Rib Marinade Recipe: How to Make a Pork Rib Marinade

A marinade is an emulsion of oil, acids (like citrus juice or vinegar), and assorted spices and seasonings used to both tenderize and flavor meat. When home cooks steep ribs in a marinade for hours, it yields flavorful, tender meat.

Here is a step-by-step overview of how to use a rib marinade:

1. 1. Make the marinade. Mix up a rib marinade with a balance of fats (like oil), acids (like vinegar), and seasonings (such as spices, herbs, and condiments like ketchup or barbecue sauce).
2. 2. Prepare the ribs. Pat the ribs down with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Place the ribs in a shallow baking dish.
3. 3. Marinate the ribs. Pour the marinade over the ribs in the shallow baking dish. Cover the baking dish, and transfer it to the refrigerator. Marinate the ribs for a few hours (or ideally overnight) before cooking with the method of your choice.

Bone-tender, succulent, eat-with-your-hands marinated ribs are a highlight of any well-rounded barbecue tray. You can use pork ribs for grilling and smoking, but you can also braise them or make them in a slower cooker. Popular methods for cooking marinated baby back–style ribs include:

1. 1. Air-frying: Air-fry your pork ribs for crispy, caramelized ribs that don’t require a grill or oven. Allow the marinade to drip off the ribs slightly, then cook them over high heat in an air fryer basket.
2. 2. Baking: Home cooks can use their ovens to make marinated ribs over high, dry heat, making this a convenient option that doesn’t involve an outdoor cooking setup. Reserve marinade for basting your ribs as they cook, which will infuse them with more flavor.
3. 3. Braising: Braising your pork ribs low and slow in liquid results in succulent, fall-off-the-bone meat. First, brown them in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on the stovetop, then cook them slowly on low heat in liquid, such as beef broth, vegetable stock, red wine, or barbecue sauce.
4. 4. Grilling: This common method for preparing ribs involves cooking the meat on a high-heat grill until the surface is lightly charred and caramelized.
5. 5. Slow-cooking: Slow-cooking pork ribs is a convenient, low-effort method to achieve tender meat. Simply place the ribs in the slow cooker with a marinade or BBQ sauce and cook over an extended period.
6. 6. Smoking: This cooking method involves heating the pork ribs under low and slow indirect heat from wood smoke. Smoking ribs produces exceptionally juicy, tender meat infused with a smoky flavor.