This content may include affiliate links, which means if you click on them, I may get a commission. The cool thing is, there’s no extra cost to you!
Spicy Citrus Chile Barbecue Ribs Recipe
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, Smithfield®, and Farmland®, but all opinions are my own. #weavemade #GetUpandGrill #GetFiredUpGrilling http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH
Summer is here and that means barbecue season! One of the mainstays of our barbecue menu is pork ribs. We've smoked them and done the traditional southern style barbecue sauce and spices on them but this summer, how about a new twist on ribs? Citrus is a fabulous marinade for carne asada so we wondered if we could apply the same flavors and marinating technique to pork ribs. The results are in: you sure can marinate pork ribs like carne asada! Deliciously refreshing, you'll love this spicy citrus chile barbecue ribs recipe to change up your barbecue menu this summer and beyond.
Xaver created this recipe and shares how to make the marinade as well as his special grilling tips for creating a delicious crust on the meat yet still keep the ribs juicy and tender. We picked up 2 racks of Farmland® ribs and all the ingredients for the marinade at our local Walmart:
Xaver's secret is to add hickory chips to the charcoal coals to add smoky flavor to the meat. The pink ribbons in the ribs show the smoke penetrating the meat. You can use any smoking wood, such as applewood, nutwoods, and other fruit tree woods to add smoky flavor to any grilled meat.
Here's how to put it all together:
Marinade should cover the ribs. You can massage it into the meat to ensure even coverage before placing in the fridge.
The recipe below is printable so be sure to bookmark it so you can come back and make it later.
PrintSpicy Citrus Chile Barbecue Ribs
Spicy southwest take on grilled southern style ribs with a carne asada inspired marinade.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 26 ribs 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs
- ¼ cup lime juice approx. 2 limes
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice approx. 1-2 lemons
- ½ cup whiskey optional (used Jack Daniels Honey)
- ¼ cup orange liqueur optional (used Grand Marnier)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp crushed chili flakes
- 1 tsp garlic approx… 2 cloves chopped
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1–2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup honey optional
Instructions
- Place ribs in a large pan with sides.
- Place all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until blended to create the marinade. Pour over the ribs.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to marinate.
- Prepare the grill – temp should be 325 degree Fahrenheit (162 degrees Celsius ).
- Remove the ribs from the fridge and wrap them in foil. Place the foil wrapped ribs in the grill with indirect heat.
- Cook the ribs in the foil for about 2-3 hours until the internal temp is approx. 180 -190 degrees Fahrenheit (82-87 degrees Celsius).
- Remove ribs from the foil and cook with direct heat for about 20 -30 minutes until browned.
- Baste with a glaze or barbeque sauce; cook for an additional 5 minutes (optional).
- Remove the ribs from the grill let rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut ribs apart and serve.
Notes
- These go great with coleslaw and grilled fruit, like grilled melon and pineapple.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ribs
- Calories: 763
- Sugar: 21.9
- Sodium: 454.7
- Fat: 25.8
- Carbohydrates: 30.2
- Protein: 94.9
- Cholesterol: 335.5
Here are Xaver's tips for cooking delicious, juicy, tender grilled ribs:
Wrap the ribs in foil with a bit of the marinade in the packet. Seal the edges of the foil packet well.
Cook the ribs on the side of the grill in indirect heat away from the coal. Keep the lid of the barbecue closed during this portion of the grilling process.
After the ribs are mostly cooked, remove them from the foil packet. They should be steamy and mostly cooked.
For extra flavor, cook the ribs directly on the grill, over direct heat.
Add a glaze to the ribs during the last few minutes of grilling. Turn so that each side of the ribs are caramelized in the heat after the glaze has been applied.
Serve with grilled watermelon and asparagus for a healthy, paleo-friendly, and super tasty barbecue meal.
This Spicy Citrus Chile Barbecue Ribs Recipe will have your barbecue guests wanting seconds for sure. We suggest buying one rack of Farmland® ribs per 4 guests to ensure there is enough to last the whole party as well as a few leftover for lunch the next day.Visit the Get Fired Up Grilling website for additional recipes and tips from BBQ Pitmasters Moe Cason and Tuffy Stone. Also enter to win a trip to the American Royal BBQ contest and other great grilling prizes.
Find out more about Farmland®:
- Farmland® on Facebook
- Farmland® on Twitter: @farmlandfoods
- Farmland® on Pinterest
- Farmland® on YouTube
What's your favorite way to get grilling? Share in the comments and post your photos to social media using #GetFiredUpGrilling.
About the Author
Jennifer Priest is a 20+ year designer in the arts & crafts industry and home DIYer with a passion for creativity. An Army veteran raised on a ranch, from her experience, she shares smart DIY projects that save money and fun craft ideas that anyone can make. Besides blogging, Jennifer is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP, Hypnosis, and MER, and coaches other online entrepreneurs on money mindset, business, and living an intentional life. When not blogging, Jennifer is having adventures in the wilderness, on road trips, playing with her cats, and making paleo food.
This looks amazing! I’m gonna have to try this marinade on chicken 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Oh my goodness, this looks so good! We will definitely have to make this on our grill!
OH MY my husband would love this!
All I can say is that I’m licking my lips!
Mmm! I love ribs and these look absolutely incredible!
This looks so yummy. No that we started our travels, we do a lot of grilling over the fire. I think this marinade would be awesome with that!
🙂
Traci
You had me at crockpot! These are right up my alley.
Side note – we have the same plates!
WOW just WOW! Those look SO delish! I am not a fan of BBQ with a ton of sauce drenching it so this is right up my alley. This looks like a lot of time and effort went into the making of this I think you’ve got a side business on your hands 🙂
OMG this looks so amazing. I am totally going to try this out. Thanks for the step by step too, I suck in the kitchen so this will be most helpful!
yummmmy!!!! pinning 😉
These look absolutely scrumptious! Just emailed it to my hubs!
Yum! I bet the marinade would taste great on chicken or pork, too! And grilled watermelon?! I’m going to have to totally try that!
My mouth is watering just from reading the title! These sound amazing! I’m definitely pinning this one and making it this summer!