Need a no-fuss craveable appetizer for the big game? Big Poppa’s Rib Snacks Recipe will have everyone munching and reaching for more!
These snacks are like chicken nuggets, but pork, and bone-in. Just buy a rack of ribs and have your butcher cut the ribs lengthwise across the bones into pork riblets about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and the length of the rack. You could buy any type of ribs (spares, St. Louis cut, or baby backs), but we like meaty spare ribs best here. To bone up on types of ribs, check out this article.
Once you’ve got your riblets ready to go, you just season them up with two award-winning pork rubs from the one and only Sterling Ball, a.k.a. “Big Poppa”! Smoke the riblets until partially cooked and then cut them into nugget-size pieces. Toss them in a foil pan with some butter, honey, brown sugar, and Granny’s BBQ sauce and return them to the cooker until they’re super tender. That’s about all there is to Big Poppa’s Ribs Snacks Recipe. Super simple!
Pile the rib nuggets on a platter, add a little more sauce and a sprinkling of the spice rubs for good measure, and serve ’em up! If you need to feed a big crowd, just double or triple the recipe.
Note: This recipe is brought to you by Cooking with Big Poppa. Be sure to check out the Big Poppa Smokers’ website here for even more great recipes and for a variety of BBQ and grilling gear including the rubs and sauce used in this recipe!
Big Poppa’s Rib Snacks Recipe
Makes:
Takes:
Equipment
- foil pan
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork short ribs, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide riblets membrane removed
- 3 tablespoons Big Poppa’s Sweet Money Seasoning plus some for finishing
- 3 tablespoons Big Poppa’s Sweet Money Hot Seasoning plus some for finishing
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut in small pieces
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Granny’s BBQ Sauce plus some for finishing
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Preheat your smoker to 275°F.
- Season the pork riblets all over with the Big Poppa’s Sweet Money Seasoning and the Big Poppy's Sweet Money Hot Seasoning, ensuring an even coating on all sides.
- Place the seasoned riblets in the preheated smoker and smoke them until they are about 80% cooked (they should have an internal temperature of about 170ºF), about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove the partially cooked ribs from the smoker to a cutting board. Carefully cut them between the bones into rib nuggets. Place the nuggets in a foil pan.
- Scatter the butter pieces over the ribs, scatter on the brown sugar, and then drizzle on the honey and Granny’s BBQ Sauce evenly over the top. Finish with a dusting of Big Poppa’s Sweet Money Seasoning for an extra burst of flavor.
- Gently mix all the ingredients together in the foil pan to ensure the nuggets are evenly coated. Cover tightly with foil.
- Place the covered pan back in the smoker and cook until the nuggets are nice and tender (the internal temperature should be about 208°F), about 1 hour. (You could do this final cooking in a regular oven if you like, since the meat won't pick up any more smoke in the covered pan.)
- Once the nuggets are fully cooked and tender, remove them from the smoker. Transfer the nuggets to a platter, building them into a mound and brushing with additional Granny’s BBQ Sauce and a dusting of Big Poppa’s Sweet Money Hot Seasoning.
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