Cook Ribs Party-Style For More Flavor In Less Time

They say perfection cannot be rushed, and that's usually true — but occasionally, a few neat tricks can speed things up without sacrificing quality along the way. If you've ever exhausted your patience waiting for a mouth-watering rack of ribs to emerge from the smoker, you should consider cooking your ribs party-style, a method that cuts down on the cook-time, but not the flavor.

Party ribs are spare or baby back ribs that have been cut into individual, single-bone cutlets prior to cooking, as opposed to heading into the smoker as a single, still-connected rack. This method has advantages of both convenience and flavor. Depending on the recipe, party ribs will cook in roughly 2-3 hours, compared to the more onerous 5-6 hours a whole rack often demands, as they will reach the desired internal temperature more quickly. Additionally, the entire surface of each rib can be seasoned with your rub of choice, fully immersed in your preferred sauce or glaze, and will caramelize all over in a way that a rack would not.

The process of making party ribs will be familiar to those who have prepared burnt ends. After prepping your smoker, remove the membrane from your rack (as leaving it on will make the ribs chewy), then slice the raw rack into individual ribs. Season evenly with spice rub and let rest for up to an hour to allow the seasoning to adhere. Place the ribs into your smoker, and smoke until they are richly darkened, with an internal temperature of at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the cooked ribs in a smoker-safe pan or aluminum tray, along with whatever ingredients you are using for your glaze, such as butter, brown sugar, and barbecue sauce. Cover with foil, and return to the smoker until the ribs are tender.

Just because they will be on the serving platter more quickly than an uncut rack of ribs, that's no excuse not to take your time and think hard about how to produce the most delectable results possible. To ensure your rub sticks to your ribs as well as possible, you may wish to use a BBQ binder to coat your meat. Yellow mustard is always a popular choice, though most of the condiment's taste will dissipate during the cooking process, but it can be augmented with potent flavor-boosters like hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

Similarly, consider what combination of ingredients will work best as they cook down into all that wonderful saucy stickiness which will eventually coat your ribs (and your fingers, and your face...). One rich, sweet option that could easily be adapted to party ribs is our recipe for baby back ribs with a honey bourbon glaze. As an alternative to barbecue sauce, you could also slather your party ribs in a combination of sweet and spicy by mixing grape jelly with chili sauce. 

Party ribs are aptly named — unless you have access to a restaurant-quality commercial smoker, preparing whole racks of ribs for a large group would likely be difficult, whereas party ribs are ideal for social gatherings such as buffets and tailgate parties, ensuring that everyone can load up their plate with their share of ribs. If you are preparing party ribs for such an affair, however, remember that while they may be quicker and more convenient to cook, they will be as gloriously messy as ever to eat, so make sure you have enough napkins and bibs on hand.