These smoked Party Ribs, are sticky, tender, and finger-licking good! Fire up the smoker, these bbq pork ribs taste just as good as a barbecue restaurant. Whether you're using St. Louis-style ribs or baby back, I teach you how to cook them to perfection. Their sweet and savory glaze makes having seconds mandatory!
If sticky ribs are your thing, wait until you try this technique for my smoked Party Ribs! No more covering and leaving your ribs alone on the smoker. It's time to show them some love through the whole process to make a beautiful caramelized glaze on top.
We make these all summer long and there are never any leftovers when we bring them to a party. We love using St. Louis-style ribs (it's the classic type for party ribs), but baby back also work great. We pair them cold appetizers like Grilled Watermelon Salad and Three Pepper Salsa. With less than 10 ingredients, it's a pro-barbecue recipe that takes minimal effort at home.
why you'll love this recipe
- Pit-master ribs at home. Yes, it's true! Ribs are so easy to make, all you need is the time to watch them on the smoker, which makes them the perfect entertaining food.
- A hit with kids and adults. Make sure to make extra when you're hosting, these are gone in no time.
- Customize with your favorite sauces. I change up the barbecue sauce every time I make these ribs. Sometimes it's sweet, other times smoky, or even spicy!
What are St. Louis Style Pork Ribs?
St. Louis Style ribs are indeed spare ribs...but they have been trimmed down to remove the cartilage, breastbone, and excess flap meat. It's ends up being a great balance of meat of fat. You're left a rectangular rack of ribs that cooks evenly and is pretty on the plate!
Don't have St. Louis Style Ribs? Although baby back ribs are shorter and more curvy, they still work great! In fact, they'll cook faster so keep an eye on them.
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Ingredients
- St. Louis Ribs - Our favorite ribs to use in this recipe for their extra meatiness.
- BBQ Sauce - Use my sauce recipe or your favorite store-bought to cut down on time.
- BBQ Rub - Use your favorite rub here or make your own.
- Butter - Adds richness and that beautiful caramelized glaze.
- Brown Sugar - Gives rich molasses sweetness.
- Scallions (optional) - Optional, but nice for a pop of green and light onion flavor.
- Hot Sauce (optional) - Adds a kick of spice if desired.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment and Supplies
- Que That BBQ Rub - My buddies at Flat Top King have a rub for everything! Try out a sample pack to test them all.
- Tongs - Make sure you have a long pair for grilling to protect your hands from heat.
- Traeger Timberline Pellet Grill - Out of all the smokers on my deck, this is my go-to for easy smoking! We used Smoking Pecan Pellets for this rack of ribs.
- Basting Brush - Silicon basting brush used for coating ribs with BBQ Sauce.
how to make party ribs
- Step 1: Preheat smoker to 250°F. Score the bottoms of the ribs with a knife and season generously with a BBQ Rub.
- Step 2: Place ribs directly on the smoker and cook until ribs reach 165°F.
- Step 3: Remove from smoker and toss ribs in sugar, BBQ sauce, butter, and hot sauce (if you opt to use it).
- Step 4: Place them in a pan with a cover and smoke them for 40 minutes.
- Step 5: Remove ribs from the pan on the smoker and place them directly back on the smoker for 30 minutes. Coat them with BBQ Sauce every 15 minutes.
- Step 6: Remove ribs from the smoker, top them with chives and enjoy!
Expert tips
- Be sure to score the bottom of the ribs to help the rub infuse into the meat with flavor. Key to getting that rich taste that's insane with flavor.
- Always use a meat thermometer to determine when the ribs are finished cooking. The most accurate method to getting that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Brush with bbq sauce every 15 minutes for that glossy finish. This is how you get that restaurant-quality glaze that's so addicting.
- We use a cooking method where we place them directly on a smoker than finish them in a foil pan afterwards to help them coat in the sauce. Gives the meat the smoky flavor to start, then a beautiful glaze to finish.
Substitutions
- Don't have any BBQ Rub? Make your own! Here's how:
- Mix together Brown Sugar, Paprika (more the smokier!), pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and mustard powder.
- Want to change up the flavor of your ribs?
- Smokier - Add in more Smoked Paprika when seasoning
- Spicier - Add in hot sauce, top with jalapeños or crushed red pepper flakes
- Herby - Add in thyme, oregano or cumin when seasoning ribs
Storage
Store party ribs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To keep them from drying out, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and then place in a container.
You can freeze these pork ribs for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly and then place in an airtight container. Allow them to cool (about 30 minutes) before freezing.
FAQs
Party ribs are individually served ribs while regular ribs are served as a rack.
Most often St. Louis-style pork ribs, but you can also use baby back if that's what you have on hand.
Making sure you remove the cartilage on the back of the ribs before cooking and smoking them for long enough until the meat is fork tender.
More recipes From the Smoker
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Recipe
Smoked Party Ribs
Equipment
- Pellet Grill or Smoker
- Aluminum Pan with Lid
Ingredients
- 1 Rack St. Louis Style Pork Ribs
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce add as needed
- 2 tablespoon BBQ Rub
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 4 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup Hot Sauce optional
- 1 teaspoon Scallions
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 250°F. Score the bottoms of the ribs with a knife and season generously with a BBQ Rub.
- Place ribs directly on the smoker and cook until ribs reach 165°F.
- Remove from smoker and toss ribs in sugar, BBQ sauce, butter, and hot sauce (if you opt to use it).
- Place them in a pan with a cover and smoke them for 40 minutes.
- Remove ribs from the pan on the smoker and place them directly back on the smoker for 30 minutes. Coat them with BBQ Sauce every 10 minutes.
- Remove ribs from the smoker, top with scallions and enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to score the bottom of the ribs to help the rub infuse into the meat with flavor. This is key to getting that rich taste that's insane with flavor.
- Always use a meat thermometer to determine when the ribs are finished cooking. This is the most accurate method to getting that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Brush with bbq sauce every 15 minutes for that glossy finish. This is how you get that restaurant-quality glaze that's so addicting.
- We use a cooking method where we place them directly on a smoker than finish them in a foil pan afterwards to help them coat in the sauce. This gives the meat the smoky flavor to start, then a beautiful glaze to finish.
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