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.ย

What is a butter bath?
A “butter bath” is a buttery liquid in which foods like steaks or corn are submerged. However, aย barbecue butter bathย refers to the wrapping stage of barbecued meats. With ribs, wrapping takes place after the first 3 hours of cooking. The ribs are placed into a large sheet of aluminum foil, then drizzled with apple juice, brown sugar, and butter before sealing it and returning it to the grill. Our homemade competition-style butter bath is a convenient powder-based variation similar to aย BBQ rub. That means it can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until ready 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.



Combine the powdered butter bath and apple juice with a fork. After a few seconds, the dry ingredients will start to dissolve.

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