Maple Mustard Ribs

Maple Mustard Ribs

With football season in full swing, there are countless foods that fit the bill nicely when you have a crowd coming.  Between the chili recipes, nachos, wings and the like, there’s a lot to choose from when you’re putting together a game-day spread. 

For me, ribs rise to the top of the list for game-day grub that everyone loves.  If they weren’t so pricey, they’d be on the menu every week.

My maple mustard ribs, with their sweet tangy flavor are a nice twist on classic barbecue ribs.

The recipe itself starts with prepping the ribs and applying the dry rub the day before which means there is little work left to do on the big day.  Actually you could even do the oven roasting a day ahead of time since the ribs are even easier to slice perfectly from the chilled state then they can be reheated, sauced, and severed on game-day. 

You’ll have everyone begging for more when this one hits the table

Maple Mustard Ribs

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Servings: 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 2 racks of St Louis style ribs
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• ¼  cup mustard
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. To prepare the ribs slice off the two smallest ribs from the end then flip over the rack and remove the skirt both of which should be saved for another use.  Remove the sliver skin membrane that covers the rack on the underside and discard. (see my video tutorial) 
2. To make the dry rub in a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne and stir to combine.
3. Place the ribs into a large baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray and rub both sides of each rack with the dry rub reserving 2 tablespoons of the rub to make the glazing sauce.  
4. Once the ribs are completely covered with the dry rub, position them with the thicker side of the rack towards the outer edge of the pan and the meaty side face down in the pan then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but overnight is better.
5. To make the glaze add the mustard and maple syrup to the reserved dry rub and stir until well combined then refrigerate until needed.
6. Bake the ribs from room temperature covered for 2 ½ hours in an oven preheated to 325ºF (or 163ºC)
7. Baste the underside of the ribs with the glaze then place them onto a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and paint the tops heavily with the glaze.
8. Broil the ribs with the oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven for 5-7 minutes watching them carefully to ensure that they don’t burn. 
9. Let them rest for ten minutes then slice them between the bones and serve.