Babyback Ribs Recipe

Need a babyback ribs recipe for Memorial Day weekend? I’ve got you covered! These Honey Apple Hot Ribs are slathered in a spicy-sweet apple buffalo sauce recipe that is truly drool-worthy.

In my family, babyback ribs are a bit of a splurge.

Not because they’re expensive. At $2-4 a pound, they are actually fairly reasonable. It’s more that they are gloriously fatty and take soooo long to cook.

…I mean the “fatty” part as a complement.

If you haven’t noticed, I don’t do a lot of slow-cooked recipes.

Primarily because I’m running around with the kids in the afternoons, or focusing on grade school homework assignments. I usually don’t think about dinner until after 5 o’clock on any given day. Although I do have a weekly meal plan, my schedule just doesn’t offer enough time for slow-roasting or simmering for hours on end.

(And I’m certainly not on top of things enough to get dinner started in the mornings. Kudos to you, if you do!)

However, summer is just around the corner. A time when our afternoons are filled with playing in the sun or relaxing. We try very hard not to schedule in the summertime. Therefore many days, I have all the time I need for slow cooking.

Summer is the time to grill, smoke, and cook up all sorts of slow-roasted meats.

The perfect time splurge on babyback ribs.

This babyback ribs recipe is very simple. Just give yourself adequate time to cook it, so the meat is tender enough to fall off the bones.

First I cut the ribs into 2-rib sections, because they are easier to serve that way, and placed them in a large roasting pan.

Then I poured Musselman’s Apple Juice and liquid smoke over the ribs and added some onions and garlic. The combination of the sweet apple flavor and pungent onions and garlic, gives the babyback ribs deep complexity.

Cover the ribs tightly to keep the heat and steam in, and slow roast for about 2 1/2 hours.

While the ribs are cooking, file your nails, play badminton in the back yard, read a few chapters of a long awaited book, and leisurely whip up the sweet and spicy apple buffalo sauce recipe.

This really could not be easier… all you need is 1 cup of cayenne hot sauce, 1 cup of Musselman’s Apple Butter, and a touch of honey and djon mustard. Whisk and done!

Once the ribs are tender enough to pull off the bone, brush those babies with the apple buffalo sauce recipe and throw them on the grill.

This is where the magic happens.

Grilling the slow-cooked ribs, slathered in honey apple hot sauce, creates a sweet, sticky, spicy crust. These ribs are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Sigh….

You would not believe the response I got on this babyback ribs recipe. I thought Lt. Dan was going to propose again.

Girlfriend did good!

This weekend I started a Guest Pinterest Board with Musselman’s Apple Butter called Summer Picnics – Think Outside the Basket.

Come check out all the fantastic summer recipes I’ve pinned there:  Grilled Meats, Summer Desserts, and Picnic Table Favorites with a twist.

Also check out the amazing apple-icious summertime recipes on Musselmans.com that are great for summer barbecues and picnics like:

Quick Homemade BBQ Sauce

Apple Butter Baked Beans

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Glaze

Mahogany Asian Wing Sauce

Horseradish Sandwich Spread

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Baby Back Ribs Recipe with Honey Apple Buffalo Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

These Honey Apple Hot Ribs are slathered in a spicy-sweet apple buffalo sauce recipe that is truly drool-worthy.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs
• 4 cups Musselman's Apple Juice
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion cut into wedges
• 1 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce like Frank's
• 1 cup Musselman's Apple Butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the rib racks into 2-rib sections and lay in a large roasting pan. Place the onion and garlic around the ribs and pour the Musselman's Apple Juice and liquid smoke over the top. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and bake the ribs for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and easily pulls away from the bones.
• Meanwhile, add the cayenne pepper sauce, Musselman's Apple Butter, honey and Dijon mustard to a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
• Once the ribs are slow cooked and tender, heat the grill to medium heat. Liberally brush the ribs, on both sides, with the sauce and place on the grill. Turn and brush every 5 minutes until a nice "crust" or "bark" has formed on the surface, usually 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 615kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 130mg, Sodium: 1440mg, Potassium: 715mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 50IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Musselman’s Apple Butter. All apple-loving opinions are my own.

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