This fun recipe combines two of my favorite things; whiskey and ribs! My Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs are juicy, tender, and smothered in a flavorful sauce. These ribs got the red-carpet treatment, including a butter bath! If you’re in the mood for something fruity, sweet, and a little spicy, these Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs will hit the spot.
This would be a fabulous recipe to serve at your Summer cookouts, 4th of July parties, or even Sunday dinner. Grab some while you can; I have a hard time believing you’ll have any leftovers.
These Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs come together easily and are well worth the effort. Ribs aren’t rocket science, and it’s important that you don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun with the process, adjust things to fit your way of cooking, and you’re bound to have a winner!
The Ingredients
You don’t need much to make gourmet ribs! You won’t use all of your rubs, so save some for the next great cook. You also won’t use more than a shot of your whiskey..more for later!
- Ribs. For this cook, I used two slabs of ribs. One of my favorite brands of pork is Prairie Fresh. These ribs come ready to go with minimal trimming. They come out great every time!
- Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub. This delicious rub combines high-quality peppers with dehydrated honey. It’s a fabulous blend that goes great on ribs, steaks, roasts, and chicken. Pros and backyard pitmasters alike go crazy for this ingredient!
- Heath Riles BBQ Peach Rub. Add a little Georgia flavor to your life with my sweet, zesty Peach Rub. This blend contains garlic, onion, peach notes, and paprika. Use it on ribs, chicken, wings, and more!
- Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap. This fabulous ingredient does double duty as you can use it as a butter bath or wrap. Unlike other products, this wrap comes ready to go, just add water or apple juice and shake. You won’t use the entire bag, so you get more bang for your buck. It keeps any slab of ribs juicy and tender.
- Apple juice. I love adding apple juice to Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap. It adds flavor without overpowering the natural goodness. Purchasing your apple juice in 8-ounce containers will save you time in the kitchen.
- Butter. I love adding a little butter to my glazes. It helps them thicken up without becoming too heavy. Butter and whiskey are a match made in heaven, especially when you let the butter brown a little.
- Crown Peach Whiskey. Adding multiple peach notes to the glaze gives it a full-bodied flavor profile. Don’t worry; most of the alcohol burns off on the stove, leaving you with a deep, mysterious flavor. If you prefer whiskey glazes with a “bite,” cook the butter and whiskey for less time.
- Light brown sugar. Brown sugar gives the ribs that sticky-sweet flavor we all know and love. I prefer using light brown sugar because it’s mild, but you can use what you have on hand.
- Peach preserves. Peach preserves help thicken the glaze, keeping on target with our peach theme. This ingredient is flexible; use whatever you like best.
- Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce. This amazing ketchup-based sauce took ten years to perfect. Good things take time! Use this sauce alone or pair it with Heath Riles BBQ Tangy Vinegar Sauce.
- Checkered Pig Competition Sauce. I love supporting friends of mine, especially when they have great products! This competition sauce checks all the boxes. It’s sweet, tangy, and has just a little heat on the back end. I know you’ll love it too!
The Smoker Setup
Here’s the primary equipment I used to make these Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs. You can find more of my grilling must-haves in the Equipment and Tools section.
- Smoker. I cooked these ribs over the Outlaw Smoker. This is one of my favorite setups because it’s durable, high-quality, and easy to use. If you’re in the market for an excellent stick burner, check out the Outlaw.
- Charcoal. I stoked the pit with Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Lump Charcoal and a few hickory logs. This combination created the best smoke with no fillers. I love using Royal Oak Charcoal because they’re high-quality, and their ingredients list passes the test.
The Process for Making Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs
You can find a detailed demonstration of this cook in the recipe video and card. For now, here’s a quick overview of how I pulled these tasty Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs together.
- Fire up the pit. I stoked the Outlaw Smoker with Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Lump Charcoal and a couple of logs of hickory wood, then fired it up to about 300℉.
- Season the ribs. I took the ribs out of the package and laid down a good coat of Heath Riles BBQ Honey Chipotle Rub, followed by Heath Riles BBQ Peach Rub. I flipped the ribs and repeated the process on the other side. I let the ribs sweat in for 10-15 minutes before putting them on the Outlaw Smoker.
- Start cooking. I laid the ribs directly on the grill’s grates and let them go for 1 hour.
- Make the butter bath. While the ribs cooked, I made prepped the wrap. I combined ½ cup of Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap with 16 ounces of apple juice. This was for TWO slabs of ribs. The official measurements are: ¼ cup Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap mixed with 8 ounces apple juice PER SLAB of ribs. My Mixing Shaker Bottle makes prep work a breeze!
- Add wrap. After 1 ½ hours, my ribs passed the smear test. To learn more about the smear test, check out my video! I took the meat off the Outlaw Smoker and placed each slab face down on a sheet pan covered by two pieces of foil. Then, I poured half of my butter bath mixture over EACH slab of ribs. I folded the foil over the ribs, ensuring no liquid could run out.
- Put back on the pit. I placed the wrapped ribs on the grill and let them cook until they reached about 202℉ internally. I took them off the grill and let them rest for 15 minutes .
- Prep the whiskey peach glaze. To create my whiskey peach glaze, I heated butter and Crown Peach Whiskey over medium-low heat until the alcohol burnt off. Then, I added the light brown sugar and peach preserves, stirring until the mixture came to a boil. Last, I added Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce and Checkered Pig Competition Sauce. I let the flavors mesh for a few minutes, then took the glaze off the heat.
- Sauce and set. Once the ribs reached temp, I removed them from the pit and basted them with the whiskey peach glaze. I flipped the ribs and glazed the other side, ensuring that even the end bones were covered. I set the ribs back on the grill for 15 more minutes to tack up. Once the ribs were set, I took them off the pit and let them cool. The only thing left was to dig in!
The Results
The Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs came off the Outlaw Smoker with brilliant color and an even better aroma! The peach notes shone through the seasoning blend, with just a little heat on the back end. This recipe is sure to impress even the harshest critics!
Serving Suggestions for Whiskey Glazed Peach Ribs
These ribs are fantastic on their own, but if you really want to go to town, try one of these sides.
- Brisket Potato Bombs. If you have leftover brisket in the freezer, try this recipe! It’s one of the best ways to jazz up a baked potato. You’ll never want to eat potatoes any other way.
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans. Add some veggies to your plate with this tasty side. Crisp green beans are seasoned to perfection and wrapped with decadent bacon. It doesn’t get much better than this!
- Mississippi Coleslaw. This delicious side dish features a tasty white sauce. This is not your Mama’s coleslaw! My Mississippi Coleslaw goes great with hot dogs, ribs, or chicken.
Storing Leftovers
You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days or freeze them for up to four months.
Equipment and Tools
Outlaw Smoker, Royal Oak Charcoal Hardwood Pellets, disposable cutting board, aluminum foil, Victorinox Fribrox Pro Chef’s Knife, Heath Riles BBQ Mixing Shaker Bottler, Nechtik BBQ Gloves, ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE, ThermoWorks hi-temp silicone brush, metal sheet pan, YETI Rambler 10oz Stackable Lowball
