Kansas City Championship Beef Ribs

Name: Kansas City Championship Beef Ribs
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 300 min
Total time: 340 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp mustard powder; 1 tsp black pepper; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup ketchup; 1/4 cup molasses; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp liquid smoke; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 2 racks beef back ribs (about 4 lb total); 2 tbsp yellow mustard (binder)

340 min 4 servings medium

All Recipes

Kansas City Championship Beef Ribs

KC-style beef back ribs slathered in a sweet and tangy molasses-based sauce — sticky, saucy, and deeply smoky.

Prep

25 min

Cook

300 min

Total

340 min

Servings

Difficulty

medium

Kansas City BBQ is all about the sauce, and these beef back ribs showcase that tradition beautifully. Unlike the dry-rubbed Texas style, KC ribs get multiple layers of a sweet, tangy, tomato-and-molasses-based sauce that caramelizes into a thick, glossy glaze during the final stage of cooking.

Ingredients

Servings

KC Dry Rub

KC BBQ Sauce

Ribs

Instructions

Make the KC sauce

Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Set aside.

Prep the ribs

Remove the membrane from the bone side of each rack. Apply yellow mustard as a binder, then coat heavily with the dry rub. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Smoke low and slow

Set smoker to 250°F with a combination of hickory and cherry wood. Place ribs bone side down and smoke for 3 hours until the bark is formed and the meat has pulled back from the bones about 1/4 inch.

Wrap phase

Lay each rack on heavy-duty foil. Brush generously with KC sauce, then wrap tightly. Return to the smoker for 1.5 hours at 275°F.

Sauce and set

Unwrap the ribs and brush with another heavy layer of KC BBQ sauce. Return to the smoker unwrapped for 30 minutes to let the sauce glaze and become tacky.

Pro tip: Apply two coats of sauce during this phase, waiting 15 minutes between coats, for maximum glaze.