Riblets on a charcoal kettle grill is a great recipe for any fall tailgate, football watch party, or on the deck Friday night after work. Pure tastiness is the perfect way to describe Riblets. Turn these little pork guys up to a whole new level with this autumn inspired sauce which is the classic combo of sweet and heat. This recipe combines apple cider and chipotle peppers for a spicy sweet sauce.
So read on to learn what are Riblets, how to grill them on a kettle grill, and how to put it all together with spicy apple cider sauce!
What are pork Riblets?
Riblets are the back of pork spare ribs that are butchered off to keep the spare ribs trimmed. They are small and consist of pork meat, small bones from the ribs, and connective tissue.
How do you grill Riblets on a kettle grill?
- Start with clean grill grates. No one wants Riblets with old grill char! That’s not a tasty pork recipe!
- Fire up your charcoal grill and get the charcoal nice and hot in the middle of the grill.
- Once the charcoal is nice and hot, add a layer of soaked cherry wood chips on top of the charcoal.
- Lay the riblets around the center of the grill away from the direct heat.
- Close the kettle grill lid.
- Keep the kettle grill at 250 degrees F. This isn’t a quick grill type of recipe so you want the keep the kettle grill temp low.
- According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, internal pork temperature needs to reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit. However, bring the ribs up to an internal temp of 190 degrees F. At that temperature the meat should be tender and easy to come off the bone.
How do you make Spicy Apple Cider Riblet Sauce?
- While the Riblets are on the grill, chop up chipotle peppers that are in adobo sauce. I prefer two peppers, but it depends on how spicy you like your ribs.
- Combine the peppers with a 1/2 gallon of apple cider and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Reduce the mixture on low heat on your stove top by 75% until it is a syrup.
- Make sure you keep an eye on the reduction. You don’t want it to burn.
Now that you have the sauce made and the riblets are done, it’s time to take them off the grill. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Once cooled, slice the riblets at each bone to make individual pieces.
Once sliced, combine the pork riblets with the spicy apple cider sauce in a mixing bowl. Coat the entire riblets and serve.
Your buddies will rave at your next party or tailgate about this recipe! The smoke, the heat, and the sweet all combine into bite size pork recipe treasure. You’ll love these little guys!
So, if you like this recipe for grilled riblets with spicy apple cider sauce, check out these other pork recipes from Sear Marks!
Pork Spareribs with Cranberry Pepper BBQ Sauce
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