Competition-Style Butter Bath

This no muss, no fuss competition-style butter bath will take all the guesswork out of wrapping your pork ribs. All you have to do is combine this butter bath with a little liquid for wrapping your BBQ ribs or pork. This recipe makes enough for two racks of spare ribs. 

What is a butter bath?

Typically, “butter bath” refers to a buttery liquid in which foods like steaks or corn are submerged. A barbecue butter bath refers to the wrapping portion of low and slow-cooked ribs or pork. With ribs, wrapping takes place after the first 3 hours of cooking time. The ribs are placed into a large sheet of aluminum foil, then apple juice is added along with brown sugar, and butter before sealing it up and returning it to the grill or smoker. Our competition-style butter bath recipe is for a powder-based flavoring resembling a BBQ rub, which is more convenient to use. 

What you’ll need to make a BBQ butter bath:

• Honey Granules: I used the Spiceology Honey Granules
• Butter Buds or Molly McButter Butter Sprinkles
• Brown Sugar
• Paprika
• Onion Powder

How to make this competition-style butter bath:

Measure out your ingredients, and whisk them together until well combined.

Use 1/4 cup of competition-style butter bath mixture, with 1/2 cup of apple juice per 1 rack of ribs.  

Combine the two, stirring with a fork. After a few seconds, the dry ingredients will start to dissolve in the liquid.

Place your rack of ribs onto a large sheet of aluminum foil. Carefully pour the competition-style bath butter around and onto the ribs. Seal the ribs up and place them back into the smoker, and continue cooking for 2 hours.

Please note: If you are plan to use this butter bath on pork shoulder, combine 1/2 cup of the powder with 1 cup of apple juice and wrap as directed.

Storing:

Make up a large batch of this competition-style butter bath, and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 1 year.

Try this butter bath on my Pellet Grill Pork Ribs Recipe

Photos by: Sabrina Baksh for derrickriches.com

Competition-Style Butter Bath

Use this butter bath and when wrapping your BBQ ribs and pork. It will quickly become your favorite go-to recipes for both convenience and flavor. This recipe makes enough for 2 racks of spare ribs or 1 pork shoulder.

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Rubs

Cuisine: American BBQ

Keyword: butter bath, butter bath for ribs and pork, competition butter bath, rib wrapping

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 38kcal

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey granules
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Butter Buds or Molly McButter Butter Sprinkles
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a whisk or fork.
• Use 1/4 cup of mixture with 1/2 cup of apple juice for 1 rack of spare ribs. Use 1/2 cup mixture plus 1 cup of apple juice for 1 pork shoulder.
• Make a large batch and store it in an airtight container in the cupboard for up to 1 year.

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg