Recipes

Mike D’s Smoked Ribs

By: The Local Palate

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Mike D's Smoked Ribs with a bottle of Mike D's sauce next to it on a cutting board.

This smoked ribs from Mike D’s in Durham will have you licking fingers and reaching for more sauce. Seasoned with Mike D’s signature dry rub and sauce, sweet apple juice, and your choice of whiskey, these smoked ribs take the backyard barbecue to the next level.Succulent and tender, these ribs absorb the infused flavor and boast an impressive, crispy bark. While these will not make fall-off-the-bone ribs, they will still have strong smoky flavor.

recipe

yields

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 rack of ribs (St. Louis Style spare ribs or baby back ribs)
3 tablespoons Mike D’s All Purpose Dry Rub
1 cup Mike D’s BBQ BIG Sauce
Apple juice
Whiskey (or apple cider vinegar)

steps

Heat grill or smoker to 250 to 275 degrees. Remove membrane from back of ribs while grill heats. Lightly season bone side of ribs; flip and season with a generous layer of rub on meat side to completely coat it. Let the ribs sit for at least 15 minutes. You will see the rub get darker as it gets pulled into the meat.
Grill or smoke meat bone-side down. If using a grill, place ribs opposite of coals. After 1 hour, spritz ribs with mixture of equal parts apple juice and whiskey. This helps lock in moisture and develop a bark. Repeat this spritz process hourly. After 2½ hours, lightly sauce ribs and continue cooking for 3 additional hours. After 3 hours, remove ribs, wrap in butcher paper or foil, and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Slice ribs and serve with additional barbecue sauce as desired.

Date Published: 06.09.23