American as Apple Pie Ribs Recipe

Apple Pie Ribs Recipe

I’m kicking off a soon-to-be, new, 4th of July tradition with this rib recipe (At least at my house!). I call it my “American as Apple Pie Ribs” and it’s a winner! First I start out with a couple racks of spare ribs trimmed down to St. Louis cut. The membrane is removed from the back and the ribs are squared up a little on the end. To get the apple flavor started I use a spritz of Apple Cider Vinegar to act as a binder. Then I apply a light coat of Kosher salt and let it rest for about 15 minutes to work into the meat.

Next I add my buddy Heath Riles’ Apple Rub to the ribs on all side. It’s a sweet bbq rub with hints of fresh apples; and it taste phenomenal right out of the bottle. The Apple Rub sweats on the meat for 15-20 minutes until it melts giving the ribs a beautiful red color.

Apple pie ribs

To cook the ribs I decided to give my Yoder pellet grill some love and fired it up to 250 degrees. Of course I had to use apple pellets to stick with the theme. You can use any pit to cook these ribs just throw on a few chunks of apple wood just before putting the ribs on the grate. Also, keep the pit at 250 the entire cook. The ribs go on the pit and smoke for a little over two hours. Every 45 minutes I spritz them with a mixture of Apple Juice and the Apple Cider Vinegar I used as a binder. Just mix equal parts and keep the ribs moist during the smoke process.

When the rub has stuck to the outside of the meat and the color is starting to turn a little dark, it’s time to wrap the ribs. Each slab goes on a sheet of aluminum foil. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into pats and spread out on the foil. The meat side of the ribs is brushed with Apple Butter. You can find it at your local supermarket or check google for a recipe. It’s pretty much a kicked-up apple sauce. Fresh apples are cooked down with brown sugar and spices. To me it taste like the inside of delicious fried apple pie. Once the apple butter is brushed over the meat side, flip the ribs over, meat down, on top of the butter pats. Spritz the bone side with a little more basting liquid (apple juice/apple cider vinegar) and wrap the foil around tight. Place each rack back on the pit and continue cooking until tender usually about 1 – 1/2 hours. After 1 hour in the wrap it’s a good idea to check the progress. When you see the back side start to disintegrate away from the bones it’s a good indicator that the ribs are almost ready. I use a Thermapen to verify the internal temperature. I like ribs to be around 202 for perfect tenderness, but you can keep cooking them if you like the fall off the bone style.

Once the ribs reach temp carefully take them out of the foil and place on a foil lined sheet pan meat side down. Dust the bone side with a little more Apple Rub and brush on the apple glaze. To make the glaze I take 1 cup of apple jelly mixed with a splash of apple juice. It’s heated in the microwave for 5 minutes until melted. Then I add 1 cup of Killer Hogs The BBQ Sauce and 1/2 cup Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce. Brush the warm glaze over the bone side and flip the ribs over to meat side up.

Add a little more apple rub to the meat side and place the ribs (pan and all) back on the pit for 5-10 minutes to let the rub melt in a little. Then brush the meat side with the apple glaze and let it continue to cook on the pit for 10-15 minutes until the glaze starts to caramelize. Watch it close at this point because it can burn or get too dark.

That’s it at this point. Take the ribs off the pit and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into individual bone pieces. These ribs really have a nice apple flavor without being to sweet or fruity. The rub, smoke, wrap, and glaze all combine to give the ribs an Apple Pie note that’s perfect for the 4th of July or any time you’re craving a good slab of ribs! Print