This homemade Spicy Cherry-Apple Rib Glaze will make your taste buds do a happy dance. The combination of sweet and heat makes it the perfect glaze for ribs, but it can also be used on burnt ends and chicken wings.
The best part about this recipe is that you can easily customize the ingredients to suit your needs. To reduce spicy flavors, simply adjust the amount of habanero jelly used in the recipe or use a milder option like jalapeno or hatch chilis. Use this spicy rib glaze on wings, ribs, smoked pork belly, or turkey burnt ends. It’ll take your backyard barbecue up a notch!
Ingredients
- Cherry Jelly: If you cannot find cherry jelly, look for cherry jam or preserves that do not contain whole cherries.
- Apple Jelly: Do not use apple butter or apple jam. Smucker’s makes a simple, low-cost apple jelly that works perfectly for this rib glaze.
- Habanero Pepper Jelly: For this recipe, use a basic habanero jelly; however, you can substitute it with jalapeno or milder pepper jelly.
- White Vinegar: sub with apple cider vinegar
- Honey BBQ Rub: Or a comparable sweet bottled rub.
Note on Pork Ribs
If you plan to use this glaze as a rib candy, I’ve provided several comprehensive pork rib recipe guides below. Use these methods to perfect your technique, and don’t hesitate to drop a comment if you have additional questions.
- Pellet Grill Pork Ribs
- Ribs on a Charcoal Grill
- How to Make Ribs on a Gas Grill
- Ribs on a Smoker
- How to Make Ribs in the Oven
- Pellet Grill Baby Back Ribs (2-2-1 Method)
How to Make a Rib Glaze
- Gather your rib glaze ingredients.
- Place them in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring to combine. Once melted through, remove from heat and use.
- You can also melt the ingredients in a cast-iron pot in your grill or smoker. This version will take about 20-25 minutes for the sauce to melt through. However, the rib glaze will pick up a little smokiness as it cooks next to the meat.
- Stir the sauce well before using.
Applying the Rib Glaze
- For wings: Once they are cooked through, remove them from the grill and place them into an aluminum pan. Pour the rib glaze over top, toss to coat, and serve, or place the pan back on the grill for another 10-15 minutes to caramelize.
- For burnt ends: Coat in glaze toward the end of cooking, and place back on the smoker for another 20 minutes or more.
- For ribs: Pour the heated rib glaze directly onto the rack of ribs (as pictured above). Use a sauce brush to even it out. Apply the glaze as you would with BBQ sauce: to all exposed meat, including the edges. Close the lid of your smoker or grill, and let the ribs cook for an additional 30 minutes or until they reach the target internal temperature.
Using a Glaze on Pork Belly
We have an delicious recipe for Pork Belly Burnt Ends. Simply swap out the bourbon sauce ingredients and replace it with 3/4 C. of this rib glaze. You can also use it on pulled pork and smoked turkey breast.
Tips and Variations
- Increase this rib glaze recipe and pour it into sterilized mason jars with a secure lid. Cool completely and store in the fridge for up to 1 month. Use it as needed.
- Want to add a smoky flavor? Add a 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika to the glaze.
- For a deeper, richer caramel flavor, add a 1/2 tablespoon of molasses or 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar.
- Use this spicy cherry apple rib glaze as a dipping sauce.
More Recipes!
Spicy Cherry-Apple Rib Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple jelly not apple butter
- 1/4 cup habanero jelly or a milder pepper jelly
- 1/4 cup cherry jelly if using jam of preserves, remove the whole cherries, or melt and strain them
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Honey BBQ Rub or your favorite sweet bottled rub
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and heat for 5-7 minutes over medium-low to low heat. Stir until the mixture has melted through.
- During the last 35 minutes of cooking time, place a large sheet of foil under the ribs (or a large aluminum pan under the cooking grate). Fold the edges of the foil.
- Ribs: Pour glaze over the ribs. Use a sauce brush to even out as needed. Close the lid and continue cooking for 30 minutes.
- For Burnt Ends. Use 3/4 C. of mixture during the last 30 minutes. You can also use this as a glaze for smoked turkey breast or turkey burnt ends.
- Double, Triple, or even quadruple this recipe and store it in a large, sterilized glass jar. Store in your refrigerator for up to 1 month. Take out what you need, heat it on your stovetop or smoker, and use it as directed above.
