Polynesian Pork Ribs

Summer is about spending time outside, relaxing, and having fun. It’s also about enjoying our favorite foods such as burgers and hot dogs 🌭, skewers, tacos and rolls, pasta and potato salads, fresh vegetables and fruits, frozen treats, and so on.
 
One dish that David and I must have every summer is ribs. They make the perfect pairing for coleslaw and French fries 🍟. They’re sticky, deliciously messy, and always a crowd-pleaser. I have a few recipes like Canadian Smoky Pork Ribs, Asian-Style Beef Short Ribs, Kansas City-Style Pork Ribs, etc.
 
Here’s another one that is very popular in our house… Polynesian Pork Ribs! Slowly cooked with a gorgeous glaze, these ribs are incredibly amazing! Their sweet, tangy, and savory flavor profile gives that irresistible contrast of yumminess 😋!
 
The success for perfect, tender, and juicy ribs lies in removing the membranes located on the back 🐖. Also called “silver skin”, it doesn’t soften when cooked and becomes tough and chewy. It also prevents any seasoning or sauce from penetrating the meat. It doesn’t matter how long you cook the ribs, it won’t break down.
 
From there, the rack is portioned 🔪 into 4 to 5 ribs per serving. My Polynesian Rub is applied, covering the entire meat surface. The portioned ribs are wrapped with foil, meat side down, leaving the seam up… always “UP” ⬆. The packet is placed on a baking sheet along with the others with the seam up and chilled.
 
My Polynesian Rub recipe makes 1/3 cup. Depending on how big your rack is, you’ll probably have to triple or even quadruple the spice blend. It’s very important to cover the entire portioned ribs, so be generous with it, and make 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 more as needed.
 
I always chill my prepared, portioned ribs for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight 🌛. The reason behind this is that the rub acts as a dry brine. It pulls out the moisture from the meat, dissolves it, and gets reabsorbed back into the ribs, tenderizing and enhancing the flavors at the same time.
 
When it’s time to cook them, I place my Polynesian Pork Ribs either in the oven or on the grill at 300°F. In the video 🎥, I show the oven method because not everyone owns a barbecue. If you do, check the grilling method in any of my other rib recipes.
 
Whichever cooking method you decide to use, always place the packets with the seam up ⬆. As we placed the meat side down in the foil earlier, the fat will baste it while cooking, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture! Halfway through cooking, rotate the sheet or switch the packets’ places on the grill.
 
After slowly cooking for over a couple of hours ⏰, the portioned ribs are transferred to another baking sheet lined with a lightly greased foil (oven method), with the meat side up. The packets are discarded; they’ve served their purpose.
 
Then the Polynesian BBQ Sauce 🥣 is generously brushed on the ribs, covering the tops and sides of the meat. They’re transferred back to the oven with the rack positioned in the second slot from the top, and the broiler is turned on “Low”.
 
I prefer positioning it at this level because it’s close enough to the heating element, ideal for caramelizing the tops, without taking the chance of burning 🔥 them during the process. It gives you more control, plus you can see them better.
 
After 5 minutes, the sheet is rotated, and they continue caramelizing for another 5 minutes ⏳ or until the tops are browned with a crisp exterior. It gives them slightly charred edges without overcooking the meat inside, giving the ribs that stickiness we all love!
 
These Polynesian Pork Ribs are truly a must-try! Loaded with flavor, this recipe is easy to make and a great choice for your summer BBQ. They are the perfect grilled food to serve at your next backyard party 🥳, along with coconut rice, pineapple chunks, macaroni salad, etc.
Bon Appétit! 🍽
 
Check out these other great BBQ & grilling recipes… 😀
– Peri Peri Chicken
– Tarragon Limoncello Halibut
– Greek Ouzo Pork Kebabs
– Shrimp Po’ Boy
– Bison Burgers with Bourbon Onion Jam
– Rotisserie Chicken
– Turkish Kebabs
– California Burgers
– Coffee Cocoa Pork Tenderloin
and for even more BBQ and grilling recipes 🔥, click on this link… Recipe Category • BBQ & Grilling
 

 
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Polynesian Pork Ribs

Loaded with flavor, this Polynesian Pork Ribs recipe is easy to make, and a great choice for your summer BBQ…

5 from 10 votes

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Servings 4

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Passive Time 1 day d

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 large baby back pork ribs (about 3 ½ lbs.), membranes removed and portioned into 4-5 ribs
• 1 ⅓ cups Polynesian Rub, or as needed see Recipe
• ½ cup Polynesian BBQ Sauce, or as needed see Recipe
• 1 ½ tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, for garnish tips & tricks

Directions

 

• Generously apply Polynesian rub on the portioned ribs, entirely covering the meat.
• Lightly spray aluminum foil pieces on one side. Place one portioned rib per piece, meat side down, in the middle of the greased foil piece.
• Wrap it tightly making sure the seam is up and place the packet on a baking sheet, wrap the other portioned ribs individually.
• Transfer to the fridge for 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
• Later on, or the next day, place the baking sheet in a 300ºF/150ºC preheated oven, and bake for 2:30 hours, rotating the sheet halfway through cooking.
• Remove from the heat, and position the rack to the one just below the top; set the temperature on “Low” broil.
• Carefully remove the ribs from the packets and transfer them to another baking sheet lined with lightly greased foil, meat side up.
• Brush the tops and side with Polynesian BBQ Sauce, and transfer to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes before rotating the baking sheet. Broil for another 5 minutes or until the tops are nicely caramelized.
• Remove from the heat, sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

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