Grill/Barbecue
Ian Knauer's Sticky Balsamic Ribs
Popular on Food52
45 Reviews
John
August 9, 2020
First attempt went very well. I added a TBSP ACV to the 1/2 cup water on the first cook. I bet this would go well with chicken wings.
Marc L.
July 17, 2019
This may be a dumb question. This recipe is for baby back pork ribs. I assume I can make this same recipe with beef ribs?
Victoria E.
September 19, 2018
Years ago we learned a similar method here in Texas. Instead of water in the pan and covering with foil, we use put a couple(or few) ice cubes under the ribs and wrap the rack in foil. The ribs get steamed and the water doesn't evaporate. Same temp, same cooking time. Next time we do this I can't wait to try this balsamic glaze. 😋
Gigi
August 30, 2018
These were surprisingly good. Definitely add a little more water than suggested, as it will burn when the water evaporates. Be sure the foil is on very tight, which will slow that process. Also, be sure to skim the fat before reducing the glaze. It took me a good 30 min to reduce the glaze. I added some chopped rosemary, which was good. Make plenty as they really disappear!
Rhonda35
June 1, 2017
I used the rub and glaze from this recipe, but cooked the ribs on our smoker. WOW! So delicious - we especially liked the wonderful and perfectly sticky glaze. Will definitely make these again.
Barbara J.
September 15, 2019
I have a Trager grill and wanted to cook them on that. Did you cook them in the smoker with just the rub and glaze them when they were done?
tracy R.
May 25, 2020
I also smoked on my Treager, low and slow, with the rub and then finished them on the grill with the glaze. Was having trouble getting the glaze thick, so I remember a trick for a Port Sauce i often make and added two tablespoons of a Beurre Marie (equal parts butter and flour). Not only did it thicken beautifully, the richness of the butter was just what was needed to tame the balsamic. I was eating the sauce from the pot with a spoon!. Will make these again!
Matthew
June 28, 2021
You're Buerre Marie trick saved my ribs tonight!!! I whisked 2tbsp flour into 2tbsp simmered butter, and added it to the thin glaze. It thickened right up and tasted great.
Cameron
May 30, 2017
These are SUPER delicious!! I doubled the amounts of rub and glaze for the 8 lbs. of ribs and it was perfect.
Jeanie P.
May 27, 2017
Made these for my husband's birthday and they were delicious! This was my first time making ribs and this recipe was so easy and the resulting ribs were tender, well seasoned, and sticky! Everyone loved them!
andi
February 12, 2017
Sorry for the dumb question...water in the roasting pan, are the ribs sitting in the water? I must be missing a step as I read the directions!
Kristen M.
February 12, 2017
Not a dumb question! That step could be confusing because it's assuming that your ribs are already positioned in the roasting racks as they're marinating (meaty side up) in step 1. So in step 3 you're just adding water to the pans to help them steam (and keep the drippings from burning) as they cook.
Alison M.
February 7, 2018
This response remains confusing to me. A roasting rack is different than a roasting pan. A rack raises the food off the bottom of the pan, right? In the steps you state roasting pans for marinating and say put the pans in the upper top and lower thirds of the oven racks and transfer during cooking. But there is nothing about a roasting rack. So... is there a rack inside the pan to lift the ribs out of the liquid?
Alison M.
February 7, 2018
I ask because I have done ribs sitting in beer, cider, and various other liquids wrapped in foil during the roasting process but they've always been sitting in the liquid. Is this different? Are they on a rack in a pan above the liquid? No lid?
Kristen M.
February 8, 2018
Hi Alison, I see why it's confusing—I meant to say roasting pans, not racks. The ribs are sitting directly in the pans, but meaty side up, so the meat isn't actually resting in the small amount of liquid, but steaming above it.
Karinhall
November 13, 2020
Good question. I wondered the same. I just assumed the ribs were in the pan and somebody hit print before they read it🤪
SarahInMinneapolis
October 22, 2016
Truly a genius recipe. No more need for complicated, "he man" rib recipes. This is is simple and a winner.
nutcakes
August 6, 2016
This is a great method, especially if you want to do ahead. I made 1/2 recipe with 2 babyback racks, in one large roasting pan with 3/4 c water. Leaves the perfect amount of browned fond in the bottom. Tasted a piece without any glaze and it is flavorful. I might cut the salt back a tad next time. With Morton kosher it was too salty, it might be fine with Diamond Crystal as it is less salty per volume. Also I halved the cayenne but it was not particularly spicy so I will up it a tad next time. Now the glaze seems genius-- useing those meat juices and I bet it would have been great but I scorched mine so I couldn't use it --keep an eye on it. I used a prepared balsamic glaze. Nice but I missed the tang of BBQ sauce so I ate some with that as well. I will try this method with traditional BBQ rub and sauce some time too. A keeper!
nutcakes
September 27, 2016
I made these again, and I didn't burn the glaze, although I over-reduced it. Wow is that porky goodness. I don't recommend brushing on the glaze before grilling because it just burns onto the rack. The glaze is fine drizzled or brushed on after. I haven't tried it with regular BBQ style seasoning because the rub is just so good. If you use dried rosemary be sure to cut the amount to less than half, half is too strong.
karin.anderson.52
July 6, 2016
Grilling is usually my husband’s bailiwick, but this recipe tempted me to convince him to leave the preparation to me (instead of just slathering BBQ sauce on the ribs). I followed the advice of some reviewers to add more liquid to the pan (3/4 cup) The ribs were fantastic!
LittleKi
May 24, 2015
These are everything. Made them with spare ribs and dialed the temperature down. Probably added 3-4 cups water over the course of two hours to prevent scorching. Fantastic.
CailinH
July 30, 2014
Just made these last night and they were fabulous! Easy, too! I wish I had made double the amount of glaze, it was so good. Didn't have to add water to the glaze, and the meat fell right off the bone. Mmmm!
Rachael
June 29, 2014
I made these last night and they were a hit! They are a nice change from your typical BBQ ribs. I used a baking pan to bake the ribs and didn't have any problems with that method. I also did not need to add water to the bottom once the ribs were done. Everything came up really easily. I did chill the ribs for a hour or so between the oven and the grill to keep them from falling apart on the grill. I also put the glaze on the meaty side only so you could still really taste the spice rub. These are definitely a repeat!
Lianne
June 22, 2014
Made this today and they turned out fabulous. After reading the reviews I made sure the foil was really tight on the pan so when they were done I had enough juice to make the glaze without adding water.
helena
June 4, 2014
Just made these this afternoon. Delicious! Made quite a bit of changes to the recipe though. First off, I made them in the oven as I don't have a grill. Low and slow. I also added a lot of cumin and smoked paprika to the rub and marinaded overnight. I made the glaze on a whim. Realized i ran out of balsamic vinegar and so then I improvised: salty mashed garlic, a bit of a l'ancienne mustard, honey, molasses, lots of cumin (I've been on a cumin kick lately), smoked paprika, cracked pepper, and some water. In the end, the meat was falling off the bone, my mouth was filled with sweet, smokey, and a good kick of spice flavours, and my fingers were very sticky. Served these with roasted asparagus and potatoes coated in a lot of garlic and rosemary. Soooo yummy!
Andrea A.
December 28, 2013
These are our new favorite ribs! They are absolutely amazing! Reading the other comments about the scorching reminded me how I remedied the same thing in my favorite chicken recipe...parchment paper. Works every time and makes cleanup a breeze!
za'atar
July 4, 2013
Yum! After reading about the scorching, I added a little more water to my roasting pans and didn't have any trouble. I don't have grill, so I just put them under the broiler for the final minutes. These were great, especially with the glaze.
wbsherk
May 27, 2013
Oh, I had such high hopes for this one. Just two of us so only one rack of ribs. Adjusted for ribs but stayed with 1/2 cup water during oven period. Suffered scorching even in heavy-bottomed roasting pan. If I try again, which I doubt, I'll reduce oven temp and go lower and slower. Great idea, I just couldn't execute.
darksideofthespoon
September 10, 2012
I made these a while ago, san pan juices - they burnt in the pot, but just with the glaze they were amazing! Loved 'em!
Katie
May 30, 2012
I made these last night and thoroughly enjoyed them! Unfortunately, I did not have a roasting pan so I used a baking pan which didn't allow for as much of the delicious "sticky" coating on the ribs but it still locked in the tasty flavor of the marinade inside each bite of meat. The balsamic reduction made for a perfect dipping sauce- overall, the ribs were a success! I would definitely make these again; my husband was a big fan!
fearlessem
April 29, 2012
I wanted to love these but... Just didn't. The pan juices burned really badly, leaving burned garlic smell throughout the kitchen, and meaning I couldn't deglaze the pan to add that to the glaze... And I just didn't think the flavor got in there enough, even with the glaze. I prefer my dry-rub, low oven, then glaze with whiskey-infused BBQ sauce and broil method.
AlohaHoya
January 9, 2012
Really glad I experimented with this...I didn't add the last 1 cup of water, used palm sugar/brown sugar instead of just brown sugar and used fresh grapefruit juice instead of the first cup of water. YUM. I think I would add chilpotle pepper too. Yummy and wonderful. Thanks!
felony
September 3, 2011
Here in Aussie-land, it's hard to track down American cut pork ribs, so when I saw them at a Vietnamese butchers, I had to grab them to try this recipe out.
As perusual, I couldn't help but tweak the recipe, adding in some smoked paprika, cumin, ancho and chipotle, as well as grated fresh ginger, and a bit of generic chilli powder for kick after I couldn't locate my baggie of cayenne in the spice pit I call a pantry :)
When it came to oven time there was a Negro Modelo on the bench so I tossed that in there for good measure, and crossed my fingers. . . the bf had invited over a client for dinner to help polish off the two sides of ribs, and he had been primed for a winning meal. . . eek
Pointless panicking my end, this is almost foolproof, gorgeous smells throughout the house, moist and sticky melting ribs and a dark and luxurious glaze to bind it all together. 2 kilo's of pork disappeared between 3 people, compliments flowed and my culinary reputation was maintained thanks to the food52 community!
As perusual, I couldn't help but tweak the recipe, adding in some smoked paprika, cumin, ancho and chipotle, as well as grated fresh ginger, and a bit of generic chilli powder for kick after I couldn't locate my baggie of cayenne in the spice pit I call a pantry :)
When it came to oven time there was a Negro Modelo on the bench so I tossed that in there for good measure, and crossed my fingers. . . the bf had invited over a client for dinner to help polish off the two sides of ribs, and he had been primed for a winning meal. . . eek
Pointless panicking my end, this is almost foolproof, gorgeous smells throughout the house, moist and sticky melting ribs and a dark and luxurious glaze to bind it all together. 2 kilo's of pork disappeared between 3 people, compliments flowed and my culinary reputation was maintained thanks to the food52 community!
youngsuds
August 28, 2011
I did half the recipe last night and used 3/4 cup of lager in the pan during cooking instead of 1/2 cup water. Outstanding results!
MBobinski
August 28, 2011
I enjoyed this recipe, but I think I had too much cayenne in my rub, since they turned out very spicy. Also, putting them in the upper third of the oven resulted in very delicious, but crispy, ends. This may be because the rack was from the small end, and quite dainty.
nola_t
August 27, 2011
I've dutifully followed complicated, day-long rib recipes before, but the results never quite justified the efforts. These ribs, however, were absolutely perfect (and a heck of a lot easier)! Like everblessed, I did one rack and ended up with no pan juices. I think I'd bump up the liquid slightly (maybe by 1/4 cup) next time to compensate. I was using regular foil and a thin 9 x 13 pan, which may have led to the faster evaporation rate.
In any case, these were the best ribs I've ever made by a long shot. The flavors were really nicely balanced and lovely, but the cooking method is the real star of the show here. The perfect texture and moistness of the meat had me pondering using the same method with different flavors next time. Maybe something with soy, lemon & rosemary...
In any case, these were the best ribs I've ever made by a long shot. The flavors were really nicely balanced and lovely, but the cooking method is the real star of the show here. The perfect texture and moistness of the meat had me pondering using the same method with different flavors next time. Maybe something with soy, lemon & rosemary...
dymnyno
August 24, 2011
I made this last night> It was easy and delicious. It's a nice alternative to the Asian flavors I usually BBQ.
midnitechef
August 22, 2011
8 pounds is not enough for my family, let alone any guests who will be fighting to get a nibble!
everblessed
August 21, 2011
Wow! I made these this evening. I only had one rack and should have used more water as I made a foil envelope in a baking pan since I didn't have a roasting pan. Didn't have any pan juices to speak of, but made a glaze using the vinegar/sugar reduction and it turned out great. Meat fell right off the bones. Will probably try some different flavors next time, but it was fun to stray from BBQ for a while and the cooking method is perfect!
rhoogs
August 21, 2011
I made these ribs last weekend and they were delish. One note: I had a lot of pan juices, and it took about an hour for the juices to reduce to one cup.
Johonna C.
July 2, 2021
Another commenter above said she whisked in a Buerre Marie (equal amounts butter/flour) to thicken
rhoogs
August 21, 2011
I made these ribs last weekend and they were delish. One note: I had a lot of pan juices, and it took about an hour for the juices to reduce to one cup.
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