This Sticky Asian Ribs recipe is baked low & slow in the oven and finished with a sweet & sticky glaze. The ribs are so tender that they basically melt in your mouth. Be sure to serve them with extra sauce!
This Asian sweet sticky ribs recipe is my new favorite way to prepare ribs. Don’t get me wrong I love a classic rib recipe with BBQ sauce, like my Oven Baked BBQ St. Louis Ribs or my Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Ribs. But the bold Asian flavors pair so well with the pork, you’ll be hooked too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sticky – These ribs are rubbed with brown sugar and finished with a brown sugar honey glaze. The sugars caramelize and get syrupy. Not only does this make the ribs sticky, but it also gives them an incredibly sweet & salty flavor. Some recipes use this as a braising liquid, but I prefer to glaze the ribs at the end.
- Sweet – Between the brown sugar and honey, these ribs have a sweet flavor that pairs well with the pork.
- Tender – Because the meat is cooked slowly at a low temperature and wrapped tightly, the collagen and connective tissues fully break down, resulting in super tender ribs. This is the best way to cook them.
- No marinating – There is no need to marinate the ribs. The spice rub and sticky glaze have plenty of flavor.
- Multiple cooking methods – You can make these Asian-style ribs in the slow cooker or in the oven. Regardless, I still recommend broiling them at the end.
- Great for summer – Ribs just scream summer. They are great for parties because the recipe can easily be doubled. Even the picky eaters will enjoy these.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Dry Rub
Glaze
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Chinese Five Spice & White Pepper: These are both spices used frequently in Asian cooking. You should be able to find them in your local grocery store on the spice aisle. Chinese five spice unusually contains star anise, fennel, szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves. It adds a very unique flavor to the ribs.
- Red Pepper Flakes: These add a mild to medium amount of heat to the ribs. You can add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon for a milder sauce or omit them. For spicy ribs, add 1/5-2 teaspoons.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Sticky Asian Ribs
Quick Overview
- Coat the ribs in the dry rub.
- Wrap & bake.
- Make the glaze.
- Brush & broil.
Step by Step Instructions
Broil the ribs so the sugar can caramelize. This adds a great flavor and texture.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Using a sharp paring knife, remove the silver skin or membrane (located on the back of the ribs). The knife should help loosen it and then you should be able to pull it off with your fingers. Cut into 3-4 portions. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, granulated garlic, onion, Chinese five spice, ginger, and white pepper in a small bowl. Coat all sides of the ribs in the rub in a large bowl.
Step 2: Wrap each portion tightly in aluminum foil and place on a large baking sheet. For baby back, bake for 2-2.5 hours. For st louis, bake 2.5-3 hours.
Step 3: Once the ribs have almost finished baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper.
Step 4: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously. Reduce for about 5-7 minutes or until thickened. The glaze will thicken as it cools. If it has not thickened enough after cooling, bring it back to a boil and reduce more.
Step 5: Unwrap the ribs so the tops are exposed. Brush the ribs liberally with the glaze.
Step 6: Broil on high, watching closely, for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly charred. Slice into individual ribs and serve with more sauce.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish the ribs with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. You can also serve them with more of the Asian rib sauce for dipping.
I like to serve these Asian sticky ribs with Instant Pot Basmati Rice and Spicy Cucumber Salad. The rice is great for soaking up extra sauce and the cucumbers add a nice crunch and some freshness.
If you have leftovers, try one of these Recipes for Leftover Ribs.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Wrap the ribs. This helps the stem to build up and ensures the ribs come out super tender and juicy.
- Cook them low & slow. 275 degrees is the perfect temperature for cooking ribs. This part requires a little patience but it is definitely worth the wait.
- Reduce the glaze. Be sure to reduce the glaze so it thickens. The sugars will melt and make the sticky sauce.
- Broil. This is how the ribs get charred on the exterior. It adds that “grilled” flavor and caramelizes the sugar.
Additions & Variations
- Slow Cooker: After Step 1, add a splash of water to the slow cooker. Place the wrapped ribs in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. While the ribs are cooking, continue to Step 3.
- Leftovers: Leftover rib meat is great for tacos, sandwiches, or (my favorite) fried rice the next day.
Recipe FAQs
Cooked pork sometimes will still have a pink hue, especially if it is smoked. Red food coloring is also sometimes added to Chinese spare ribs or short ribs to give them a more intense color. This is not necessary and does not alter the flavor.
I like to serve them with steamed white rice and raw veggies. You can read more above.
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Sticky Asian Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds St. Louis or baby back ribs, about 1 large rack of ribs
Dry Rub
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons EACH smoked paprika & Morton kosher salt*
- 1 teaspoon EACH granulated garlic & onion
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH ground ginger, Chinese five spice, & white pepper*
Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 10-12 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Using a sharp paring knife, remove the silver skin or membrane (located on the back of the ribs). The knife should help loosen it and then you should be able to pull it off with your fingers. Cut into 3-4 portions. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, granulated garlic, onion, Chinese five spice, ginger, and white pepper in a small bowl. Coat all sides of the ribs in the rub in a large bowl.
- Wrap each portion tightly in aluminum foil and place on a large baking sheet. For baby back, bake for 2-2.5 hours. For st louis, bake 2.5-3 hours.
- Once the ribs have almost finished baking, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously. Reduce for about 5-7 minutes or until thickened. The glaze will thicken as it cools. If it has not thickened enough after cooling, bring it back to a boil and reduce more.
- Unwrap the ribs so the tops are exposed. Brush the ribs liberally with the glaze.
- Broil on high, watching closely, for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly charred. Slice into individual ribs and serve with more sauce.
Notes
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Chinese Five Spice & White Pepper: These are both spices used frequently in Asian cooking. You should be able to find them in your local grocery store on the spice aisle. Chinese five spice unusually contains star anise, fennel, szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves. It adds a very unique flavor to the ribs.
- Red Pepper Flakes: These add a mild to medium amount of heat to the ribs. You can add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon for a milder sauce or omit them. For spicy ribs, add 1/5-2 teaspoons.
- Wrap the ribs. This helps the stem to build up and ensures the ribs come out super tender and juicy.
- Cook them low & slow. 275 degrees is the perfect temperature for cooking ribs. This part requires a little patience but it is definitely worth the wait.
- Reduce the glaze. Be sure to reduce the glaze so it thickens. The sugars will melt and make the sticky sauce.
- Broil. This is how the ribs get charred on the exterior. It adds that “grilled” flavor and caramelizes the sugar.
- Slow Cooker: After Step 1, add a splash of water to the slow cooker. Place the wrapped ribs in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. While the ribs are cooking, continue to Step 3.
- Leftovers: Leftover rib meat is great for tacos, sandwiches, or (my favorite) fried rice the next day.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Bri:
So good I’m making it at this moment for a dinner party. Excellent, straight forward recipe!
Sauce doesn’t thicken up, adding a tablespoon of cornstarch will help it though. Found sauce to be a bit too dominated by the soy sauce, it could be a sweeter, maybe that’s where the blueberries come in? ?
I have eliminated the water from the sauce. This should help for next time!
Hi Brianna, I saw your note about eliminating the water from the sauce. How much water did you used to put in? Asking because the first time I made these I thought they were perfect, but the next time seemed a little salty. Wondering if I made them the first time with the water included… Thanks!
This is an excellent recipe. I almost always follow the recipe perfectly the first time I make something, then adjust for subsequent trials. I consider myself a very good cook and food critic. This recipe did not disappoint. There is a little wiggle room if it’s not followed exactly , so that it will still turn out amazing. I used the pork spareribs. It will appeal to a sweeter palette. My sauce definitely took much longer to reduce, so plan for that.
The ribs started to fall of the bone when I cut into them, which was a great effect for the audience(my kids) to see. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for your feedback! I have eliminated the water from the sauce to help with the reduction. This should do the trick for next time!
Turned out fantastic. There is a lot of steps to getting them right but well worth it. Make sure you reduce the glaze you don’t want it thin.
Thank you so much!
For NYE I was planning to cook the ribs today but finish them tomorrow. Just wondered if you had tried this and the result. I expect the greatest risk will be the meat drying out and having a “reheated” flavor.
Yes meat can easily dry out when reheated. Let me know if they turned out okay.
PHENOMENAL!!!! I rarely follow a recipe but I did with this one. So well written. These ribs were the best oven-baked ribs i have ever tasted. Depth of flavor, rub so different than glaze. Each stood alone but so complemented each other. Bri, you’re a winner! Thanks for this.
Awesome! I am so so glad. Thank you Jill.
This recipe smacked. My picky Seven year old could not stop devouring, thought I was dealing with a grown man. Perfect balance of succulent, sweet and savoury. Making again within a two week grace period. Thanks for this!
Yum! This Sticky Asian Pork Ribs is so delicious with my rice.:) Love the sweet & sticky glaze and the tender ribs that melts on your mouth.
The Asian pork ribs look lip-smacking. I’m sure I will be trying this for my family.
These sticky ribs are delicious. I love the Asian sauce. Highly recommend