Spice-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs With Chipotle-Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Name: Spice-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs With Chipotle-Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 2 racks (2 to 4 servings)
Cuisine: american, barbecue
Ingredients: 2 racks baby back ribs (2 to 2 1/2 pounds each); 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon chile powder; 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds; 2 large or 4 small hardwood chunks or 3 cups hardwood chips (if using the latter, soak in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain); 1/2 cup apple cider in a spray bottle (optional); 1 1/4 cups ketchup; 1/3 cup Thai sweet chile sauce; 1/4 cup bourbon; 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 3 tablespoons molasses; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, minced, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sauce; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

By Steven Raichlen

Updated June 23, 2023

Spice-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs With Chipotle-Bourbon BBQ Sauce — Tara Donne for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Chris Lanier

Total Time: 2½ to 3½ hours
Rating: 4(273)
Comments: Read comments

The baby back (sometimes called top loin) is the perfect rib for neophytes. Cut from high on the hog — literally, it abuts the backbone — it’s intrinsically tender and generously marbled, which keeps it moist during smoking. Thanks to these attributes, you can cook it at a higher temperature than the low-and-slow heat favored in the American barbecue belt. This shortens the cooking time and lets you cook the ribs on a common charcoal kettle grill. (However, you can certainly smoke these ribs low and slow at 250 degrees, in which case, you’ll need 3½ to 4 hours of cooking time — and a smoker.) The higher heat and shorter cooking time produce ribs with a firmer, meatier consistency. Add a chile-stung spice rub and a sweet, spicy chipotle-bourbon barbecue sauce, and you wind up with textbook barbecued ribs with a distinctive sweet, hot, smoky finish.

Featured in: 6 Steps to the Best Barbecued Ribs

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Ingredients

Yield:2 racks (2 to 4 servings)

For the Ribs

2racks baby back ribs (2 to 2½ pounds each)
2tablespoons Dijon mustard

For the Rub

1tablespoon chile powder
1tablespoon dark brown sugar
2teaspoons kosher salt
2teaspoons black pepper
¼teaspoon celery seeds

For Grilling

2large or 4 small hardwood chunks or 3 cups hardwood chips (if using the latter, soak in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain)
½cup apple cider in a spray bottle (optional)

For the Chipotle-bourbon Barbecue Sauce

1¼cups ketchup
⅓cup Thai sweet chile sauce
¼cup bourbon
3tablespoons dark brown sugar
3tablespoons molasses
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2canned chipotle chiles en adobo, minced, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sauce
1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
½teaspoon liquid smoke
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place the ribs on a rimmed baking sheet. If the concave side of your ribs still has its papery membrane intact, remove it: Pry it up at the end of the bones using the tip of a meat thermometer or butter knife, then pull it off with a paper towel. Lightly brush the ribs on both sides with the mustard.
Step 2
Prepare the rub: In a small bowl, combine the chile powder, brown sugar, salt, pepper and celery seeds. Reserve 1½ teaspoons rub for serving, then sprinkle the remaining rub on the ribs, coating both sides.
Step 3
Set up your charcoal grill for indirect grilling and heat to 300 degrees.
Step 4
Once the grill comes to temperature, add half the wood chunks or chips to the coals. Arrange the ribs meat (rounded) side up on the grate away from the heat, then cover the grill. Grill the ribs over indirect heat for 1 hour.
Step 5
After the ribs have grilled for 1 hour, spray on both sides with apple cider (if using), turning the ribs with tongs. Add the remaining wood chunks or chips to the fire and close the grill again.
Step 6
While the ribs grill, prepare the barbecue sauce: Place all the sauce ingredients, along with ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, in a heavy saucepan and whisk to mix. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking often. Reduce the heat and gently simmer the sauce, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 6 to 8 minutes. Correct the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste; set aside. (Makes about 2 cups.)
Step 7
Continue grilling the ribs over indirect heat, rounded side up, until sizzling, browned, tender, and the meat has shrunk back from the ends of the bones by ¼ to ½ inch. This normally takes 2 to 2½ hours in all, but sometimes you’ll need a full 3 hours. The last 20 minutes, brush the ribs on both sides with some of the barbecue sauce. When ready, the meat should be tender enough so you can pull the individual ribs apart with your fingers.
Step 8
Brush each rack on both sides with more barbecue sauce. Move each rack directly over the fire and direct grill to sizzle the sauce into the meat, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
Step 9
Transfer the ribs to a platter for serving. Brush once more with barbecue sauce and sprinkle the ribs with the remaining rub. Serve the remaining sauce in a bowl on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5

273 user ratings

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Comments

Jean4 years ago

some remind us to take the membrane off the ribs before adding the rub.

TCS4 years ago

What about smoking ribs indoors? Desperate times like these call for desperate measures. I know it smacks of heresy, but you can achieve a reasonable approximation of barbecued ribs in the oven. Cook them on a rack in a roasting pan at 300 degrees. To add a smoke flavor, mix one-half teaspoon liquid smoke with four tablespoons melted butter, and brush this mixture on both sides of the ribs a few times during the last hour of cooking.

John Viertel4 years ago

I'm very intrigued by the sauce recipe (I've smoked a lot of ribs and have my own ideas about rubs, apple cider, etc.), but I wouldn't add liquid smoke to anything. If the ribs are properly barbecued, they shouldn't need any help in the smoke department. But that sauce sure sounds interesting. Might add a little vinegar to cut the sweetness, but not the first time I make it.

max6 months ago

Made this now a few times and just last night I think I perfected it! 1. Mustard is key, I mixed sweet/hot style with celery water from pureed celery sticks. 2.Spice rub is key, I was out of celery seed so added celery water to mustard cuz that celery twist is great. Added smoked paprika, Kashmiri chile powder and ancho chile powder to the rub. 3. Cooked on rotisserie! Swear to god I’m never cooking ribs a different way ever again. 3. Basted with Carolina vinegar mop sauce throughout the cook. 4. Was out of bourbon so made BBQ sauce with dark rum and no chipotle. Awesome. 5. Didn’t add sauce direct to ribs at the end of the cook but served it on the side along with crushed dried sage from the garden, diy pomegranate molasses, Carolina vinegar sauce (best flavor if made the day before tbh) and leftover spice rub. Wild and crazy flavor mixes and you can change it up for each rib. On their own with just mustard mix and spice rub it was great but eaten with all the extras really elevates it and makes it fun.

Stephan11 months ago

Takes some time. I had it on a weber gas grill with only one of three burners going. Kept it steady at 300 for about 3 hrs and 15 min. Used a smoke box with mesquite chips and mesquite liquid smoke for the sauce. I liked it and more importantly so did the fam! Glad there's some sauce left. And my beard smells of mesquite hours later. I'm going to make this again.

maxG1 year ago

Made this last night and it was a hit. Used pomegranate molasses which I make myself (takes forever but worth it). And used Gochujang korean sweet hot sauce rather than Thai sweet chili sauce and that all seemed to work.Didn't use liquid smoke as my hickory smoke from the grill I hoped was good enough. Cooked about 3 hours until internal temp was 200 degrees.

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