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More Dinners Recipes You'll Love
This pulled pork rib sandwich starts with a rack of smoked ribs and ends with tender, bone-free meat piled onto sandwich buns.
The ribs cook until the bones pull out easily, giving the meat the soft texture needed for shredding and mixing with the wrap juices.
Why This Recipe Works
The wrapped braising stage is what turns smoked ribs into sandwich meat. Once the ribs are extremely tender, the bones can be removed cleanly and the meat pulls apart without much resistance.
What I like about using ribs for this sandwich is how much flavor you get from the meat itself. Once it is pulled and piled onto a bun, you get that rich pork flavor in every bite without needing to overcomplicate the sandwich. Add your favorite sauce and toppings and it is an easy way to turn a rack of ribs into something completely different.
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork ribs
- Your favorite barbecue rub
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup barbecue sauce, beer, apple juice, or your favorite braising liquid
- Sandwich buns
- Additional barbecue sauce, optional
How to Make It
Trim the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Season generously on both sides with your favorite barbecue rub.
Preheat your smoker to 250°F. Place the ribs on the smoker and cook for about 3 hours, spritzing every 45 minutes or so.
Remove the ribs from the smoker and place them on foil with the butter and barbecue sauce or your preferred braising liquid. Wrap tightly and return to the smoker meat side down. Continue cooking at 250°F for about 2 hours, or until the ribs are extremely tender and the bones pull out easily.
Remove from the smoker and let the ribs rest in the wrapped juices for 30 to 45 minutes.
Carefully remove all of the bones, then use your hands to shred the rib meat and mix it with some of the juices from the wrap. Pile the pulled rib meat onto sandwich buns and finish with additional barbecue sauce if desired.
Tips and Variations
Use easy bone removal as the main tenderness check. Cooking time is a helpful guide, but ribs that still hold tightly to the bones are not ready to shred well.
Open the foil packet carefully after cooking. The trapped steam and braising liquid will be very hot.
Add the wrap juices to the shredded meat gradually. A little keeps the pork moist, while too much can make the buns soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to remove the membrane from the ribs?
Yes. Trim the ribs and remove the membrane from the back before seasoning them with barbecue rub.
What temperature should I smoke the ribs at?
Smoke the ribs at 250°F for both the initial cook and the wrapped braising stage.
How long do the ribs need to cook?
Cook them for about 3 hours unwrapped, then about 2 hours wrapped. They are ready when extremely tender and the bones pull out easily.
What can I use for the wrapped braising liquid?
Use ½ cup barbecue sauce, beer, apple juice, or your favorite braising liquid, along with 4 tablespoons of butter.
How do I turn the ribs into sandwich filling?
Rest the wrapped ribs in their juices for 30 to 45 minutes, remove the bones, shred the meat by hand, and mix it with some of the wrap juices before piling it onto buns.
Serving Ideas
For a cool, crisp contrast, this sandwich can be topped with coleslaw. Pickle chips or pickled onions also add a tangy bite.
Barbecue beans, corn, or potato salad would all work well alongside the sandwich.
The key is letting the ribs reach that pull-apart point, so every bite is tender rib meat without bones getting in the way.
More Dinners Recipes You'll Love
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork ribs
- Your favorite barbecue rub
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup barbecue sauce beer, apple juice, or your favorite braising liquid
- Sandwich buns
- Additional barbecue sauce, optional
Instructions
- Trim the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Season generously on both sides with your favorite barbecue rub.
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F. Place the ribs on the smoker and cook for about 3 hours, spritzing every 45 minutes or so.
- Remove the ribs from the smoker and place them on foil with the butter and barbecue sauce or your preferred braising liquid. Wrap tightly and return to the smoker meat side down. Continue cooking at 250°F for about 2 hours, or until the ribs are extremely tender and the bones pull out easily.
- Remove from the smoker and let the ribs rest in the wrapped juices for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove all of the bones, then use your hands to shred the rib meat and mix it with some of the juices from the wrap. Pile the pulled rib meat onto sandwich buns and finish with additional barbecue sauce if desired.
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