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Here is my step by step method to make delicious spicy mango habanero rib. These are tender, fall-off-the-bone grilled ribs and no smoker is required. You oven bake them and finish them on the grill. Sometimes I crave ribs that are not all that smokey and have some real spicy heat. The final grill step gives them just enough char. Read on!

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Aah, the flavors of the Caribbean. Warm tropical breezes, the smell of the ocean, and a slab of spicy mango habanero ribs grilled to absolute perfection. It's not a dream, it's reality!

Spicy Mango Habanero Ribs?
Ribs, an old time favorite with a Caribbean twist. These sweet and spicy fall-off-the-bone ribs are the perfect dish for your next picnic. These babies are all about contrast. The sweetness of the mango juice infused with a generous amount of El Yucateco Red Sauce gives that added kick every rib must have. El Yucateco Green sauce has a little more garlic flavor and a little more heat than the red sauce. El Yucateco XXX Habanero sauce packs the most kick with 12,000 units on the Scoville scale. For this grilled ribs recipe, to get the right balance between sweet and heat I prefer the red sauce.

Marinating time:​

I always marinate my ribs for at least 6 hours, so all the flavors can really sink in.
If you can marinate overnight, even better. My husband and I love to grill ribs in the summer. We like to start our ribs wrapped in foil in the oven, low and slow, until they are tender. We then finish them on the grill with the full details on this method below. Don't skip the marinating and your patients will be rewarded.

Spicy mango habanero sauce is a great alternative to BBQ.
I like to be daring with my flavor profiles, so I came up with this snazzy combination just for you. I use the sauce as a marinade, reserve some to brush on the ribs while grilling and then serve it on the side to drizzle over the finished ribs. Spicy mango habanero ribs don't need to be a main dish. Serve them as a hearty appetizer. You can turn any dish into an appetizer just like that!

El Yucateco Red Habanero sauce is perfect for creating the flavor I want for these ribs. For starters it doesn't have a lot of vinegar and has, in my opinion, just the right amount of heat. El Yucateco Red Habanero sauce is definitely your all purpose, go to sauce.

Tips on ingredients and preparation:​

• Use baby back pork ribs. There are many types of ribs sold at at the store like spare ribs, Saint Louis stye ribs and country ribs. Baby back are the way to go. These are typically sold in a vacuum pack. Remove all the silver skin from the ribs after you open them. Ontario pork has a great tutorial on how to remove the silver skin membrane from ribs.
• Use heavy aluminum foil to wrap them in the oven. You want to pleat two pieces of foil together with two folds in the middle. ( See photo below.) The heavy foil works best for this.
• Use a good digital instant read meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of the ribs. They need to reach 200°F in the oven.
• Don't skip the smoked paprika in the dry rub. This imparts a nice smoky flavor into the sauce in additional to the smoky flavor from the grill.

Step by step photos for oven to grill method:​

• Step 1: Gather all your ingredients. Measure, them out and have them ready to go.
• Step 2: dd to your food processor the mango nectar (juice), cubed mango, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, red habanero sauce, brown sugar and allspice.

• Step 3: Pulse the mixture until it is a smooth liquid. This makes about 2 cups. Reserve one cup for later.
• Step 4: Add all the dry rub ingredients to a bowl: salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, dried thyme and allspice.

• Step 5: Use a fork and crush all the dry ingredients together until well combined.
• Step 6: Place the ribs in a glass dish, fleshy side up and pour 1 cup of the sauce mixture over the ribs.

• Step 7: Sprinkle the dry rub mixture over the ribs and rub into the meat and ends.
• Step 8: Flip the ribs over, flesh side down in the glass dish and let them marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours. After 6 hours, remove from the refrigerator and let them sit for 30 minutes to come up to around room temp. Preheat the oven to 300'F while they are resting.

• Step 9: Take two long pieces of tin foil and make a seam lengthwise folded over a couple times to prevent leaking. Place the ribs, flesh side up, on the foil and you can see the seam my husband is pointing to.
• Step 10: Take about ¼ cup of the leftover sauce from the glass dish and coat the fleshy side.

• Step 11: Roll the foil lengthwise to make another seam then curl up the ends and place on a baking tin with sides in case you get some drips. Bake for 2 hours until they have an internal temperature of 200°F.
• Step 12: Take your baked ribs to a 400° F grill and using ¼ cup of the reserved sauce lightly brush while grilling on both sides to add just a little color to the edges. The level of char is your preference. Once they have a nice char you need to let them rest. Wrap them in foil for about 10 minutes then cut and serve. You can use the remaining ¾ cup of sauce for dipping! Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions:​

Can I save the marinade that I don't use?
Sure, spice up some chicken wings! It should last about a week in your fridge. I put mine in a squeeze bottle. Do not save any of the marinade that has been in contact with raw meat so separate it before using into a container for later use.

How long can store the cooked ribs in the refrigerator?
Cool them completely and you can store them for 4 days in an airtight container.

Can I freeze the ribs?
If your raw ribs are in a vacuum pack those can be frozen for 4-6 months before using for best quality. Once the ribs are cooked they can be stored frozen for 3-4 months wrapped tightly in freezer foil or air freezer bags. Be sure to cool them completely before freezing.

How do I reheat the cooked ribs?
Preheat the oven to 200°F and heat for 15-30 minutes until warm. A smaller portion will take less time. Place them in a covered dish to prevent them from drying out while reheating. I like to microwave at 60% power for several minutes until hot. Stop to turn and check them every 45 seconds or so.

Other grilling recipes and side dishes:​

• Prueba de cerdo is a classic Spanish tapas dish of grilled marinated pork loin.
• Moroccan inspired beef kebabs have some really unusual bold spice flavors.
• Coffee marinated jerk seasoned pork chops. That sounds like a mouthful and they are one to enjoy by the mouthful!
• Mediterranean orzo pasta salad pairs great with this dish. It will give a nice acid balance to the spicy fatty ribs.
• Turkish tomato, cucumber and walnut salad is crowd pleaser and great to take to picnics.
• Guava lime cocktail is a nice sweet and tangy drink to serve if you are making these ribs for a party. Make a pitcher of these!

Print

Spicy Mango Habanero Ribs Recipe​

Here is a great recipe for slow roasted ribs in the oven then finish them on the grill. Low and slow is the way to go. I always marinate my ribs with the dry rub for at least 6 hours, so all the flavors can really sink in. If you can marinate overnight, even better. We like to start our ribs wrapped in foil in the oven, low and slow, until they are tender. We then finish them on the grill.
Course Main dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bbq, grilling, homemade bbq sauce, picnic food, rib sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Marinate time: 6 hours hours
Total Time 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 559kcal
Author Analida Braeger

Ingredients​

• 1 rack pork ribs baby back style
• 9.6 oz mango nectar
• 1 mango cubed
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp hot sauce El Yucateco Red Habanero Sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp allspice

Dry rub:​

• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp thyme dried
• ½ tsp allspice

Instructions​

• In a small bowl mix together all the dry spices.
• Mix together the mango juice, cubed mangoes, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, Habanero sauce, allspice and brown sugar in a food processor until smooth. An immersion blender work well if you don't have a food processor. This makes about 2 cups. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture to use as a marinade and 1 cup for later.
• Place ribs in a rectangular glass dish.
• Pour mango juice mixture mixture over ribs. Sprinkle spice mixture over them. Rub the spices and juice into the flesh. Flip the ribs over so the fleshy side is down.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before cooking.
• Preheat oven to 300'F. While oven is heating remove ribs from the refrigerator and let them sit out so they come to about room temperature.
• Remove ribs from the glass dish and wrap them completely in aluminum foil with about ¼ cup of the marinade juice. Discard the rest.
• Place on a cookie sheet with sides to catch any drips. Bake for about 2 hours.
• Light the grill and get it to around 400'F.
• Grill ribs for about 5 minutes on each side to a nice caramelized color brushing with ¼ cup of the reserved marinade. ( Your level of charred edges is your preference.)
• Transfer to a platter; cover and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes.
• Cut and serve with the ¾ cup left of the reserved marinade on the side.

Notes​

Tips on ingredient and preparation:

• Use baby back pork ribs. There are many types of ribs sold at at the store like spare ribs, Saint Louis stye ribs and country ribs. Baby back are the way to go. These are typically sold in a vacuum pack. Remove all the silver skin from the ribs after you open them. Ontario pork has a great tutorial on how to remove the silver skin membrane from ribs.

• • Use heavy aluminum foil to wrap them in the oven. You want to pleat two pieces of foil together with two folds in the middle. ( See photo below.) The heavy foil works best for this.

• • Use a good digital instant read meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of the ribs. They need to reach 200°F in the oven.

• Don't skip the smoked paprika in the dry rub. This imparts a nice smoky flavor into the sauce in additional to the smoky flavor from the grill.

Frequently asked questions:

• Can I save the marinade that I don't use? Sure, spice up some chicken wings! It should last about a week in your fridge. I put mine in a squeeze bottle. Do not save any of the marinade that has been in contact with raw meat so separate it before using into a container for later use.
• Can I freeze the ribs? If your raw ribs are in a vacuum pack those can be frozen for 4-6 months before using for best quality. Once the ribs are cooked they can be stored frozen for 3-4 months wrapped tightly in freezer foil or air freezer bags.
• How do I reheat the cooked ribs? Yes, preheat the oven to 200°F and heat for 15-30 minutes until warm. A smaller portion will take less time. Place them in a covered dish to prevent them from drying out while reheating. I like to microwave at 60% power for several minutes until hot. Stop to turn and check them every 45 seconds or so.
• How long can store the cooked ribs in the refrigerator? Cool them completely and you can store them for 4 days in an airtight container.
  

Nutrition​

Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 1524mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 1205IU | Vitamin C: 30.2mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2.4mg

Originally published June of 2015 and updated May 2023.