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cut up party ribs on a cutting board

Maple Cayenne Smoked Party Ribs

Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 racks of baby back ribs
  • Hot sauce for the binder
  • Your favorite BBQ rub
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Maple Cayenne Sauce:

  • 1 cup maple syrup use good quality
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper adjust for heat preference
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pepper

Instructions
 

Prepare the Sauce:

  • In a skillet or pot, combine the maple syrup, ketchup, honey, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir well and heat over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until slightly thickened. Let the sauce cool.

Prepare the Ribs:

  • Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Apply hot sauce as a binder and season generously with your favorite BBQ rub. Let the ribs sit for 30 minutes.

Smoking the Ribs:

  • Preheat your smoker to 225°F. Place the ribs bone-side down on the smoker grates and smoke for 2.5-3 hours, until the meat starts to pull away from the bone.

Wrapping the Ribs:

  • Remove the ribs from the smoker. Place them on a large sheet of foil, add chunks of butter, and drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Wrap tightly and return to the smoker for 2 hours.

Finishing the Ribs:

  • After 2 hours, unwrap the ribs and brush them with the Maple Cayenne Sauce. Return the ribs to the smoker, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to set the glaze.

Rest and Serve:

  • Remove the ribs from the smoker and let them rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve with extra sauce for dipping.