Description
A legendary BBQ recipe featuring pork ribs slow-cooked with a smoky dry rub and finished with a glossy, sticky glaze made from real maple syrup and bourbon.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2–3 pounds full rack of St. Louis cut pork ribs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Remove ribs from packaging and pat dry. Remove the silverskin membrane from the bone side.
- Mix brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and black pepper in a bowl.
- Generously coat both sides of the ribs with the dry rub. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight if possible.
- Set up grill for indirect heat at 275°F to 300°F. For charcoal, pile coals on one side; for gas, turn on only one burner. Add wood chips in a smoker box or foil packet if desired.
- Place ribs bone-side down on the cool side of the grill. Smoke for 1.5 hours without opening the lid frequently.
- Remove ribs and wrap tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Return to the grill and cook for another 1 hour.
- While ribs wrap, combine maple syrup, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, and hot sauce in a saucepan. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Unwrap ribs and brush generously with glaze. Return to grill meat-side up for 20-30 minutes to set the glaze and caramelize.
- Remove ribs from grill and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing between the bones.
Notes
Ensure internal temperature reaches 190°F to 203°F for fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Do not apply glaze too early as sugar burns easily. Resting the ribs is crucial for juiciness. For baby back ribs, reduce cooking time by 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 ribs per serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 20
- Sodium: 800
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Protein: 35
Keywords: BBQ, ribs, maple bourbon, Labor Day, grilling, pork ribs, holiday recipe, smoker, indirect heat