Dr. Pepper Spare Ribs

Oct 03, 2023 • Tom Jackson

Expect the unexpected with Chef Tom’s Dr. Pepper Spare Ribs. They are Savory, Sweet and fun to eat! These are the kind of ribs that turn your outdoor kitchen into the most popular spot in the neighborhood. Can you handle the taste? Short ribs that are smoked and then braised in Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper, it makes the world and short ribs taste better especially when they are slathered with Dr. Pepper reduction sauce. This is just what the doctor ordered.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

Smoked potatoes, not just boiled. Cooking the potatoes whole on the grill before ricing them builds a subtle smoky base into the gnocchi itself, not just the sauce.
Riced, not mashed. Pushing the potato flesh through a ricer keeps the texture light and fluffy, which is what keeps the finished gnocchi from turning dense or gummy.
Vodka off the heat, on purpose. The sauce comes off the burner before the vodka goes in, so the alcohol cooks off cleanly without scorching the sauce.
Pan-fried, not just boiled. Browning the boiled gnocchi in butter before tossing it in the sauce adds a golden, slightly crisp edge you don't get from a straight boil-and-sauce approach.

Dr. Pepper Spare Ribs

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.7 stars by 20 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

5 hours

Calories

311

Savor the flavor of the “Friendly Pepper Upper” with these Dr. Pepper Spare Ribs. Be sure to eat these slow, it’s doctor's orders. These ribs are smoked and braised in Dr. Pepper and topped with a Dr. Pepper infused sauce. These ribs are out of the ordinary but Chef Tom and the doctor knows the right touch.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Ribs

2 racks Creekstone Farms St. Louis Duroc Pork Spare Ribs
Bear & Burton’s The W Sauce (Worcestershire)
Meat Church Texas Sugar Rub
Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub

Braise:

2 cups Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup butter

Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce:

2 cups Dr. Pepper
1 cup Firebug Grillin’ Sauce Mild

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 275ºF, set up for smoking/indirect grilling.
Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs. Trim the ribs to remove any sharp bones from the ends.
Rub all surfaces of the ribs with a thin layer of Bear & Burton’s The W Sauce. Season the bone side of the ribs first with Meat Church Texas Sugar Rub. Let the ribs sit until the seasoning darkens and looks wet on the surface, then season with a layer of Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub. Let sit until the rub is well attached before flipping the ribs over and repeating this process on the other side.
Transfer the ribs to second shelf of the smoker. Smoke the ribs until a dark red/mahogany bark is formed on the surface, about three and a half hours.
Remove the ribs form the grill. Lay out two sheets of heavy duty foil, long enough to fit the ribs, one on top of the other. Place four tablespoons of unsalted butter across the foil. Place a rack of ribs, meat side down, on top of the butter. Turn up the edges of the foil to prevent liquid from running off the foil, then pour one cup of Dr. Pepper over the ribs.
Wrap tightly with the two sheets of foil. Repeat with the other rack of ribs. Return the ribs to the grill.
Cook the ribs meat side down until tender, about one hour. The meat should move freely from the bones when twisted.
While the ribs finish cooking, combine the ingredients for the Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce in a Lodge 12” Steel Skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce cook until it is reduced by two-thirds (you should now have one cup of the glaze). Let cool to room temperature.
When the ribs are tender flip them over to sit bone side down inside the open foil packet and brush with the Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce. Close the lid and let cook for about 20 minutes more, to allow the glaze to set up.
Remove from the grill. Rest 10 minutes. Slice to serve with extra Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce on the side.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why smoke the potatoes instead of just boiling them?
Smoking the potatoes whole on the grill builds a subtle wood flavor all the way through the flesh before they're ever riced into dough — a flavor a plain boil can't replicate.

What is the ice bath for?
After boiling, the gnocchi go into an ice bath to stop the cooking immediately. This keeps them from turning mushy while they wait to be pan-fried later in the recipe.

Can I make the gnocchi ahead of time?
Yes — boil and ice-bath the gnocchi as directed, then refrigerate or freeze them before the pan-fry step. Fry straight from cold when you're ready to serve.

Why add the vodka off the heat?
Pulling the skillet off the burner before adding the vodka, then returning it to heat, gives you more control over cooking off the alcohol without the sauce boiling over or scorching.

Can I skip the smoked salt if I don't have it?
Regular kosher salt will still work fine — you'll just lose some of the extra wood-smoke depth the smoked salt adds on top of the smoked potatoes themselves.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — works indoors with adjustments, but the grill is recommended. The dough-making, boiling, and sauce steps are all standard kitchen work; it's specifically the smoked-potato step that benefits from an actual grill or smoker.

Recipe Highlights

Whole potatoes smoked before ricing: Direction Steps 1–3 smoke the potatoes on the grill for about 90 minutes before they're ever riced — that step is where the "smoky" in this recipe's name actually comes from.
Riced, not mashed, for a lighter dough: Step 4 pushes the potato flesh through a ricer rather than mashing it, which keeps the gnocchi dough light instead of dense.
Ice bath locks in the right texture: Step 6 shocks the boiled gnocchi in an ice bath the moment they float, stopping the cooking so they hold their shape through the pan-fry step later.
Pan-fried in butter before saucing: Step 10 browns the boiled gnocchi in butter first, then transfers them straight into the vodka sauce — that browning step is what gives the finished dish its slightly crisp edge.