When many of us think of autumn, we think of apples. Apple pies, apple cinnamon drinks, and farm-fresh apples are all staples of fall. Why not bring the alluring and delicious taste of autumn into your grilling? This delicious recipe will teach you how to make a great apple butter barbecue sauce with your very own homemade apple butter to go on incredible fall-off-the-bone ribs! Try it out and let this recipe become your new fall favourite!
Apple Butter Ingredients
- 4 lbs of granny smith apples
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- 4 cups of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ½ a pinch of allspice
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- A pinch of salt
General Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ teaspoon of chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard powder
- Full rack of ribs
- 1 bottle (18 oz) of preferred BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup of apple juice
Making The Apple Butter
- Cut the granny smith apples into quarters, leaving in the cores and skin for flavour
- Add the vinegar, water, and apples into a large pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and let the apples cook for another 20 minutes on the lower heat
- Send mixture of cooked apples, water, and vinegar through a food mill and catch the mixture in a bowl
- Add ½ cup of sugar to the mixture for every cup of apple pulp
- Mix in the spices, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Make sure they’re integrated thoroughly.
- Cook the mixture in a pot on low heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning or a film. Cook until the mixture is dark brown, thick, and sticky (about 1-2 hours).
Making The Apple Butter BBQ Sauce
- In a bowl pour one bottle (or 18 ounces) of your favourite BBQ sauce
- Mix in ½ cup of apple butter and ¼ cup of apple juice
- Stir until consistent
Rib Preparation Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, dispose of it and set the ribs aside for later
- Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, onion powder, chilli powder, and dry mustard in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Take the dry rub that you just made and rub it liberally over the raw ribs, making sure to massage the mixture into the meat
- Lather ribs in homemade apple butter bbq sauce, keeping sauce left over for later
Grilling Directions
- Preheat your grill to medium heat (200 Fahrenheit)
- Place your ribs on the grill, flipping them every 30 minutes
- Continue to brush fresh barbecue sauce on the ribs when you flip them
- Once the meat begins to pull away from the edge of the bones, take a fork and test the consistency of the meat.
- The ribs are done cooking when the meat can be pierced easily by the fork and will move when the fork pulls it.
- Take the ribs off the grill, let them rest for ten minutes, then slice and enjoy!
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