A little spicy and a little sweet, this recipe for Chipotle-Honey Barbecue Ribs is mouthwatering delicious! These are best when grilled, but can also be made in the oven when firing up the grill isn’t a possibility.

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It’s hard to believe summer is half over already. It always goes by so fast. Every year, we use our grill more and more, and these Chipotle-Honey Barbecue Ribs are a big reason why. I created this recipe a couple of years ago and can’t even tell you how many times it has been requested since then.

There are a few steps to the perfect ribs, but it’s oh-so worth it!

Why This Recipe Works

These ribs give you a nice balance of smoky chipotle heat and sticky honey sweetness.
You can use any type of ribs you prefer.
This recipe is best on the grill, but can also be made in the oven, if needed.

How to Make Chipotle-Honey Barbecue Ribs on the Grill

These are the steps on how to grill Chipotle-Honey Barbecue ribs. We used spareribs for this method.

Note: Further down in this post, and in the notes section of the recipe card, you will find instructions on how to make these ribs in the oven. For that method, we used baby back ribs. Any type of ribs should work just fine with either cooking method.

Prep!

Trim the excess fat off of the ribs and place them on a large piece of foil.

Create!

Mix together the spices for the chipotle rub and sprinkle half onto the top of the ribs. Rub it into the meat until the entire top half of the ribs is covered. Flip the ribs over and repeat on the other side. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

While the ribs are sitting, combine all of the ingredients for the honey barbecue sauce in a medium bowl and whisk until it’s well combined. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Combine the apple cider vinegar and water. Set aside.

Turn on only one side of your grill to 350°F. You can either lay the ribs directly on the grill rack (save your foil!) or on top of the foil, but be sure to place them to the side of the grill without the flame.

You are going to be cooking the ribs low and slow in indirect heat. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 30 minutes, maintaining a temperature of 350°F. Adjust the heat by lowering the burner rather than opening the grill.

After the 30 minutes is up, put the ribs back onto the foil and fold the sides up to prevent any liquid from running off.

Pour the apple cider vinegar mixture over the ribs and wrap tightly in the foil. Return the ribs to the same area of the grill and cook at 375°F for another 30 minutes.

Check the ribs after 30 minutes. If they still appear to be under-cooked, return them to the grill for another 10-15 minutes until they are cooked through.

Once the ribs are cooked through, lower the heat so the temperature stays around 250°F.

Open the foil and baste the top half of the ribs with the honey barbecue sauce. Close the grill lid. After 5 minutes, flip the ribs over and repeat the process on the other side. Continue flipping the ribs and basting every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.

After the last 5 minute cooking cycle, remove the ribs from the grill.

Present!

If you have a serving tray big enough to fit a rack of ribs, go for it! You can also slice the ribs and pile them onto a smaller serving tray if you need to.

There are definitely a few steps to grilling this Chipotle-Honey Barbecue Ribs recipe, but I promise you it’s worth it! The ribs turn out a little sweet, a little spicy, and entirely delicious!