Chipotle lime BBQ ribs… and smoky Tex-Mex
   
Recipes

Delicious Pork Recipes

Local, easy pork recipes for every cut.

Chipotle lime BBQ ribs

Chipotle lime BBQ ribs… and smoky Tex-Mex
Rate this article:
5.0
  3005
Print

Yield:
serves 4

Prep Time:
10-15 minutes + marinating tim

Cooking Time:
5-6 hours

Ingredients:

For the ribs:

  • 2 racks of Ontario pork back ribs
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar in spray bottle
  • 2-3 handfuls of smoking chips, soaked in water (optional)

For the sauce:

  • 1 Spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 3 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 
  • 1 Tbsp adobo sauce from can
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Corona, or other Mexican beer
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil

For the rub:

  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 3 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper

Cooking Instructions:

To make the sauce:

  1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add onions and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often until softened. Add chopped chipotles and garlic; cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
  2. Add the ketchup, sugar, beer, apple juice, vinegar, lime juice, mustard, and adobo sauce and then stir together. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful of the steam escaping. Alternatively, puree with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then transfer the sauce to a container and allow it to cool down. Store in fridge until ready to use.

To prepare the ribs:

  1. Start by combining all of the rub ingredients in a bowl or jar. Remove the membrane from the bottom of the ribs (you can ask your butcher to do this if you want) and then generously season both sides of the ribs with the rub. Be sure to fully cover the ribs. You can allow your ribs to rest like this in the fridge for a few hours, but this is not a necessary step.
  2. Prepare your grill or smoker by pre-heating it to 225-250 F and add in a small handful of smoking chips, if using. Place ribs on the grill, meat side down and cook for 2-3 hours until beginning to take a dark bark.
  3. Spray ribs with the apple juice/vinegar mixture and continue to cook for another 2-3 hours, spraying the ribs every 45 minutes or so.
  4. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, begin to brush on the BBQ sauce. Brush on 2-3 layers, allowing the sauce to dry between applications. The ribs are done when they feel tender and bend easily.
  5. Serve the ribs with additional BBQ sauce, lime wedges, and cilantro.

Get the Latest Recipes

To get the latest recipes delivered to your inbox, sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter

Ontario Pork

About Us

Ontario Pork represents the 1,192 farmers who market 5.41 million hogs in the province. The organization is engaged in many areas, including research, government representation, environmental issues, consumer education and food quality assurance.

Connect With Us

Learn more about our industry and stay in touch via our news articles and other resources found on one of our audience specific websites, and follow us on our social channels.

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement | Copyright © 2025 Ontario Pork. All rights reserved.
Login | | Website by WebmontonMedia