Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Ribs

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Sweet and spicy pineapple ribs make the perfect addition to your backyard grilling and BBQ. These sweet and spicy ribs get complimented perfectly with a homemade pineapple barbecue sauce.

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I LOVE grilling weather.

Everything tastes great on the grill from bacon cheese burgers to grilled buffalo wings to these sweet and spicy pineapple ribs.

We don’t limit grilling to only Memorial Day, the 4th, or Labor Day. If it’s nice enough, we will often serve grilled sweet and spicy ribs as the entree for an Easter dinner or fire up the grill on a warmer winter day.

Homemade pineapple barbecue sauce is super easy to make and really gives the ribs a nice, sticky glaze.

We also don’t limit ourselves to just ribs. We’ll often make pineapple barbecue sauce to put on burgers, fries, wings, chicken, and steak.

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies for Pineapple Ribs

Here’s what you need to make sweet and spicy ribs with a pineapple barbecue sauce:

Crushed pineapple – You can find this with canned fruit in almost every grocery store. You will want to drain the pineapple, but reserve the juice in a bowl.
Soy sauce – Soy sauce helps give a subtle flavor and a bit of salt to the sweet and spicy ribs.
Olive oil – You could use another type of oil.
Spices – They wouldn’t be sweet and spicy ribs without spices. We use chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and ginger.
Hot sauce – This gives the ribs some kick, but you could omit if you want a milder flavor. In terms of what hot sauce, we typically use Frank’s Red Hot, but you could use your favorite brand or type.
Light brown sugar – You could use dark brown too. The sugar helps to bring out the sweetness of the pineapple. If you are trying to eat lower carb, you could use brown sugar substitute.

For the homemade pineapple barbecue sauce, you’ll need:

Garlic cloves – You’ll want to dice or crush the garlic using a garlic press.
Olive oil – You can sub in a different oil if you prefer, just try to pick one with little to no flavor.
Soy sauce – Adds a bit of flavor and saltiness to the pineapple barbecue sauce.
Molassess – Molassess adds color, some flavor and sweetness, and helps to thicken the BBQ sauce as it cooks. You could use a molassess substitute if you are trying to cut carbs a bit.
Light brown sugar – You can use dark brown if you like or a brown sugar substitute to reduce carbs.
1 tbs worceister sauce
Spices – For the pineapple BBQ sauce, we use cayenne pepper and ginger.
Crushed pineapple – Crushed pineapple has a similar texture to a thicker tomato sauce, which makes it a great choice for a BBQ sauce. If you want a slightly smoother sauce, you can run it through a food processor or blender.
Reserved pineapple juice – You get this from the crushed cans of pineapple. To make the ribs and sauce, you will need two cans of crushed pineapple total.

Tools and gadgets for sweet and spicy ribs include:

garlic press
food processor or blender – only if you want really smooth pineapple barbecue sauce
grill with smoker – while any grill – gas, charcoal, or pellet – we find a grill with a smoker box works really well for smoking ribs over indirect heat

How to make sweet and spicy ribs with pineapple BBQ sauce

1. Start the fire going

If you are using a charcoal grill or smoker, get the charcoal ready.

Once they are ready, place the charcoal to one side of the grill or in the smoker box (if you have one).

If you are using a pellet or gas set the temperature to low or about 200-225 degrees.

2. Prep and cook the ribs

Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and then use a brush, spoon, or your hands to rub it onto both sides of the ribs.

Place the ribs, meat side down, away from direct heat.

Smoke or cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. This can vary a bit.

You will need to periodically add more hot charcoal to keep the smoke going.

The sweet and spicy ribs are done when the meat starts to fall off the bones or when the internal temperature reachs between 190 to 203 degrees F.

3. Make the pineapple barbecue sauce

When there is about an hour of cook time left on the sweet and spicy ribs, start the pineapple barbecue sauce.

To do this, mix all the ingredients for the pineapple barbecue sauce in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer.

Redue heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occassionally, for about 30 minutes.

The sauce should start to thicken.

Once ready, brush or spoon the pineapple barbecue sauce onto the ribs and let them cook for about 30 more minutes.

Serve with extra BBQ sauce, sweet potato fries, a strawberry salad, red potato salad, mashed potatoes, or your favorite side.

Storing sweet and spicy pineapple ribs

Sweet and spicy ribs are best served fresh off the grill, but if you want to either make them ahead or store left oves, you certainly can.

To store, either wrap the ribs tightly in plastic wrap or place in an air tight container.

You can reheat them gently in an oven set to 300 degrees for a few minutes or until they reach the temperature you like.

You could microwave them, but the meat may get a bit rubbery.

Tips and tricks

Low and slow works best for sweet and spicy ribs – or any kind of rib recipe really. We prefer to smoke them, but indirect heat for several hours also works. If you have to, you can cook them faster on an electric grill, but you’ll lose a lot of smokey flavor from the fire.
You can add or reduce heat by playing with how much hot sauce you use. You can also add more or omit the cayenne pepper. If you like them spicy without as much sweet, you can reduce the amount of brown sugar you use.
To make these low carb, sub in low carb options such as brown sugar and molasses substitutes.
Only add the pineapple barbecue sauce towards the end of cooking. This will allow the sauce to pick up the smokey flavor and to carmelize, becoming nice and sticky. Do not add it too early, or it can dry up a bit or even burn.

FAQs

What is the secret to tender ribs?

The only correct answer here is low and slow. For the best flavor, make sure to smoke them for several hours. But you can get a similar fall off the bones rib meat through baking them low and slow in the oven or on a gas grill over indirect heat.

How to smoke pineapple ribs?

For best results, we recommend a smoker or a grill with a smoker box. These allow you to create a fire with charcoal or pellets and allow the smoke to cook them slowly over the course of several hours.
Alternatively, you could place them over indirect heat on a regular charcoal grill. Keep in mind, when using charcoal, you will need to add fresh, hot coals from time to time.
For added flavor and smoke, you can get different hardwood chunks in the grilling section of most stores. To smoke the ribs using these pieces, you will want to soak them in water for about a half hour first and then place them over the hot charcoal. This will create a nice, thick smoke.
If you have a gas grill, you can also use water soaked hardwood chunks. Instead of placing them directly on the burners, you will want to place them in a shallow, disposable tin with a bit of water. When placed over the heat, it will create smoke to cook the ribs.

Can I use pineapple juice instead of apple juice for ribs?

Yes, in general, you can. Many people soak their ribs in apple cider vinegar or apple juice to tenderize the ribs. Pineapple juices have a similar enzyme that helps to break down the meat, but left too long, it can break it down too much, leaving it mushy. For this pineapple rib recipe, we skip soaking the ribs and just cook the meat for several hours.

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