Celery Free Honey & Ginger BBQ Pork Ribs
Sticky, deeply spiced, and glazed with a homemade sauce that hits every note — sweet honey, bright ginger, and a slow-building heat from cayenne — these baby back ribs are the kind of thing people ask you to make again before they've even finished the first rack. The spice rub layers smoked paprika, cumin, ground ginger, and turmeric into something genuinely complex, and the low-and-slow oven method does all the heavy lifting before a final blast of high heat locks in that gorgeous caramelized crust. Many store-bought BBQ sauces and spice blends sneak in celery seed or celery salt, which makes finding a truly safe rack of ribs trickier than it should be — here, every ingredient is spelled out and none of them include it. The homemade sauce comes together in under ten minutes on the stovetop using tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, fresh garlic, and grated ginger, so you know exactly what's going on those ribs. Pulling the membrane off the back of each rack before seasoning is a small step that makes a big difference, letting the rub sink in and the meat turn genuinely tender. Slice between the bones, drizzle with the reserved sauce, and finish with a little fresh parsley if you want the color — then stand back and watch them disappear.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the ribs
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 4 lb total)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the BBQ sauce
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup water
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with two layers of aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on all sides to wrap the ribs into a sealed packet.
- 2
Flip each rack of ribs bone-side up. Slide a butter knife under the thin membrane at one end of the rack, grip it with a paper towel, and pull it off in one piece — removing it allows the rub to penetrate and the meat to become tender.
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