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–+ servings
Three racks of smoked BBQ ribs with dark bark and glaze resting on a wooden cutting board

Smoked Ribs Recipe with Apple Whiskey Glaze

Spare ribs go low and slow over cherry wood with an apple juice and whiskey spritz, wrap in butter at higher heat till they bend with a slight crack, then finish uncovered with a homemade apple whiskey glaze.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Calories: 675
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Ribs
  • 3 racks spare ribs or St. Louis cut ribs
  • sweet rib rub your favorite sweet rub, or salt, pepper, and garlic
Apple Whiskey Glaze
  • apple whiskey amount in final card pending confirmation
  • ketchup amount in final card pending confirmation
  • brown sugar amount in final card pending confirmation
  • apple juice amount in final card pending confirmation
  • apple cider vinegar amount in final card pending confirmation
Spritz
  • apple juice half the spritz mix
  • apple whiskey half the spritz mix
The Wrap
  • butter a few pats per rack
  • apple juice a splash per rack
  • apple whiskey a splash per rack

Equipment

  • Smoker or charcoal grill set up for smoking
  • Cherry wood
  • Spray Bottle
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Tongs
  • Squeeze bottle, optional, for the glaze

Method
 

Prep
  1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Optional, and you can score it instead, but removing it is recommended.
  2. Season the ribs with the rub. No binder needed if the ribs are moist, or use a little mustard or oil if you prefer. Let them sweat for about 30 minutes so the seasoning absorbs.
Smoke
  1. Smoke the ribs at 250°F over cherry wood, nice and slow.
  2. While the ribs smoke, make the glaze. Combine the glaze ingredients in a pot over medium high heat until the sauce thickens, then set aside to cool. A squeeze bottle makes it easy to apply later.
  3. Once the color is setting, spritz the ribs with the apple juice and whiskey mix every 30 to 45 minutes to keep them from drying out.
Wrap
  1. When the color is nice and dark and the bark has set, wrap each rack in foil with butter, a splash of apple juice, and a splash of the apple whiskey. Seal tight.
  2. Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker with the heat raised to 300°F and let them braise for around 1 more hour.
  3. Check tenderness with the tong test. Pick a rack up in the middle. When it bends with a slight crack in the meat, they're done. If the meat tears through, they've gone too far.
Glaze and Finish
  1. Unwrap and place the ribs back directly on the grill grates uncovered. Paint them with the glaze and let them go about 10 more minutes so the sauce can set.
  2. Pull them off, let them rest, then slice and serve with your favorite sides.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 675kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 25gFat: 54gFiber: 2gSugar: 24g

Notes

Bite Through: These are built for a clean bite through rib, tender but still holding the bone, not fall apart.
No Smoker: The oven works at the same temperatures, wrap and all. Add a little liquid smoke to the glaze or wrap to get some of the smoke flavor back.
Rub: Any savory sweet rub works, and plain salt, pepper, and garlic works too.
Nutrition: Values shown are estimates only. Every rack of ribs is different in size and fat content, so your actual numbers will vary with the racks you buy and how much glaze you use.

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