Ah, ribs. Finger licking, bone gnawing, napkin ruining, and absolutely delicious when done right. This recipe here for Honey Mustard Glazed Ribs was influenced by none other than the master chef, Mr. Bobby Flay. I’ve adapted his recipe for the smoker (or grill) and tweaked it to make it gluten free.
We did three separate racks of ribs at the same time and all had their own unique twist. First, we did the Kansas City Style Ribs. Up next, we have our Bobby Flay inspired Honey-Mustard Glazed Ribs…let's get to it!
Fast Facts
Category: Pork
Cut: St. Louis Rack (you can also you baby backs)
Weight: 1 Slab
Grill: Traeger
Heat Source: Wood pellet
Type of Wood: Traeger Signature Blend
Baste: Honey Mustard Glaze
Estimated Cook Time: 6 hours
Actual Cook Time: 6 hours
Estimated Cooking Temperature: 225 degrees
Actual Cooking Temperature: 225 degrees
Location of Purchase: Local grocery store
Cook Date: January 18, 2021
Ingredient List
1 Slab of St. Louis ribs
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup gluten free soy sauce (or tamari)
1 cup water
3 inch piece of ginger, skin on, sliced
2-3 tablespoons butter
Canola oil (Vegetable works as well)
Honey Mustard Glaze
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
3 extra-large tablespoons of Dijon mustard
Supply List
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your smoker to 225° Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Trim the slab of ribs of any excess fat or loose hanging pieces. Remove the membrane from the back of the slab (unless already done) using a butter knife to loosen the membrane. See video here for example.
Tip: Once you get the membrane slightly pulled away from the bone, use a paper towel to grab and pull the remaining membrane off.
Step 3: Rub the ribs with a little Canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Place the ribs on the smoker for 3 hours at 225° degrees.
Step 5: Every 30 minutes give the ribs a little spray to keep from drying out with apple cider vinegar (or whatever you want)
Step 6: While the ribs are on the smoker, prepare your braising liquid. In a saucepan over medium-high heat combine the soy sauce, water and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain out the ginger into a bowl. Set aside and quickly clean the sauce pot for the glaze.
Step 7: After 3 hours, you are going to wrap your ribs. Now, you are going to add the liquids and wrap your rack of ribs, bone side up! This helps prevent piercing the foil and have the liquids run out. Lay the tinfoil on your working surface with the shiny side up! This is more important than you may think. We want to absorb the heat, not reflect it. Lay your rack of ribs meat side down on the shiny side of the tinfoil with the tips of the bones up. Create a little bowl for the liquid with the tinfoil. Add the braising liquid of soy, water and ginger and place the bitter in slabs on top. I suggest a second layer to ensure the juices stay inside the wrap. Let cook for 2 more hours.
Step 8: While the ribs are braising, prepare your glaze. In a sauce pot, combine vinegar and brown sugar. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and reduced slightly. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey and mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool to room temperature and set aside.
NOTE: You can prepare your braising liquid and glaze earlier and set aside if more convenient.
Step 9: Remove ribs from the wrap and discard the juices and tinfoil. This step requires you to get a feel for your ribs. Slather the ribs with your delicious Honey Mustard Glaze and put the ribs back on the smoker and let them firm back up a little bit. After about 30 minutes, give your slab a look. If the meat has pulled back from the bones about ½ inch, odds are they are done. If you pick them up with tongs and the bend is starting to tear, they are probably done. If you have a meat thermometer (if you don’t, get one…seriously), you are aiming for an internal temp of 200° (careful that you don’t hit the bone as that will throw off your reading). This step can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Continue to occasionally glaze your ribs until you remove them from the smoker.
Step 10: Once done to your liking, remove rack of ribs from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and devour!
Enjoy!
Check out some of our other great BBQ Sauces that would work great on ribs!
Lessons Learned (Note: I will update this section to include your lessons learned from the comment section)