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Brown Sugar Honey Party Ribs

These Brown Sugar Honey Party Ribs are bite-sized ribs smoked at 225°F then glazed with brown sugar, honey, and butter. Sticky BBQ candy finish perfect for parties in 3 hours on pellet smoker.
Servings 6 people
Calories 425 kcal
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Equipment

  • Pellet Smoker (Pit Boss, Traeger, Camp Chef)
  • Large Foil Pan
  • Saucepan
  • Instant-Read Thermometer
  • Aluminum Foil

Ingredients
  

For the Party Ribs

  • 2 racks St. Louis style ribs or baby back ribs
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard binder
  • 1/4 cup BBQ rub sweet style preferred

For the Brown Sugar Honey Glaze

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce sweet style
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Sweet Heat

  • 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or use hot honey or red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Preheat pellet smoker to 225°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Fill hopper with hickory, apple, cherry, or maple pellets.
  • Remove membrane from back of ribs if present. Cut racks into individual bones by slicing between each bone. You'll have 20 to 24 party ribs total.
  • Coat ribs with yellow mustard and season generously with BBQ rub on all sides. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Place ribs on smoker grates with space between each piece. Smoke at 225°F for 1.5 to 2 hours until ribs develop mahogany color and bark looks set.
  • Make glaze: Combine brown sugar, honey, butter, BBQ sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne in saucepan. Heat until smooth and butter melts. Keep warm.
  • Transfer smoked ribs to foil pan. Pour glaze over ribs and toss to coat. Cover tightly with foil. Increase smoker to 250°F. Cook covered 45 to 60 minutes (50-55 minutes recommended).
  • Remove foil and toss ribs in glaze. Increase smoker to 275°F. Cook uncovered 15 to 25 minutes, stirring every 5 to 7 minutes, until glaze thickens and becomes glossy. Optional: brush with extra BBQ sauce last 5 minutes.
  • Rest 10 minutes. Serve hot from pan or transfer to platter. Drizzle remaining glaze over top.

Notes

Critical Tips: Don't skip foil-covered braising which tenderizes ribs and prevents honey from burning. Individual ribs cook 30-45 minutes faster than full racks. Use sweet-style BBQ rub and sauce for best flavor. Hickory pellets provide boldest smoke, apple for mild, cherry for color. Internal temp should reach 195-205°F for tenderness. Meat pulls back from bones when done. Add cayenne or hot honey to prevent glaze from tasting too sweet.
Timing: For firmer ribs, braise 45 minutes. For fall-off-bone, braise 60 minutes. 50-55 minutes is sweet spot. Cold weather may require 250°F throughout for temp stability. Baby back ribs cook 20-30 minutes faster than St. Louis ribs.
Pellet Options: Hickory (bold BBQ smoke), Apple (mild sweet), Cherry (color and moderate flavor), Maple (nutty sweet). Avoid mesquite which is too strong for sweet ribs.
Make-Ahead: Can smoke ribs through initial 1.5-2 hour phase, refrigerate, then finish with glaze next day. Store finished ribs in glaze to prevent drying.
Storage: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat covered in 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes. Brush with glaze and uncover last 5 minutes. Freeze up to 3 months.