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3 ingredient sweet & tangy pork ribs marinade and hints how to make easy fork tender ribs. Start in the oven…finish on the grill!
I like a challenge. Especially when it comes to cooking.
I’ve been married over 19 years now and for the first few years of our marriage, I was always trying new recipes. Although cooking wasn’t new to me, getting to plan menus, grocery shop and cook meals for my little family was new. And I loved it.
All these years later, I still like tackling new things in the kitchen, whether it’s a new cooking technique, how to use a new ingredient or a new-to-me cut of meat.
These sweet & tangy pork ribs are my latest successful challenge and I’m so excited to share them with you! Let’s talk abouthow to make easy fork tender ribs!
Thanks to the Ohio Pork Council for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
Baby Back Ribs in the Oven
Cooking a rack of baby back ribs to fall of the bone fork tender perfection isn’t as hard as it seems. Before this summer, I had never cooked pork ribs before, much to my husband’s dismay. It was a big cut of meat and a little intimidating to me, but I can honestly say today I wish I had tried it long ago.
Difference between Baby Back Ribs and Spare Ribs
Choose baby back pork ribs. What’s the difference between baby back ribs and spare ribs? Baby back ribs are smaller, which can seem less intimidating than the larger, rectangular spare ribs. Baby back ribs are more curved than the flatter spare ribs. Baby back ribs are also leaner and more tender than spare ribs. Since I was new to cooking ribs, I chose baby back, but you can feel free to use spare ribs if you’d like. You may have to cook them longer since they are a larger cut.
Removing Membrane from Ribs
Remove the membrane on baby back ribs. On the underside of the rib rack, there is a very thin membrane. To remove the membrane, simply slide a knife under the membrane on one end of the ribs. Use the knife to loosen the membrane over one bone. Using a paper towel, grab hold of the membrane and pull back. The membrane may come off in one piece or several smaller pieces.
How to Cook Ribs in the Oven
Bake pork ribs in the oven. For easy, fork-tender pork ribs, start the ribs in the oven. Place them in a baking pan, pour your favorite pork marinade recipe overtop and cover the pan with foil. Bake the pork ribs “low and slow”…..low oven temperature (300 degrees) for 3 hours. The exact time will depend in the size of the pork ribs. Test the ribs…they should be fork tender before removing them from the oven.
Finishing Ribs on the Grill
Finish the pork ribs on the grill. Once the pork ribs come out of the oven, finish them on the grill for a little bit of smoky flavor and those gorgeous grill lines. Make sure the grill is at least 400 degrees to get those nice sear lines. The pork is cooked completely at this point, so you’ll just need about 4-5 minutes of grilling on each side.
The week I was perfecting my rib-making skills, we had these sweet & tangy pork ribs 4 nights in a row. Matt fell in love with them and said he never knew he liked ribs so much.
There ya go. If you’ve never made pork ribs before, take on this challenge. If I can do it, you can do it!
If you’ve been making pork ribs for years, share your hints. I’d love to continue to learn. And give this easy pork rib marinade a try next time. 🙂
How to Make Easy Fork Tender Ribs
4.64 from 11 votes
3 ingredient sweet & tangy pork ribs marinade and hints on how to make easy fork tender pork ribs. Start in the oven…finish on the grill!
Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by lining it with 2 large pieces of foil, crossing them in the center so the pork ribs can be enclosed in the foil.
Use a sharp knife to loosen the thin membrane on the back of the rib rack.
Grab hold of the membrane using a paper towel and pull back to remove the membrane. Discard the membrane.
Cut the rack of ribs into 3 sections.
In a small bowl, combine chili sauce, molasses and vinegar. Mix well.
Reserve ½ cup of sauce for basting during grilling.
Place the rib pieces on the foil in the baking pan.
Pour the sauce over top the ribs.
Fold the foil over the ribs to enclose them.
Bake for 3 hours.
Remove ribs from the oven. Grill ribs on a preheated grill (400 degrees) for 4-6 minutes per side. Baste with additional marinade while the ribs are grilling.
Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the recipe being divided 5 ways and all of the marinade being used. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
For easy, fork-tender pork ribs, start the ribs in the oven. Place them in a baking pan, pour your favorite pork marinade recipe overtop and cover the pan with foil. Bake the pork ribs “low and slow”….. low oven temperature (300 degrees) for 3 hours.
This recipe skips the braising step, so you have to keep them moist another way. Steam and basting are the magical solutions to this conundrum. Using a small saucepan heat apple cider and butter and then place it in the grill with the ribs. The steam from the liquid will keep the ribs from drying out.
Remember, we're not making this taste like lime, lime is a natural meat tenderizer. Lime is a natural meat tenderizer. Now you want to generously coat all sides of the ribs with our Rib Rub. Don't go sparingly on it – make sure everybody's got some of it on there.
The longer simmering time helps break down the connective tissue and skin and brings out the tenderness and flavor. The key to this method is to simmer, not boil. If you boil the meat for an hour it can lead to prematurely cooking of the ribs and you'll end up with awful, tough meat.
Most ribs hit their sweet spot for doneness around 198 degrees F, but some take until 203 degrees F to be perfectly tender. This spread in final temperature is one reason why thermometers are a great jumping off-point for rib perfection, but not the be-all-end-all indicator.
Pre-boiling boneless pork ribs is a common technique used to help render some of the fat and make the meat more tender. It is not necessary, but it can contribute to a more succulent final result. You can simmer the ribs in a flavorful liquid for about 20 minutes before grilling, baking, or broiling.
Moist, gentle heat and a wet vinegary sauce can save dry ribs. Here's what to do: Make a 50/50 mixture of your favorite BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar and coat the ribs in this mixture. Then wrap the ribs tightly in foil and put them in a low oven (say 300°F) for about an hour.
Combine the apple cider vinegar and apple juice in a spritzing bottle. Spritz the ribs every 30 minutes after the first hour. Spritz and smoke. Keep your temperatures at 275 degrees F and the spritz hitting the ribs every 30 minutes until those ribs are tender.
Essentially, 3 2 1 ribs go like this: 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on the pellet grill.2 hours wrapped in foil, still cooking on the grill.1 hour of cooking, unwrapped and slathered in barbecue sauce.
You may, if desired, spritz or mop your ribs while smoking with a liquid of your choice. Apple juice or cider, butter, Dr.Pepper, apple cider vinegar, beer… there are plenty of options.
I bake my ribs in a 275°F oven for two to three hours. This simple recipe guarantees tender ribs every time! I use the same method when I make my Asian sticky ribs with a hoisin glaze.
Soak your pork in a salt-based brine before cooking it using your desired method. Pork chops need to soak between 12–24 hours, an entire pork tenderloin needs to soak for 6–12 hours, and an entire pork loin requires 2–4 days of soaking. Rinse the brine from the meat after the brining period is complete.
Boiling the meat not only renders out the fat but it also naturally releases the natural juices of the spareribs, both of which are important to maintaining the true flavor of the ribs.
The trick is so good, she says, she sometimes does it even with really fresh, beautiful ribs. Essentially, the vinegar solution "cleanses" the meat and makes the flavors shine through without any "gamey" flavor.
Do you bake ribs covered or uncovered? You can cook ribs either covered with foil or uncovered. Foil is used to stop the meat from drying out but is not essential. If cooking uncovered and you notice the meat is drying out or browning too quickly, you can cover with foil for the remaining cook time.
If you're cooking fast and hot, you don't need to wrap anything in foil. A foil wrapper works best with low and slow cooking methods. Take your meat out of the foil earlier rather than later. Otherwise, it can get mushy, and no one will want to eat it.
A rack of back ribs will take between 1 1/2 -2 hours to cook (with lid closed), and you should flip them approximately every 20 minutes. Baste with BBQ sauce each time you flip. To check for doneness and tenderness, insert a sharp-knife between two ribs, it should insert without any resistance.
Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat. Once the proteins are broken by acid, one loose protein can bond with another and trap liquid in the meat, making it juicy and tender.
When using a slower method like the grill, smoker, or oven, you'll need about 3-5 hours. Slower methods can be ready in as little as 30 minutes - however, keep in mind that the longer you cook your pork back ribs the more tender and succulent they'll be.
Braising is an ancient means of cooking tough cuts of meat to tenderize them, and is also quite simple. Start with meat, and brown it well. Browning gives the whole braise flavor, especially the meat itself. Those Maillard-browning byproducts are what make everything taste meaty, so don't skimp on the browning stage.
When using a slower method like the grill, smoker, or oven, you'll need about 3-5 hours. Slower methods can be ready in as little as 30 minutes - however, keep in mind that the longer you cook your pork back ribs the more tender and succulent they'll be.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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