My neighbor Jim snow-blowed my entire driveway and sidewalk after that massive storm last winter. Took him like two hours. When I tried to pay him he waved me off and said “just make me some ribs sometime.”
Found out from his wife that he’s obsessed with good ribs. So I made these. He literally came back the next day asking for the recipe.
Why These Ribs Work
Most rib recipes want you to spend all day smoking them or fussing over the grill. These? You basically dump everything in a pot and walk away.
The secret is cooking them in beer first. Braising them makes the meat stupid tender without any of that babysitting nonsense. Then you slap on this glaze and stick them under the broiler for like five minutes.
Got an Instant Pot? Done in 20 minutes. Using a slow cooker? Throw them in before work and they’re ready when you get home.
The Glaze Situation
The glaze is what makes these different. It’s got grape jelly in it. I know that sounds weird but it works.
Mix that with hoisin sauce, some Worcestershire, mustard, and lime juice and you get this sweet-tangy-savory thing that caramelizes into basically candy on the ribs.
Jim said it reminded him of this place he used to go in Texas. High praise from a rib snob.
What You’ll Need
Baby back ribs – About 3 pounds. One full slab.
For braising:
- Beer (two 12-ounce cans of whatever cheap lager you’ve got)
- Small onion, quartered
- Two cloves of garlic, crushed
For the glaze:
- Hoisin sauce (half a cup – it’s that thick Chinese sauce in the Asian aisle)
- Grape jelly (half a cup)
- Worcestershire or soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
- Brown sugar (2 teaspoons)
- Dry mustard (1 tablespoon)
- Garlic (2 cloves, minced fine)
- Hot sauce (half a teaspoon)
- Juice of one lime
Making Them in the Instant Pot
First thing – peel off that membrane on the back of the ribs. There’s a thin papery layer on the bone side. Grab a corner with a paper towel and pull it off. Makes the ribs way more tender.
Put all your glaze ingredients in a small pot on the stove. Bring it to a boil and let it bubble for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and set it aside.
Pour the beer into your Instant Pot. Add the quartered onion and crushed garlic cloves.
Cut your rib slab in half so it fits in the pot. Stack them in there – doesn’t have to be perfect.
Put the lid on, set it to the meat setting (or high pressure if your model doesn’t have that), and cook for 15 minutes. That’s after it comes up to pressure, which takes maybe another 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, let it sit for 5 minutes. Then release the pressure.
Carefully pull out the ribs – they’ll be super tender so don’t rip them apart. Put them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Brush that glaze all over both sides of the ribs. Generously.
Turn your broiler to high. Stick the ribs under there and watch them closely. The glaze will start bubbling and caramelizing in about 5 minutes. Don’t walk away or you’ll burn them.
Pull them out, cut into individual ribs, and serve.
Slow Cooker Method
Same deal with removing the membrane and making the glaze.
Pour the beer, onion, and garlic into your slow cooker. Put the ribs in the liquid – cut the slab if you need to.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. You want them fall-apart tender.
When they’re done, carefully transfer them to a baking sheet, brush with glaze, and broil until caramelized like the Instant Pot version.
What I’ve Learned
Remove that membrane. It’s chewy and gross if you leave it on. Takes 30 seconds to peel off and makes a huge difference.
Watch the broiler step. That glaze goes from perfect to burnt in about 30 seconds. Don’t multitask during this part.
The beer matters somewhat. I used cheap Budweiser-type lager and it was great. But my coworker tried it with a dark beer and said it was even better. Use what you like.
Cut them after glazing, not before. If you cut them into individual ribs before broiling, they dry out more. Keep the slab intact until the very end.
The 15 vs 20 minute thing. Recipe says 15 minutes gives you ribs that hold their shape, 20-25 gives you fall-off-the-bone. I’ve done both. The 15-minute version is less messy to eat, 20 minutes is more tender. Up to you.
Different Ways to Do It
I stick pretty close to the recipe but there’s room to play.
Could use apple juice or chicken broth instead of beer if you don’t want alcohol. Won’t taste quite the same but still good.
The recipe says you can use ketchup instead of hoisin sauce in a pinch. Haven’t tried it but apparently works fine.
Add some herbs to the braising liquid – rosemary or thyme would be good with pork.
My sister puts a little liquid smoke in the glaze. Says it gives them that grilled flavor even though they’re cooked inside.
Serving These
I usually just pile them on a platter with a bunch of napkins. They’re messy – embrace it.
Good with:
- Coleslaw (cuts the sweetness)
- Corn on the cob
- Baked beans
- Mac and cheese
- Basically any BBQ side dish
Jim ate his with white bread and pickles, said that’s how they did it in Texas. Whatever works.
Leftover Situation
If you somehow have leftovers (rare), they keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
Reheat them in a 300-degree oven wrapped in foil. Microwave makes them rubbery.
The meat also pulls off the bone easily after it’s cooked, so you could shred it and make rib sandwiches or put it in tacos. Not traditional but tastes good.
Why This Recipe Sticks
It’s the kind of recipe that makes you look like you worked way harder than you actually did.
People assume ribs are complicated. These aren’t. Dump stuff in a pot, wait, brush on sauce, broil. That’s it.
And they actually taste like good ribs – tender, flavorful, that caramelized crust on the outside. Not dry, not tough, not bland like some oven-baked rib recipes.
Jim still asks me to make these every few months. Says they’re better than most restaurants. Coming from a rib guy, I’ll take it.
Make these next time you want ribs without spending all day outside with a smoker. Or when your neighbor snow-blows your driveway and you owe them.
Roadhouse Ribs
Ingredients
For Braising:
- 3 lbs baby back ribs 1 slab
- 2 12 oz cans beer
- 1 small onion quartered
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
For Glaze:
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup grape jelly
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp dry mustard
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ tsp hot sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Prepare:
- Remove membrane from bone side of ribs by grabbing corner with paper towel and pulling it off.
- Make glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Instant Pot Method:
- Add beer, quartered onion, and crushed garlic to Instant Pot.
- Cut rib slab in half if needed to fit. Place ribs in pot.
- Cook on meat setting (or high pressure) for 15 minutes after pressure builds. For fall-off-the-bone texture, cook 20-25 minutes.
- Let pot sit 5 minutes, then release pressure.
- Carefully remove ribs to foil-lined baking sheet.
- Brush glaze generously over entire surface of ribs.
- Broil on high heat until glaze caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning.
- Cut into individual ribs and serve immediately.
Slow Cooker Method:
- Add beer, onion, and garlic to slow cooker. Place ribs in liquid.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours until very tender.
- Transfer ribs to foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with glaze and broil as directed above.
Notes
- Removing the membrane is crucial for tender ribs
- Watch carefully when broiling – glaze caramelizes quickly and can burn
- Can substitute chicken broth or apple juice for beer
- Ketchup can substitute for hoisin sauce in a pinch
- 15 minutes pressure cooking = ribs that hold shape; 20-25 minutes = fall-off-bone
- Store leftovers up to 4 days refrigerated
- Reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F – don’t microwave
