm aromatic spices pair beautifully with wood smoke to create these sweet and tangy sticky ribs.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs
Asian Style BBQ Rub
- 4 Tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Braising Liquid
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white grape juice or apple juice
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 inch fresh ginger root peeled and sliced
- 6 scallion whites diced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
Sticky BBQ Sauce
- 10 oz red pepper jelly
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Garnishes
- sesame seeds to taste
- 6 scallion greens cut on a diagonal
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F with a fruit wood smoke like apple or cherry wood.
- Prep the ribs. Trim the ends of your baby back ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Combine all of the ingredients for the spice rub and sprinkle liberally on all sides of the ribs.
- Smoke. Place the ribs on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for 2 hours.
- Make the braising liquid. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Whisk to ensure all of the sugar crystals have dissolved.
- Increase the temp. Remove the ribs from the smoker, place them in an aluminum pan, and increase the heat in your smoker to 325 degrees F.
- Braise. Pour the braising liquid over the ribs and flip the ribs over a couple of times to coat all sides. Flip the ribs so they are meat-side down, cover tightly with foil, and return to the grill. Cook at 325 degrees F for 3 hours, or until you see the bones sticking out of the meat about 1/2 inch.
- Increase the temp again. Remove the pan of ribs from the grill and increase the heat again to 400-450 degrees F.
- Make the sticky BBQ sauce. Carefully remove the ribs from the pan to a cutting board. Strain 2 cups of the remaining braising liquid into a medium saucepan. Add in the red pepper jelly and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce has reduced by 1/3.
- Coat the ribs. Slice each rack of ribs into individual ribs. Using tongs, dip each rib into the pan with the BBQ sauce until they are coated on all sides with the BBQ sauce.
- Finish grilling. Return the ribs to the grill for 3-5 minutes, flipping each rib once to tighten the sauce and add just a little char to the edges of the ribs.
- Garnish and enjoy! Remove all of the ribs to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the scallion greens. Serve with additional BBQ sauce, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 841mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2822IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 4mg