You don’t have to be a grill master to make perfect bourbon honey ribs because there is an easy, no-fuss technique that works every single time. And our homemade BBQ sauce will knock your oven-mitts off. It’s sweet, spicy and you’re going to want to slather it on everything!
Recipe by Emily Clifton - Nerds with Knives on January 22, 2018
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT270M
Total time: PT300M
Rating
4.96 stars (23 reviews)
Keywords
Barbecue, BBQ, Best, pork, Ribs, sauce
Ingredients
4 lbs pork baby back or spare ribs (about 2 racks.)
8 oz apple juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tbsp ground mustard powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup bourbon (+ 1 tablespoon at the end)
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Steps
For the Sauce: Combine all the ingredients (except for 1 tablespoon of the bourbon) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by 1/3, stirring often. Sauce should be dark and slightly thickened (about 20 minutes). Turn of the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of bourbon. Sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
For the Ribs: Preheat the oven to 225º F. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Slide a sharp knife under the white membrane on the back of the ribs and cut a hole into the membrane. Use your fingers to slide under the membrane and pull it away from the meat. Usually it helps to use a paper towel for extra grip. Remove all of the outer membrane and discard.
Pat ribs very dry with paper towels and cut each rack in half (to make them easier to turn later). Sprinkle a good tablespoon of dry rub on each side of the ribs and press until it’s well-coated all over. (you should use about 4 tablespoons for 2 whole racks).
Lay a large piece of foil on a baking tray and place one rack on it, meat-side up. Fold up 3 sides of the foil to create a rim: pour half the apple juice into this pocket and then fold over and crimp the packet closed. Wrap the packet in a 2nd layer of foil. Repeat with the second rack. Cook for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The ribs are ready when you can pierce them easily with a fork. Remove the ribs from the oven and set aside. Unwrap the ribs carefully and place them on a baking tray, meat side up. (Ribs can be par-cooked the day ahead and refrigerated at this point. If making the day ahead, let the ribs cool for 20 minutes, then take them out of the foil and place in sealable bags and refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature before the next step).
Note: Ribs can be finished in the oven or on a grill. Turn the broiler on high (or prepare a grill with medium-high heat) and set an oven rack about 6 inches from heat. Coat the the ribs well with BBQ sauce. Place the ribs under the broiler or on grill and cook until the sauce just starts to bubble (4-5 minutes). Take them out and apply another coat of glaze and cook again until glaze bubbles and browns (Do not walk away while broiling! They can burn easily so watch carefully). Remove from the broiler or grill, cut the ribs and serve.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 583 kcal
Carbohydrates: 27 g
Protein: 38 g
Fat: 32 g
Saturated Fat: 11 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 132 mg
Sodium: 2538 mg
Sugar: 22 g
Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
Reviews
Mark on 2026-06-07 (5 stars): This is our new favourite ribs recipe. The ribs are mouth watering good and are perfect when finished kn the BBQ. When we getbthe hankering for ribs, no more eating out. Thank you both. Delicious
Julius on 2026-03-30 (5 stars): Made them over the weekend with my daughter. Recipe worked great we substituted a few things mainly the apple juice with some left over rose wine. Worked great though.
We possiblybcould have grilled slightly lower temp or in oven at the end but the taste was great and they were soft wand lovely. Oh and the advice on how to remove the membrane worked great. I expected it to be a pain but it was a breeze. Thank you.
Cynthia on 2025-10-12 (5 stars): I made these for my son‘s birthday for a party of 14 and a very tiny kitchen and put them on the barbecue with the sauce. I marinated them with a rub for 24 hours, slow cooked them at 250° for 5 1/2 hours and then finish them on the barbecue with the sauce and everyone was raving about them. This is a keeper for sure.
Henrik Lindholm on 2023-07-08 (5 stars): We made 10 lbs of these ribs for the 4th of July, and these were the best ribs we ever had! We had just gotten a bourbon-flavored honey and were looking for something to cook with it. I used Maker’s Mark for the bourbon and it was all delicious! We have some people who are very sensitive to spiciness, so we skipped the gochujang and only added a slight touch of sriracha until the flavors balanced out enough. I’d cook it again in a heartbeat when we have a reason to grill!
Annie m on 2021-10-17 (5 stars): I have now made these about 5 times and love love love them. Every step was thought out and we didn’t even know we lived ribs until this recipe. The grill does add a nice flavor however the broiler still makes them easy and no mess!!
Derek Rousseu on 2021-07-13 (5 stars): Quick question do u prefer to finish on grill or broil them?! Which is better? I'm thinking grill???
Derek Rousseu on 2021-07-13 (5 stars): Trying these out for first time they are in the oven right now! Will let u know how they come out but sounds amazing we'll see what the fam thinks! And if ur a cook or cook a lot u should pretty much have every ingredient on here on hand. If not then it's a great time to buy them so u do! Honestly was super easy no fuss for me so far!
Sebastiaan on 2021-07-05 (5 stars): Made these for a family gathering. People ran out of superlatives trying to describe how delicious the ribs were. Even my 6-year old loved them (and I had been generous with the sriracha). So next time I'm trying to impress someone these ribs are back on the menu. Foolproof recipe, too.
Cris on 2021-06-15 (5 stars): This is the best rub and glaze combo I have used. Well done team!
Amy on 2020-07-04 (5 stars): Seemed no fuss to me. I even added an extra ingredient! (Clutch the pearls!) I like things not too sweet so I cut the honey by half and replaced it with plum sauce. I guess I have a lot of ingredients at the ready. I like to make things my own.
BTW, these ribs are “ bomb”!
