These baby back Huli Huli Ribs get marinated overnight in pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other pantry items. Slowly smoked over mesquite to a sticky sweet goodness, they're perfect for any cook out, potluck or weekly dinner.
In a blender add the pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, sherry, honey, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, Sriracha and pulse several times. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for basting.
Remove white membrane from back of ribs. Cut each rack of ribs in half and place in a bag or container you can close. Pour the marinade over and seal. Refrigerate over night.
For the Grill:
Set up the grill and preheat to 225°F. Add smoker chips per manufacturer's instructions if using.
Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate, cover the grill and and cook the ribs about 4 to 5 hours for baby backs or 5 to 6 hours for spare ribs.
In the last hour of grilling/smoking, baste the top of each rack with the reserved marinade every 15 minutes and close the lid. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, or continue until the ribs have an internal temperature of 195°F.
Remove from the grill and let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the ribs.
For the Smoker:
Set up and light the smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to low (225°F). Add smoker chips per manufacturer's instructions.
Place the ribs in the smoker bone side down and smoke until cooked through, 4 to 5 hours for baby backs or 5 to 6 hours for spare ribs.
In the last 2 hours of grilling/smoking, baste the top of each rack with the reserved marinade or BBQ sauce every 15 minutes and close the lid. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, or continue until the ribs have an internal temperature of 195°F.
Remove from the smoker and let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the ribs.
For the Instant Pot:
Place trivet in bottom of pot and add 1 cup of water (or pineapple juice, optional).
Set ribs upright on the trivet so they are not stacked on top of one another.
Close lid and vent. Select Manual Pressure and set timer for 24 minutes (25-28 minutes depending if they’re extra meaty).
Once done, allow the Instant Pot to go through natural release.
Brush with marinade or barbecue sauce (or olive oil/seasoning for dry ribs) and broil or grill until slightly sticky and slightly charred.
For the Oven:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place the ribs, bone side down, on top of a wire rack set in an aluminum foil lined baking tray. Cook the ribs for 45 minutes.
Lift from tray and place on aluminum foil (enough to wrap). Brush both sides with marinade and seal foil. Place back in oven and continue cooking the ribs 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours until well browned and tender (feel free to mop every 15 minutes).
Open foil, turn and mop again. Continue cooking, bone side down, another 30 minutes. 2 1/2 to 3 hours total cook time. You want the ribs to have an internal temperature of 195°F.
In last 30 minutes, open foil and continue cooking.
Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest for a 5-10 minutes, then cut the ribs.
Notes
For pork, the accepted finished temperature is 145°F. However, the collagen inside your ribs hasn't had time to become gelatin for that perfect bite, which happens when the internal temperatures reach 165°F. It's recommended to continue cooking ribs until they reach an internal temperature of 195°F to 200°F for that fall off the bone goodness.