225 °F
6 Hours
2 racks St. Louis-style ribs (you can also use spare ribs by trimming away the brisket bone, soft bone, and flap meat), silverskin removed
Canola oil
Head Country Championship Seasoning, Original
Apple juice
1 C. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, sliced
Brown sugar
12 oz. Dr. Pepper
Head Country Bar-B-Q Sauce, Honey
You’ll also need:
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Spray bottle
Basting brush
Step 1. Preheat grill or smoker to 225 degrees F. If using a charcoal grill, stack coals to one or either side, creating a large zone of indirect heat for your ribs. If using a gas grill, light just half of the burners.
Trim spare ribs to St. Louis-style ribs and remove the silverskin from the back of both racks.
Step 2. Coat all sides of the ribs with canola oil.
Step 3. Shake on a medium layer of Head Country Championship Seasoning in Original, starting with the bone-side of the ribs and moving to the meat side. Don’t forget to season the sides of the ribs, too.
Step 4. Allow ribs to sweat 30 minutes-1 hour. Shake on an additional, lighter layer of seasoning, again starting with the bone-side of the ribs and moving to the meat side.
Step 5. Add ribs to the grill over indirect heat. Close the lid and cook for 3 hours. Spray generously with apple juice every 45 minutes or so.
Step 6. After 3 hours of cooking time, remove ribs from the grill and onto a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. The piece of foil needs to be large enough that it can generously wrap around the ribs.
Step 7. Top ribs with butter slices, 1 stick for each rack. Top with a generous handful of brown sugar for each rack, sprinkling over the full length of the ribs.
Step 8. Fold up sides of aluminum foil to form makeshift cooking pans. Add 6 oz. Dr. Pepper to each pan, pouring around rather than over the ribs. Seal the ribs in the aluminum foil by crimping the edges of the foil to form a tent over the tops of the ribs.
Step 9. Add ribs back to the grill, again over indirect heat. Cover and cook 2 hours.
Step 10. After 2 hours of cooking time, remove rib packets from the grill. Carefully open the packets. Reserving the juices inside, remove ribs from foil and add back to the grill, again over indirect heat.
Step 11. Drizzle ribs generously with Honey BBQ sauce. Cover and cook 15 mins. Using a basting brush, dab reserved cooking juices over the ribs, making sure to not disturb the BBQ glaze. Cover and cook 15 mins. You can repeat these steps for up to a total of an hour.
Step 12. Remove sauced ribs from the grill. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. Serve, and enjoy!
