Sheet Pan Maple Bourbon Barbecue Spare Ribs

Sheet Pan Maple Bourbon Barbecue Spare Ribs is  St. Louis style Spare Ribs baked on a sheet pan in the oven and basted in a homemade barbecue sauce made from maple syrup, bourbon, chili sauce, and other common ingredients.

Gosh! Do I love ribs!  Not only do I love the flavor, but there’s something about the texture of that whole falling off the bone tenderness that’s appealing to me. It’s food event that I look forward to.

There’s so many flavor options to enhance the natural taste of ribs. Switch up the dry seasoning to make it as simple or complicated as you’d like. Try out different flavor profiles for basting sauces and/0r barbecue sauces. 

Could another type of rib cut be substituted for St. Louis style spare ribs?

Certainly. You can use baby back ribs or country style ribs. Make note that baby backs are more tender and less meaty, resulting in a faster cook time. Country style ribs are strips of Boston butt and not actually ribs at all. They’re meatier and boneless and require the longest cook time. With accommodations for variations in cook time, this recipe is adaptable.

Why doesn’t the barbecue sauce burn when cooking for an hour?

The sauce is a thin basting sauce and can stand up to long cooking times much better than a thick barbecue type of finishing sauce.

Is BBQ and barbecue the same thing?

I use them interchangably.

Directions for Sheet Pan Maple Bourbon Barbecue Spare Ribs

1. Divide slab of spare ribs into 4 sections.
2. Sprinkle each side with 4-1-1 seasoning (my house seasoning blend)
3. Wrap a sheet pan in heavy duty aluminum foil. If you don’t have heavy duty, double or triple wrap the sheet pan for easier clean up. The basted ribs will cook uncovered in the oven for an hour and the sugars from the basting sauce will burn and possibly ruin your sheet pan. Place the seasoned ribs bone side down on the lined sheet pan.
4. Wrap ribs and sheet pan in aluminum foil. Bake covered in a 350 degree preheated oven for one hour.
5. While the ribs are baking, make the sauce. To a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat,  add one tablespoon bacon grease.
6. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally,  two minutes longer.
7. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
8. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender, or transfer to a regular blender.
9. After one hour, remove the ribs from the oven and remove the top aluminum foil CAREFULLY. Lots of steam will escape. 
10. Flip the ribs over.
11. Baste with sauce and place them back in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Baste occasionally using about half the sauce.
12. After 30 minutes, remove the ribs from the oven and flip. Baste and place back in the over for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining sauce.
13. Remove from oven.
14. Serve warm. Pass the napkins.

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5 from 2 votes

Sheet Pan Maple Bourbon Barbecue Spare Ribs

St. Louis style Spare Ribs are baked on a sheet pan in the oven and coated in a homemade barbecue sauce made from maple syrup, bourbon, chili sauce, and other common ingredients. 

Preheat oven to <strong>350</strong> °F.

Prep Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American South

Keyword: barbecue, BBQ, bourbon, maple, Sheet pan maple bourbon St. Louis Style spare ribs, spare ribs

Servings: 4

Author: Jackie Garvin

Ingredients

• 3 pounds St. Louis style spare ribs
• 4-1-1 seasoning my house seasoning blend

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon bacon grease
• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

prep and partially cook ribs:

• Cut spareribs into four equal pieces. Sprinkle both sides with 4-1-1 seasoning.
• Place rib sections, bone side down, on a sheet pan completely covered with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Cover ribs and sheet pan with aluminum foil.
• Place in 350° preheated oven for one hour

make the sauce:

• Heat bacon grease in a 2 qt. saucepan.
• Add onions and cook on medium heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender and start to brown. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes  longer.
• Stir in remaining sauce ingredients.  Simmer for 15 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender.

Baste the ribs:

• Remove ribs from oven and CAREFULLY uncover.  Lots of steam will escape.
• Add cooking juices from the ribs to the sauce pot and stir in.
• Flip over the ribs.
• Generously mop the ribs with sauce.
• Place the ribs back in the oven, uncovered, and cook for 30 minutes.  Baste with sauce serval times using about half the sauce.
• Remove ribs from oven and flip over.  Mop with sauce and place back in the oven, uncovered, for 30 additional minutes, basting several times with the remaining sauce.
• Remove from oven and serve warm.

Notes

4-1-1 seasoning is my house seasoning blend. You may substitute your favorite seasoned salt. 

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