Who else wants to crush some pork ribs right now. Smoky, savory, and sweet all-in-one delicious bite sounds too good to be true. This weekend, I conquered a new frontier in ribs on my Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker: the Smoked Honey Teriyaki Ribs. This was the first time I had ever tried that flavor combo on smoked ribs, and you are going to love this recipe!
While I have done a few different rib recipes in the past, it is always a good idea to do a refresher course for those who might not know a few details. Let’s break this down!
Why you’ll love these Teriyaki Ribs
These teriyaki pork ribs involve tender, juicy St. Louis-style pork ribs infused with smoky goodness from slow cooking. Then, we hit them with a sticky-sweet teriyaki glaze that’s bursting with flavor.
Honey adds a touch of sweetness, but is balanced perfectly by the tangy kick of sriracha. The slow cooking process guarantees fall-off-the-bone perfection every single time. These ribs are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, perfect for backyard barbecues, family dinners, or feeding a hungry gang. They’ll disappear faster than you can say, “Seconds, please!
If you love teriyaki, then you’ll love these Garlic Teriyaki Steak Bites, Teriyaki Pork Belly Burnt Ends and Teriyaki Salmon.
Teriyaki Ribs Ingredients
RIBS
- St. Louis Style Pork Ribs: They have lots of meat on them with a great amount of fat. There are plenty of other pork ribs on the market, but I highly recommend getting this style for this specific cook.
- Spicy Mustard: helps the dry rub adhere to the ribs.
- Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cinnamon: These dry rubs add layers of savory and slightly sweet flavors. Cinnamon might surprise you, but it adds a warm depth.
SPRITZ
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This helps keep the ribs moist while smoking and adds a touch of tang.
CRUTCH
- Butter: Adds richness and helps create a glossy sheen on the finished ribs.
- Honey: Sweetens the sauce and helps caramelize for a beautiful color.
- Sugar: Balances the tang from the vinegar and adds a touch of sweetness.
HONEY TERIYAKI BBQ SAUCE
- Teriyaki Sauce: This is the base of the sauce, providing a salty-sweet soy sauce flavor.
- Garlic and Ginger (Pressed): These aromatics add tons of flavor to the sauce.
- Honey: Sweetens the sauce and complements the smoky flavors from cooking.
- Sriracha: Adds a kick of heat to balance the sweetness.
GARNISHES
- Green Onions (chopped) and sesame seeds: both provide additional color and texture to our final dish!
HOW TO MAKE TERIYAKI RIBS
Take off the Silver Skin
To begin, I like to take the membrane off the ribs before I begin seasoning them. The membrane is the thin, almost translucent wax paper-like layer that sits over the top of the actual rib bones. Using a butter knife and a paper towel, you can easily rip it off and discard it.
While you are welcome to try and rip it off with just your hands, I will leave that to the adventurous. We want to take this off becasue it will make the ribs chewy and not as tender. Try to take it off right before you season!
Let the Teriyaki Ribs Rest
I highly recommend letting the meat rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours after seasoning it. This will help the seasoning set into place so that it does not fall off during cooking. The seasoning is the base layer of flavor, so anything that falls off is a delicious bite being washed away.
Preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker: While this might seem like a given, making time for your smoker to preheat is sometimes forgotten. Wait until you reach an even 250F with clear blue smoke coming out the chimney before adding the ribs. Billowing white smoke will make the ribs bitter, and too much or too little heat will cause inconsistent cooking. Be patient and wait until the right moment.
3-2-1 Method
We will be practicing the 3-2-1 method for these ribs. What that means is we will break the cooking down into three sections: 3-hour cook unwrapped, 2-hour cook wrapped, and 1-hour cook glazed.
The first 3 hours will help the meat to absorb your smoke and let the seasoning set. It is important to spritz during these hours as the meat can dry out without care. The 2 hours are about adding more flavor by wrapping in butter, brown sugar, and honey. This adds the sweetness and speeds up the cooking process. The last hour is about building a crust. Glazing these ribs with the Honey Teriyaki sauce will help make a delicious bark on the outside, ready to devour!
Tend to your Fire
Whatever you do, make sure to tend to your fire in the Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker. Keep adding coals as needed so that you maintain an even temperature!
Now that you have had a very quick refresher course, then let’s talk about these Smoked Honey Teriyaki Ribs. While a lot of classic ribs recipes call for lots of sweet candy sugar, these ribs will be slightly more savory.
While they will still hold a sweet crunch on the outside, these ribs are the ideal finger food for watching the game or feeding the family. They do not take forever to make, and they are a unique flavor compared to the other ribs. Cheers!
Tips for Teriyaki Ribs
- Don’t have fresh ginger? No problem! You can substitute 1 teaspoon of ground ginger for every 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger.
- Don’t want to use honey? Use maple syrup or agave nectar for a similar level of sweetness.
- Use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari in the teriyaki glaze to make this recipe gluten-friendly. For a spicier kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the dry rub or teriyaki sauce. You can adjust the amount to your desired level of heat.
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
Store leftover ribs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
For the most even and flavorful reheating, use your oven. Preheat to 250F, then wrap the ribs loosely in aluminum foil (to allow some steam to escape) and reheat for 20-30 minutes per pound of ribs.
More Smoked Rib Recipe
What to Serve with Teriyaki Ribs
Classic comfort food options like steamed rice or mashed potatoes are ideal for soaking up the flavorful teriyaki sauce. If you’re looking for something lighter, a vegetable stir-fry or Asian salad provides a fresh contrast.
Craving a heartier option? Fried rice or mac and cheese will also satisfy your hunger. Don’t forget the extras! Tangy pickles or spicy kimchi can be offered on the side for those who want to add another layer of flavor to their bites.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! You can use a charcoal grill or gas grill for this recipe. Just make sure you set up two-zone heating so the ribs can cook on indirect heat. We don’t want the ribs directly over the hot coals or flames as they can become tough and dry out quickly.
Absolutely! Preheat your oven to 225F and follow the recipe instructions. Cook for 2-3 hours or until the ribs are tender and falling off the bone. Baste with teriyaki glaze in the last 30 minutes of cooking for extra flavor.
If you don’t have a grill, you can still achieve a hint of smoky flavor. Liquid smoke can be added to the teriyaki sauce (a few drops at a time) to mimic the smoky taste. Alternatively, some ovens have a smoke setting you can utilize.
Teriyaki Ribs
Ingredients
Ribs:
- 3 St. Louis Style Pork Ribs
- 3 tbsp of Spicy Mustard
- 2 tbsp of Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp of Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp of Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp of Paprika
- 2 tsp of Cinnamon
Spritz:
- 12 oz of Apple Cider Vinegar
Crutch:
- 18 tbsp of Butter
- 6 tbsp of Honey
- 6 tsp of Sugar
Honey Teriyaki BBQ Sauce:
- ¼ cup of Teriyaki Sauce
- 4 Garlic Cloves pressed
- 2 tsp of Ginger pressed
- 2 tbsp of Honey
- 2 tsp of Sriracha
Garnishes:
- Green Onions chopped
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- In a food safe bowl, mix the salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and cinnamon.
- Trim the pork ribs of any excess fat and carefully remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. Lather with dijon mustard and season thoroughly. Place in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
- Preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Smoker for indirect cooking around 250F. Add some wood chips or wood chunks to the smoker for added flavor.
- Add the ribs to the smoker on the indirect heat side. Cook for 3 hours. Every 30 minutes, spritz the ribs with the apple cider vinegar.
- After 3 hours, pull your ribs off the smoker. Lay down a layer of aluminum foil with 3 tbsp of butter spaced out on the foil. Add some brown sugar and drizzled honey over the butter. Top the butter mixture with one of the pork ribs with the bone side facing up. Add more butter, honey and brown sugar on top of the rib. Carefully wrap in the foil until tight and secure. Repeat this step for all of the pork ribs.
- Once done wrapping, add the ribs back to the smoker with bone side facing up. Cook for another 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, unwrap the ribs and discard the foil. Place all the ribs back on the smoker and increase the heat to 375F.
- Add a basting skillet over the coals or on the hot side of the smoker. Add all the ingredients for the Honey Teriyaki sauce and mix together thoroughly.
- Glaze the outside of the ribs until completely covered with the Honey Teriyaki sauce. Continue to cook the ribs for another 30-60 minutes until they are caramelized on the outside but tender on the inside.
- Once done, pull the ribs off and let rest for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Slice and enjoy!
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Absolutely the best ribs I’ve ever made, looking forward to doing more of your recipes!
Followed the recipe to a T and ended up with the best ribs I’ve ever made, i used a mix of maple,cherry and hickory pellets for smoke, it paired quite well with the sauce. 100% making these again👍
Truly the best ribs I’ve ever made. thanks for sharing the recipe.
Took this recipe and used parts of it for an existing recipe that I had.. It took my ribs from a being awesome to being freaking awesome!!!!!! LOL Thanks for sharing.