Food

You Won’t Believe How Juicy These Ribs Are | Toni Chapman | NYT Cooking

NYT Cooking
NYT Cooking•Jun 13, 2026

Why It Matters

The method gives everyday cooks a reliable way to produce restaurant‑quality, juicy ribs at home, expanding the repertoire of low‑effort, high‑impact dishes for entertaining.

Key Takeaways

  • •Brazing ribs in pineapple juice yields tender, sweet‑savory flavor.
  • •Season with onion, garlic, smoked paprika for deep crust.
  • •Sear ribs first to develop caramelized crust before slow oven braise.
  • •Finish with sticky glaze of pineapple, soy, vinegar, brown sugar.
  • •Reserve braising liquid as sauce; pour over rice or ribs.

Summary

In this NYT Cooking segment, chef Toni Chapman demonstrates how to turn a rack of St. Louis‑cut pork ribs into a glossy, pineapple‑infused main dish. She frames the recipe as a solution to the common problem of dry, over‑cooked pork, opting for a braising method that keeps the meat juicy while adding a sweet‑savory glaze.

Chapman first cuts the ribs into individual pieces, seasons them with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt and pepper, and then sears each batch in a shallow pan to build a caramelized crust. The seared ribs are deglazed with a mixture of canned pineapple juice, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and a splash of Worcestershire, then baked at 300 °F for roughly two hours before a final high‑heat glaze of brown sugar, ketchup and honey.

She emphasizes tactile cues, noting, “If you’re not leaving a rib session with your fingers all messed up and licking them, you’re not doing it right,” and stresses keeping the bone intact for a better eating experience. The use of canned pineapple juice, she explains, provides a syrupy texture that helps the sauce cling, while the reserved braising liquid doubles as a finishing sauce for rice or mashed potatoes.

The technique shows home cooks how a simple braise can rival restaurant‑style barbecue, delivering tender ribs with complex umami and fruit notes without a grill. By combining searing, low‑and‑slow cooking, and a quick caramelized finish, the recipe offers a scalable, crowd‑pleasing option for holidays or casual gatherings.

Original Description

Get the FREE recipe: https://nyti.ms/3S48XvX
Toni Chapman shows us how to make her sticky pineapple ribs, which are braised low and slow in a sweet-savory mix of pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic and onion, then finished under high heat with a glossy ketchup-honey glaze that caramelizes into something sticky and a little smoky. Because the ribs are cut apart instead of being cooked as a rack, each one gets perfectly seasoned and completely glazed all over.
“If you’re not leaving a ribs session with your fingers all messed up, and licking them all up, you’re not doing it right,” she said.
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