Baby Back Ribs with Hoisin BBQ Sauce

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Dig into these succulent Asian-inspired ribs, slow-cooked to perfection in a rich hoisin barbecue sauce. They’re so tender, they practically fall right off the bone.

baby back ribs with hoisin bbq sauce on white plate.

Slow-baked in a rich hoisin barbecue sauce until the meat is irresistibly tender and falls right off the bone, these ribs are truly finger-licking good. While the recipe is simple, it does require a bit of planning ahead. You’ll need to let the ribs marinate for at least four hours and then allow them another two and a half hours to slow-cook in the oven.

When it comes to preparing baby back ribs, it’s important to remove the membrane on the underside. If you can, let your butcher take care of this step. If not, no worries—I’ll walk you through how to do it below. Also, while you should trim off any large pieces of fat, it’s okay to leave some smaller pockets of fat; they’ll render out during cooking, adding some extra flavor and moisture to the ribs.

What You’ll Need To Make Baby Back Ribs with Hoisin BBQ Sauce

baby back ribs with hoisin bbq sauce ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the Hoisin BBQ Sauce

Combine the hoisin sauce, chili sauce, dry Sherry, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a medium bowl.

hoisin bbq sauce ingredients in bowl.

Stir to combine.

whisked hoisin bbq sauce in small bowl.

Cut the rib rack racks in half into 6- or 7-rib sections. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the rib racks on the baking sheet. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and pour the remainder over the ribs, coating both sides evenly. Arrange the ribs in a single layer with the meaty sides up. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours or overnight.

ribs marinating in bbq sauce.

Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the center position. Place the covered ribs in the oven and bake undisturbed for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the foil (the steam will be very hot and can burn).

partially baked ribs on baking sheet.

Using a pastry brush or back of a spoon, coat the racks generously with the reserved sauce. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and cook until the sauce is sticky and the ribs begin to caramelize, about 30 minutes.

sauced ribs out of the oven.

Allow to cool briefly before slicing between the ribs to serve. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

ribs with hoisin bbq sauce on cutting board

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Baby Back Ribs with Hoisin BBQ Sauce

Dig into these succulent Asian-inspired ribs, slow-cooked to perfection in a rich hoisin barbecue sauce. They’re so tender, they practically fall right off the bone.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 50 Minutes, plus at least 4 hours to marinate

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee
  • ½ cup chili sauce (preferably Heinz)
  • 2½ tablespoons dry Sherry
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 to 5 pounds), membrane removed (see note below)

For Serving (optional)

  • 2 scallions, dark green parts only
  • Sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Make the hoisin BBQ sauce by combining all of the ingredients except for the ribs in a medium bowl.
  2. Cut the rib rack racks in half into 6- or 7-rib sections. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the rib racks on the baking sheet. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and pour the remainder over the ribs, coating both sides evenly. Arrange the ribs in a single layer with the meaty sides up. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the center position. Place the covered ribs in the oven and bake undisturbed for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the foil (the steam will be very hot and can burn). Using a pastry brush or back of a spoon, coat the racks generously with the reserved sauce. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and cook until the sauce is sticky and the ribs begin to caramelize, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool briefly before slicing between the ribs to serve. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.
  4. Note: Ask your butcher to remove the white membrane on the underside of the ribs. If you need to remove it yourself, loosen it at the edge with a butter knife and peel it off (if it's slippery, grab it with a paper towel). Note that there appears to be another layer of membrane underneath the one you remove; you shouldn't remove it as it's what holds the meat and bones together.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

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  • Serving size: 4
  • Calories: 1,250
  • Fat: 77 g
  • Saturated fat: 27 g
  • Carbohydrates: 46 g
  • Sugar: 31 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 91 g
  • Sodium: 2,330 mg
  • Cholesterol: 315 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • This is getting added to my recipe book. I LOVE Hoison!

  • This looks amazing

  • These were AMAZING!! Best oven cooked ribs ever and the sauce was perfect!! Thanks!

  • These were great! I ended up finding baby back ribs in a smaller package after all. The consensus was that I probably could have cooked the ribs uncovered for 45 minutes instead of 30–some were ever-so-slightly underdone for our taste—but overall these were a huge hit and I’ll definitely be making them again. The sauce was finger-licking good!

  • Jenn: I plan on making these this week, but my supermarket only has “pork back ribs” in 8- to 11-pound packages, which is way too much for us. They sell pork spare ribs in 3- to 4-pound packages, so I’m thinking of using those instead. Would I need to alter the cooking time or anything else if I’m using spare ribs? I’ve never made ribs before, so I’m not even sure what the difference between the two is…would it matter for this recipe?

    • Hi Allie, Spare ribs are bigger than baby backs so you’ll probably need to cook them a bit longer. Just keep an eye on them…they’re done when they’re tender. Hope you enjoy and please let me know how the spare ribs come out.

  • These are the best ribs I have ever had. If you want to impress your dinner guests make these! We like to finish them off on the grill for the last 20-30 minutes.

  • They are delicious!! Tried it last night, loved it! Great recipe

  • I made this last summer after you posted the recipe, and now all my friends request that I make it at every summer bbq/party! Thanks for the great recipe!

  • does the chili sauce make these spicy?

    • Eliana, The chili sauce does not make them spicy. Hope that helps 🙂

  • Sticky AND messy….my favorite kind of ribs!

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