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Tender Juicy “Fall-Of-The-Bone” Grilled Baby Back Ribs with a special lip-smacking sauce made with apricot and orange marmalade and a few other secret ingredients that I’m sharing with YOU. 

Hi Friends! I’ve updated this recipe post and the photos. I’m dedicating it to my Mom, who loved these ribs and requested them anytime we were celebrating her birthday. Actually, she requested them All. The. Time!

She also swore they were the BEST ribs she had ever eaten, and she had tried them all over the country. It was all about the sauce. Mom passed away a little over a year ago in February 2022. She was my biggest cheerleader in creating Norine’s Nest. She loved my writing and cooking and wanted me to share my talents with the world. (She had more faith in me than I had in myself!)

So if you’ll allow me to get a tad personal here… Thanks, Mom! Thanks for believing in me, supporting me, and for loving these Ribs more than all the Ribs in the world! This one is for YOU! Miss you!

What Makes my Pork Rib Recipe Different?

It’s the Sauce! Plain and simple. Mom loved this sauce. Heck, the whole family loves this sauce. If I give them a choice…regular BBQ sauce, a rub, or my Secret Sauce…it’s always this sauce! You have to try it to get it!

I created this sauce over 15 years ago. I was tired of regular BBQ sauce! Everyone makes a Texas or Southern classic BBQ sauce.

I wanted something totally different. A glaze that would compliment pork. Don’t let the orange marmalade scare you off. I’m not a fan of orange marmalade, generally speaking…but it works in this recipe beautifully!

Now, I’ll admit I do 80% of the labor involved in this recipe but…the “Grill Master” puts the final details on these pork ribs. The smoke, char, and the sauce are very important to the overall success of this recipe. 

The Secret to GREAT Pork Ribs!

There are a few secrets to making really great ribs, in my opinion…, removing the membrane, pre-cooking the ribs, and a great sauce! (I wish I had taken shots of the prep for these but, I was busy being Grandma. Sorry folks!)

I purchase my pork ribs from Costco. When it comes to meat, they ROCK!  Please (insert praying hands) don’t do pork ribs any other way than baby back ribs.

Why Baby Back Ribs over other Pork Ribs?

There are three major types of pork rib.

• Baby back ribs are the most popular, generally carried at all markets, and my personal favorite. They are smaller, meatier, and leaner. The bones are more curved.
• Spare ribs – they are larger than baby back ribs and have a flatter bone. They also have connective tissue, which means they meld together and tend to be more tender when cooked lower and slower.
• St. Louis Style ribs – these are the spare ribs with the tips removed. If you can’t tell from looking at them, you’ll need to check the store label.

If you’re going to do all the work, and cost, to make ribs…purchase the best!  When you purchase ribs at Costco, you get three full racks of ribs.

TIP: If I’m feeding the whole clan… Seven of us…there is not a rib to be seen when we are done! If you need to, you can open the package and wrap each rack individually and freeze them individually. Also, another perk…the ribs at Costco already have the membrane removed!

How To Make Apricot Sweet-and-Sour Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Remove the membrane, or “silverskin”, from the back of the rib by sliding a knife underneath the membrane, starting at one end, to lift it off the bone. Grab hold of the lifted area and pull across the rib.

Rinse the ribs off. Pat dry.

Place them in a large deep pan. I use my Wilton Sheet cake pan and line it with foil. (It makes clean-up easier! Who wants to scrub a pan with a belly full of ribs?) 

After the ribs are rinsed, lay them side by side in your deep baking pan.  Season the ribs with garlic, salt and coarse black pepper.

You can also use an all-purpose seasoning salt. I love the black stone brand, but any all-purpose seasoning salt works.

TIP: Pour 2–3 cups of water onto the bottom of the pan. This will create steam, and make a tender and juicy rib meat.

Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place covered ribs in a 225 °F degree oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow the ribs to cool, covered, to room temp.

“Why pre-cook the ribs before grilling?”.

Great question! The answer … you want the meat tender and juicy! Pork contains a lot of fat. Great fat because it adds amazing flavor!

However, fat on an open flame equals FIRE!  By pre-cooking, and allowing the meat to firm back up to room temp, you allow the juices to remain in the meat.  

Once the rib meat has firmed back up at room temp, they are perfect to throw on the grill. The meat won’t fall off the bone.

TIP: Allowing the meat to cool keeps the meat on the bone while grilling.  Don’t ever go straight from the oven to the grill. You’ll have a huge mess on your hands!

How To Make “The Special BBQ Sauce” with Orange Marmalade!

While the ribs are pre-cooking in the oven, it’s time to make your sauce.

This sauce is different. It is not a tomato-based sauce. This is NOT a traditional BBQ sauce. It’s sweet and a bit tangy. It’s finger licking good! IT. MAKES. THIS. RECIPE! (I can’t stress that enough…Lol)  

It’s a combination of unique flavors. Apricot jam, orange marmalade (What?… I know! I don’t even like orange marmalade except in this recipe!), ginger, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, corn syrup, mustard, etc…(I know, I know…trust me on this…you just gotta trust me!) 

Once the sauce has been brought to a boil, you want to let it cool to room temp until you are ready to use it.

How To Grill Your Pork Ribs

Time to stoke up the grill.

TIP: The”Grill Master” has requested that I always pre-cut the baby’s back ribs into three sections. He tells me it is easier to handle the ribs during the barbecue process, and it’s the perfect serving size. (I don’t question the Master! Well…at least not on this!)

This also allows the Grill Master to custom cook sections to everyone’s preference. My Mom always loved a little extra char!

Place the ribs on a medium-high preheated grill, and begin basting them immediately with the sauce.

Always make sure to end with a good baste before you pull them off the grill.  Be sure you have coated both sides of the pork ribs, front and back, and get the char you prefer.

Honestly, if you’re not drooling when these puppies come off the grill, your taste buds have up and died on ya and you best seek some medical attention! Course, after you have a bite you may just up and pass out because they’re so darn good!

Other Favorite Grilling Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
• Grilled Citrus Spiced Wings
• Grilled London Broil
• Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
• 100 of the BEST Grilling Recipes from the Pioneer Woman

I’m including a printable version of the recipe…my secret sauce recipe! 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back this week for yummy sides to go with these incredible ribs! Happy Grilling!

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