Honey Soy Glazed Pork Ribs

Why This Honey Soy Glazed Pork Ribs Works

In the oven, the ribs cook low and slow under foil, so they basically steam in their own juices. The meat has time to loosen from the bone and the fat slowly melts, so the ribs stay moist instead of drying out. Covered like that, the soy, honey, vinegar, and spices in the glaze sit on the surface and start to soak into the meat while it softens.

After the foil comes off, the glaze begins to thicken and cling to the ribs. The honey and brown sugar start to dry on the outside and form a sticky coat, while the soy sauce and vinegar keep the inside from tasting too sweet. With the last blast under the broiler, the outside darkens and the sugar on the ribs tightens up into a shiny, slightly chewy crust. By the time the sesame seeds and green onions go on, the ribs are tender inside with a sticky, browned shell that stays on the meat instead of sliding off.

Mistakes To Avoid

Cranking the oven hotter than 300°F to “speed things up” makes the outside of the ribs tighten and dry out while the inside stays tougher and chewy, so they never reach that soft, pull-apart stage even after the full time.

Skipping the foil cover during the first long bake leaves the surface exposed the whole time, so the glaze burns onto the pan and the meat loses moisture instead of slowly steaming and softening under the foil.

Pouring all of the glaze on at the start instead of saving half for later causes the sugars to cook too long; the sauce bakes into a hard, dark crust and can even burn before the ribs are tender.

Leaving the ribs under the broiler too long turns the sticky glaze into a bitter, blackened layer and can dry the edges of the meat, so the ribs go from glossy and caramelized to tough and scorched in just a few minutes.

Using very wet ribs straight from the package without patting them dry makes the first layer of glaze slide off and pool on the pan, so the coating never really clings and the surface ends up patchy instead of evenly glazed.