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Tart Cherry BBQ Ribs

Categories Easy Recipes, Main Course

These Tart Cherry BBQ Ribs are tender and delicious! This recipe is one of my kids favorites. It is sweet, sticky, saucy and delicious! They are cooked low and slow so they are fall off the bone tender.

I take the low and slow approach on these ribs so they are super tender and the bones slide off of the meat. They do have a little bite though and won’t totally fall apart.

How can you cook these?

They can be made on a smoker, pellet grill, in an oven or a roasting pan. I personally love to use my roasting pan that has smoking capabilities. However, I will include instructions for each cooking method below.

Which pork ribs and how do I remove the membrane?

To get started, I use pork spare ribs, they have more meat than baby back ribs and they are typically less expensive too. You could make this recipe using baby back ribs too though.

Before you get to the ribs, you need to remove the thin membrane on the back section of the ribs, it us attached to the bone on the backs of the spare ribs. you can easily do this by pulling on the corner of the bone and find the thin membrane that covers the back of the bones. Pull on it and it will easily tear off.

Rub the ribs in yellow mustard, this tenderizes the pork and balances out the flavors. It also gives the spices something to grab on to. You can also use olive oil or any oil to help hold the spices to the ribs.

The dry rub goes on top of the mustard and is what the ribs will be cooked with for most of the cooking time. You will then add the tart cherry BBQ sauce and turn up the heat for the last hour to caramelize these ribs and really get the sweet, savory, sticky, classic rib eating experience.

Check out my other Black cherry and molasses BBQ pork ribs RECIPE HERE.

What you need to make Tart Cherry BBQ Pork Ribs:

Makes 1 full rack of pork spare ribs

  • 1 full rack of pork spare ribs
  • yellow mustard – for rubbing the ribs down with.

For spice rub:

  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For the tart cherry BBQ sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup tart cherry juice
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs that lays against the rib bones by peeling it loose from one end of the bones and pulling away. It should easily pull off.
  2. Rub each side of the ribs with yellow mustard.
  3. Mix the spice rub together and coat each sided of the ribs with it.
  4. Cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours. For different cooking method directions look below.
  5. While ribs are cooking, add all of the tart cherry BBQ sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool.
  6. After 5 1/2 hours of cooking, coat each side of the ribs with the barbecue sauce and increase heat to 425 F. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes more or until sauce is caramelized on the meat and rib meat slightly breaks when you life it up by one side. Baste more sauce if needed during that final cooking time.
  7. Allow ribs to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For smoker, grill or pellet grill:

  1. Loosely wrap the ribs in tin foil and cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  2. Increase heat to 425 F.
  3. Remove foil and mop sauce on during the last 30 to 45 minutes or until sauce is caramelized on outsides of ribs.
  4. Let ribs rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.

For oven:

  1. Cook ribs either wrapped in tin foil or in a roasting pan.
  2. You can add a aluminum foil filled pouch of wood chips to the oven if you want a slight smoke to the ribs.
  3. Cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  4. Add sauce and remove lid to ribs.
  5. Turn heat up to 425 F. and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Turning over and basting with sauce every 15 minutes until sauce is caramelized and ribs are tender and slightly break apart when one end is lifted.
  6. Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes then serve

Roaster oven:

  1. Place ribs directly into the roaster pan and cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  2. Add sauce and increase heat to 425 F. for 30-45 minutes or until ribs are cooked and break apart slightly when one end is lifted and sauce is caramelized.
  3. Allow to rest for 10 minutes then serve.
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Tart Cherry BBQ Ribs

Sweet, tangy, juicy, fall off the bone and delicious BBQ pork ribs!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Barbecue, Dinner, Fruit, pork, Sauce
Keyword: Barbecue Sauce, cherry, Dinner, Easy Recipes, Kids Favorite, mothers day, new years, pork, sauce, smoked, Weekend Dinner, Weeknight Dinner
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • Dry spice rub:
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • tart cherry BBQ Sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup tart cherry juice
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs that lays against the rib bones by peeling it loose from one end of the bones and pulling away. It should easily pull off.
  • Rub each side of the ribs with yellow mustard.
  • Mix the spice rub together and coat each sided of the ribs with it.
  • Cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours. For different cooking method directions look below.
  • While ribs are cooking, add all of the tart cherry BBQ sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool.
  • After 5 1/2 hours of cooking, coat each side of the ribs with the barbecue sauce and increase heat to 425 F. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes more or until sauce is caramelized on the meat and rib meat slightly breaks when you life it up by one side. Baste more sauce if needed during that final cooking time.
  • Allow ribs to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Instructions for smokers, grilled and pellet grills:
  • Loosely wrap the ribs in tin foil and cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  • Increase heat to 425 F.
  • Remove foil and mop sauce on during the last 30 to 45 minutes or until sauce is caramelized on outsides of ribs.
  • Let ribs rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.
  • For oven:
  • Cook ribs either wrapped in tin foil or in a roasting pan.
  • You can add a aluminum foil filled pouch of wood chips to the oven if you want a slight smoke to the ribs.
  • Cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  • Add sauce and remove lid to ribs.
  • Turn heat up to 425 F. and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Turning over and basting with sauce every 15 minutes until sauce is caramelized and ribs are tender and slightly break apart when one end is lifted.
  • Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes then serve.
  • For Roaster oven:
  • Place ribs directly into the roaster pan and cook on 225 F. for 5 1/2 hours.
  • Add sauce and increase heat to 425 F. for 30-45 minutes or until ribs are cooked and break apart slightly when one end is lifted and sauce is caramelized.
  • Allow to rest for 10 minutes then serve.