Balsamic Baby Back Ribs

These Balsamic Baby Back Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and slathered in a garlicky, brown sugar, balsamic sauce with just a touch of "cayenne kick."  This Balsamic Rib recipe is finger-licking good and perfect for summer grilling!

Jump to:

• The Balsamic Rib Marinade Ingredients:
• The Balsamic Rib BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
• How to make Balsamic Baby Back Ribs
• Storing and Freezing Baby Back Ribs
• Delicious Recipes to go with these BBQ Ribs:
• Balsamic Baby Back Ribs Recipe

This post has been updated since it was originally posted.

I do love some baby back ribs.  And I have several recipes on the blog to show for it.  There’s today’s Balsamic Rib Recipe, “Secret Sauce” Baby Back Ribs, Sweet Tea Ginger Ribs, and even an Instant Pot BBQ Rib recipe.  What can I say I’m dedicated to that tender juicy meat with some kind of amazing mouth-watering sauce slathered all over them. Mmmm.

Here's the interesting thing about these ribs, I slow-roast them in the oven and then finished them under the broiler or on the grill for 5-10 minutes.  I know this would be a no-no for most barbecue purists but the proof is in the ribs, my friend.

Check it out...

And I should point out that by oven cooking them you never have to worry about the weather.  Seriously, rain showers, thunder, lighting, snowstorms, nothing can come between you and these Balsamic Baby Back Ribs!

I like to start by coating them in a sweet and tangy garlicky marinade, then slowly roast them for several hours and finish them on the grill (or under the broiler) for a few minutes with a balsamic-brown-sugar glaze. 

I'm not gonna lie, I'm drooling over here.

One thing I love about this balsamic rib recipe is that the list of ingredients is pretty short which makes prepping them super quick and easy.

The Balsamic Rib Marinade Ingredients:

• 10 pounds baby back pork ribs – also sold as “pork loin back ribs,” (3 large racks)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup fresh finely chopped rosemary
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 13 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

The Balsamic Rib BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• ¼ cups balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne, (more if you like it spicy)
• rib cooking liquids

This Balsamic Rib Recipe is all sweet and zesty and full of so much hearty flavor.  

And I should give credit where credit is due... They are inspired by a recipe from Ian Knauer, and of course, I've modified the ingredients – and the cooking – to make it even better (in my humble opinion).  

By cooking these baby back ribs in the oven allows them to retain their nutrients and hearty flavor.  It’s all very technical and there is an equation or process to follow.

Placing each rack of ribs in its own sealed foil "boat" will ensure that they stay incredibly tender and juicy.

There's an article published by the Washington Post "Slow Goes It", that explains the science behind all this magic:

"…the significant action occurs when the meat's internal temperature is between 100 and 140 degrees.

"At approximately 100 degrees, the strands of proteins that make up the muscle and connective tissues begin to cook but also unwind," he says. "The water and juices are released at around 120 degrees, and the collagen in the connective tissue in meat begins to melt and gelatinize at around 140 degrees. By using your oven to create a beneficial combination of low temperature and time you can achieve excellent results."

It makes perfect sense – right?

I have to say that this method of cooking ribs makes them perfect for summer entertaining.

When it's hot outside and you don't want to be - the initial oven cooking method is a total win!

You can even bake them the day prior, and store them in the fridge until you are ready to grill them.  Just remember to pull them out of the refrigerator so they can come up to room temperature before you finish them on the grill.

I feel like it's time to break down the whole process of making this Balsamic Rib Recipe.

How to make Balsamic Baby Back Ribs

First things first, prepping the ribs and rubbing them down with a marinade is where we're going to start.

Rub and Marinade the Ribs:

• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. 
• Tear off three pieces of foil at least 8 inches longer than the racks of ribs. Place them where you have easy access to them, shiny side facing down. 
• Spoon ⅓ of the rub over one rack of ribs and coat thoroughly. Then place the rack meat-side down onto a piece of foil. 
• Carefully bring together the long edges of the foil, then roll them together down toward the ribs. Close and roll up the short ends of the foil to seal the ribs for cooking. 
• Transfer all the foil-enclosed ribs to the aluminum roasting pan. If you have three racks of ribs, you can stack the third one right on top of the other two. 

Refrigerate the marinated balsamic ribs for at least 12 hours.

Now into the oven, they go.

Slow-cook the Ribs:

• Place the oven rack in the center position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
• Place the baking tray with ribs in the oven. Cook at 350 for the first 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 and bake for another 90 minutes. 
• After the first 2 hours, rotate the foil packets. Leave the temperature at 300 and cook for another 90 minutes. 
• At this point check to be sure the ribs are done: leaving the ribs in the baking tray, carefully open one end of one foil packet. (Be careful the steam is extremely hot.)  You should see that the meat has started to pull away from the bone. Gently test them with a fork to ensure that they are tender and give easily. 
• Carefully pour all the cooking liquid from the foil rib packets into a large saucepan.  If desired, skim off fat. Gently place the ribs on a large cookie sheet with the bone side down and set aside.

You want to let the rubs cool down a bit after they come out of the oven because they are so tender they will fall apart if you handle them too much.

So let them rest and work on mixing up the Balsamic BBQ Sauce.

Make the Balsamic BBQ Sauce

You actually cook down the juices from the meat, plus a little balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and spices to create your basting sauce for grilling.  You want to reduce it to the perfect consistency: thick enough to stick to the ribs, but loose enough to spread over them easily.

Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and cayenne to the saucepan with the rib cooking liquids over medium heat, and bring the sauce to a gentle boil.

Allow it to cook long enough to reduce and thicken… usually about 15-20 minutes.  You should have around 1½ cups of sauce. 

Now you’re in the home stretch - time to get those ribs on the grill!  Heat up that grill and get to basting... cover the meat side first, before you even take them out to your grill.

Grill the Ribs:

• Next, thoroughly oil grill grates using paper towels and canola or olive oil (or use a grilling spray), and bring the grill to 400-450 degrees. 
• Using a basting brush, cover the meat side of the ribs with the sauce.
• Place ribs bone-side down on the grill, and cook with lid closed for 3 minutes. 
• Gently turn the ribs over, meat side down. Brush the bone side of the ribs with a small amount of BBQ sauce. Leave the grill open, and closely monitor the ribs during this step!  
• Grill the ribs long enough to caramelize, without burning them. Adjust the grill heat as needed to achieve this, it should take around 5 minutes. 
• Place the grilled ribs bone-side down onto a cookie sheet, then re-apply BBQ sauce over the meat side.

Now it's time to enjoy these sticky, hearty, spicy, sweet, slow-cooked, fork-tender, award-winning Balsamic Rib Recipe.

And if for some really bizarre reason, you have leftovers you can keep them in the fridge for several days or freeze them.

Storing and Freezing Baby Back Ribs

You can store these cooked balsamic ribs for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze them.  Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, and then cut them into sections of 3-4 ribs.  Next, wrap each section individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer storage bag, removing as much air as possible.  

You can store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

When ready to serve them, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight.  Reheat them in a 350-degree oven or over a hot grill.

One bite of these Balsamic Baby Back Ribs and you and all of your dinner guests will be asking for to-go boxes and singing your praises for weeks to come!

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Want to turn these ribs into a complete meal?  Try these ideas to go along with them!

Delicious Recipes to go with these BBQ Ribs:

• Mac N Cheese Bites
• Caribbean Cornbread
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Broccoli Salad with Grapes and Bacon
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Summer Blueberry Mascarpone Tart