Personally, I think there’s a time and a place for party style ribs. Are they good yes. Are they as good as traditionally smoked ribs, not in my opinion.
That being said, they’re still very tasty and a tool that’s certainly handy to have in your proverbial “toolbox”. They have superior bark with the extra surface area being exposed on each rib and are a great option when you want ribs in less time. These are great for a cookout or game days, which is what we’ve primarily made them for.
You can make these on the smoker or on the grill, but this variety I made solely on a gas grill.
Here’s how I made these:
Ingredients:
* 1 rack of baby back ribs
* BBQ rub
* ½ C maple syrup
* ¼ C bourbon
* ½ C brown sugar
* 2 T Dijon mustard
* 2 T soy sauce
* 1 T apple cider vinegar
* 1 tsp black pepper
* ½ tsp garlic powder
* ½ tsp paprika
* 8 T (1 stick) butter
For the Maple Bourbon Glaze:
1. Combine the maple syrup and the next 8 ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir the ingredients until well combined,
2. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the temperature to low. Allow the sauce to cook for ~5 minutes, then set aside until ready to use.
For the Ribs:
1. Preheat the grill to the lowest heat setting. Meanwhile, take out the ribs and slice between each bone to create individual pieces. Season each well on all sides with your favorite BBQ rub.
2. Place the ribs on the grill and allow them to cook for ~20-30 minutes, then flip and repeat this step on the other side. Once the ribs register ~170-175 degrees, remove the ribs from the grill. Keep the grill on.
3. Add the ribs to an aluminum foil pan with the glaze and butter and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place the pan of ribs back on the grill and allow them to continue cooking until they are probe tender and register ~205 degrees.
4. Once this occurs, remove them from the grill, uncover, and allow them to cool at room temperature.
5. Serve the ribs with your sides of choice and enjoy!
Here’s the link for anyone interested in saving the full recipe: https://theblackdogbbq.com/party-style-maple-bourbon-ribs-how-to-thaw-ribs/
by blackdog_bbq
19 Comments
I like party ribs because of the crust/rub surface area. Cooks faster, but not as tender as a whole rack that’s intact.
My wife loves party ribs and will pick up a rack and tell me I’m making them once every couple months. I also like to make them as an appetizer when we have people over — they are a crowd pleaser for sure
I worry about them being tough and partly why I haven’t tried them yet. I might need to watch some videos on people doing it to finally try it myself.
Thanks for sharing
Love em’…..
I gave my wife one of my ribs a loong time ago and it’s been trouble ever since
I like smoking them because I can do different flavors of rub and sauces off 1 rack
My new favorite method.
I just did some this weekend for the first time (appropriately enough, for a party), and it’s definitely a good technique to have in your arsenal. I think they were a lot easier to serve than a traditional rack, and people appreciated the rub and sauce coverage. But there was definitely some sacrifice in tenderness. I also found that the meat shrunk a lot more than when I do traditional ribs.
FWIW, I used St. Louis cut spares rather than baby backs.
Meh, I’m not into the hype on them. Would rather a full rack
What temperature did you end up cooking at and do you know approx how long to get to your desired internal temps?
Thanks
Looks so yummy!
My honest to God first thought when I saw the headline (and before reading the post) was “they have their time and place”.
I’m hosting a big party for a 5k that goes by my house and we make food to give out to the runners every year (along with beer). It’s a perfect set up for that scenario.
Just tried them this weekend – I really like them a lot! Easy to serve straight off the smoker, great smoke penetration, better sauce coverage, just not quite as tender
Still prefer regular style but always good for a change!
I’ll probably never go back to regular ribs. They win on cook time alone.
NAILED IT!!!!
The picture alone has me wanting to try them out sometimes.
I like party style ribs because they’re ribs.