Pineapple-Braised Ribs with Honey-Garlic Tomato Glaze
I have to thank the barbecue gods for Mike Mill's Apple City Ribs. That recipe has provided me with rib perfection, leaving no good reason to stray, but for the sake of diversity, I decided to go out on a limb and try something a little different. If I was going to venture into the new, I wanted it to be in uncharted Meatwave territory, leading me to a recipe that featured different flavors (pineapple, honey, garlic), different method (braising), and a different pitmaster (the great Chris Lilly).
For all the differences, these ribs started out exactly the same. I trimmed them up, removed the membrane, rubbed them down with Magic Dust, and let them sit in the fridge overnight. During this waiting period, I whipped up the sauce, which brings the new flavors of honey and garlic into a somewhat standard recipe. With just a taste of the sauce, I knew these were going to be outstanding and couldn't wait until the morning to get things smoking.
The morning came and I fired up the smoker. The cooking process both intrigued me and gave me pause. I normally smoke my spareribs for about 6 hours, but this recipe called for a smoke, then a braise, followed by another smoke. I questioned the authenticity of this method as barbecue—which is usually defined by smoking meat low-and-slow—but then I stopped that silliness and figured Chris Lilly certainly knows what he's doing and what I should be most concerned with producing the tastiest, best ribs possible.
After the initial smoke of 3 hours, I removed the ribs and wrapped them individually in foil packets. Then I poured some pineapple juice into each packet, sealed them up, and set them back into the smoker to braise for an hour.
After that hour, my first view of the ribs revealed that the braise produced a fall-off-the-bone tender rib. My barbecue ribs are not usually that way, retaining a slight stick to the bone that's easily pulled off with your teeth, which is that way most properly barbecue ribs seem to be. Never-the-less, fall-off-the bone tender is what most people equate with perfect ribs and the revelation that these ribs held that quality excited me.
After the braise, I removed the ribs from the foil and cooked an additional hour, then topped with that excellent sauce I made the day before. Leaving the smoker, the Metawavers huddled around these beauties, wanting their share immediately, impatiently waiting for me to take photos.
The initially taste test blew me away. These ribs had it all going on. The pineapple, honey, and garlic flavors along with the extreme tenderness produced one superbly succulent rib. The smoke flavor even came through, but not quite as strong as with ribs that would have been purely barbecued. As I surmised after seeing the meat fall off the bone earlier, these babies were a huge hit with the Meatwavers, who preferred them over a batch of Apple City ribs that I cooked alongside. I'm not positive if these ribs were truly better, or if it was the fact that they were different that caused such a reaction from the masses, but it definitely reminded me that no matter how good something is, it never hurts to switch things up now and then.
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Comments
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Mike Wow...looks wonderful. I have heard others rave about the process you used. I believe they refer to it as 3-2-1, or as in your case 3-1-1. So far I have resisted to try it. Although after your success, I just might have to!
I also can't agree with you more on your "fall off the bone" tender comment and how others equate that with great ribs. That type of rib is the reason that unless I am at an authentic BBQ joint, I never, ever eat ribs out.
As usual, wonderful pictures and great write-up! -
josh! @Mike: I recommend trying it, you just have to let down your bbq nerd guard :)
Up until maybe 5 or 6 years ago, I thought good ribs were always fall off the bone tender. Growing up in suburban VA and then to NYC, that's all we got. I'm glad I got schooled in the way of the ribs, since those fall of the bone type are almost always boiled, and have so little flavor compared to real smoked ribs. -
DocChuck A friend of mine (a retired Army General in Arkansas) recommended your post. And, he was correct, you have a winning method here, at least in OUR opinions.
Oh, and by the way, I totally agree with the first poster: "I never, ever eat ribs out. "
Of course, I don't usually eat in ANY restaurant, but more specifically, I am of the opinion that NO commercial enterprise can make barbecue as good as home-made.
Restaurants barbecue for money . . . home chefs barbecue for LOVE!
Thanks for sharing your method. -
Jerry I love ribs and this is leaving me salivating for a bite!
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MrsDocChuck In truth, my husband and I eat out all the time.
We don't usually eat BBQ in restaurants, since we both love hamburgers and that leads us to Red Robin more often than not.
We live in a small townhome and do not have the facilities to grill or BBQ ourselves.
So unless we are invited to a friend's house (a rarity these days) we have to resort to restaurant ribs when we need a fix. Ruby Tuesday's actually makes pretty good ribs, but nothing like these pineapple babies. -
Sorin It looks absolutely delicious! I'm a great fan of natural foods and I really appreciate people like you promoting healthy way of living ...
I am surely going to try it as I'm addicted to honey and garlic ... -
Nick Josh, the sauce is great ! I would add more garlic though, because I found it lacks a bit of power.
I used it on ribs (I followed your recipe) but also in a wok because it tastes a bit like a sweet & sour sauce, it was delicious.
I've just posted an adapted version of the sauce here (but in French): http://www.bbqsauce.be/post/sauce-ail-miel.aspx -
Josh @Nick Thanks. It's cool seeing it translated into French, haha.
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Carl Angdahl Great recipe. Just wondering how to sustitute honey for the pineapple juice, i.e., pour it on or rub it on?
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Josh @Carl Angdahl Honey and pineapple juice aren't interchangeable in this recipe. The pineapple juice acts a braise, which the honey cannot do. You could add some honey along with the pineapple juice or another liquid and that will leave you with a sweeter final rib.
When adding honey, you usually just need to squeeze it evenly over the ribs, no need to rub it. As the honey heats in the smoker, it will become less viscous and naturally spread across the racks. -
Carl Angdahl Thank you for the comeback. I'll give it a try for something different. I usually use only a dry rub, and believe it or not, "Sunny Delight" instead of apple juice. Sonfar, no complaints.