Honey Mustard Smoked Ribs

These Honey Mustard Ribs are smoky, sticky, and fall-off-the-bone tender—brushed with a sweet-tangy glaze that caramelizes on the smoker. Weekend cookout hero, weeknight leftover dream.

Fire up your Traeger smoker and make these Smoked Honey Mustard Ribs as soon as possible. They start with an easy rib rub, then you smoke them on your electric pellet grill and smother them with homemade honey mustard sauce.

You’re going to love the taste and the smoky flavor of these ribs. The honey mustard sauce adds a nice sweetness that is is so simple yet adds so much depth to the ribs. Plus we’ve got a homemade mustard rub for ribs that is to die for.

Sometimes the 3-2-1 cooking method for ribs gets a bad rap from competition style rib cookers, but we love it. It’s straight forward, easy to use and you get fall off the bone tender ribs. Competitors will say the ribs shouldn’t just fall straight off, but we love when that happens!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Our honey mustard smoked ribs are a labour of love. Sweet yet tangy honey mustard adds so much flavor to these ribs that are smoked using the 3-2-1 method.
• The homemade honey mustard sauce really livens up this smoky dish. Everyone is going to rave about the unique flavor!
• When you are entertaining company, this is a great dish to cook when you want to visit outside instead of being stuck in the kitchen all day long.

Ingredients For Honey Mustard Smoked Ribs

• Baby back ribs – Get a good quality rib, it will make a difference. Don’t forget to remove the membrane or ask for it to be removed by the butcher.
• Yellow mustard – Helps the ribs get tender and the rub adhere to the ribs.
• Apple juice – Used to baste the ribs.
• Butter – Sliced and put in foil to get those tender, flavorful ribs.
• Rib Dry Rub – A mixture of brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt and ground mustard. We know you’ve got them in the cupboard ready to go.
• Honey mustard sauce – A combination of Dijon mustard, honey, BBQ sauce, brown sugar and minced garlic. Pantry staples, nothing fancy!

How to Make Smoked Ribs

1. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, salt and ground mustard.
2. Spread 4 Tablespoons of yellow mustard evenly over the ribs once silver skin is removed and cover with dry rub. Wrap in saran wrap and place in fridge to rest a minimum of 2 hours, to overnight.
3. Place ribs, bone side down, on preheated smoker for 3 hours.
4. Mix together apple juice and water in a spray bottle and spritz ribs with mixture every half hour.
5. Lay two pieces of tinfoil out on counter. Evenly smear remaining yellow mustard down the middle of foil. Place butter slices down the middle of foil. Lay the ribs on the foil, bone side done. Tightly seal the foil. Place ribs back in the smoker for another 2 hours.
6. Remove the ribs from the smoker and foil. Mix together ingredients for the finishing sauce. Coat ribs with finishing sauce and place back on the smoker for 1 hour.
7. Remove from smoker, brush with sauce again and serve.

These are the best smoked ribs when you want to change it up a little. The honey mustard glaze is mouthwatering paired with fall off the bone ribs!

What Do I Do About The Silver Skin Membrane?

Removing the membrane from the ribs takes away that “tougher” part of the meat and allows for easier chewing and eating. Leaving the membrane on also means that not all the rub or sauce will get in touch with the meat underneath. 

It’s fairly simple to remove the membrane. Simply take a knife and start at one end of the ribs. Put the tip of the knife underneath the membrane and slide it down the ribs to loosen it. Then grab and tear off the membrane as you go.

You can often buy ribs with the membrane already removed, or ask your butcher to remove it for you before they pack up your ribs for you to take home.

What Is The 3-2-1 Method For Smoking Ribs?

This method breaks down the smoking of the ribs into 3, 2 and 1 hour increments. First, smoke the ribs for 3 hours unwrapped then cover in foil and smoke for 2 hours. The final hour involves lathering the ribs in sauce in intervals.

Storage And Reheating

Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freezer: If you have too many leftovers to store in the fridge, wrap honey mustard ribs in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheat leftover honey mustard ribs in the microwave or in the oven until hot throughout.

How To Serve Honey Mustard Smoked Ribs

While we are smoking ribs, we also love to add Smoked Baked Potatoes to the grates. It’s so convenient to cook most of the meal in once place! If baked potatoes aren’t your family favorite, Seasoned Potatoes are a great option instead. Add some greens to the table with a salad or Easy Smoked Vegetables.

Of course, you’re going to need a delicious sweet dessert to finish off the meal, so why not give Smoked Strawberry Crisp at try!

More Rib Recipes!

• For the spice lovers in your life, Spicy Smoked Ribs will be a hit! The 3-2-1 method comes in handy again here and a spicy rub is the star of the show.
• If you are a fan of classic flavors, our Smoked Ribs are for you! Smoked low and slow using the 3-2-1 method and loaded with BBQ sauce, these ribs will not disappoint.
• Add another twist to traditional ribs with sticky Honey Garlic Smoked Ribs. Honey garlic is a big time crowd-pleasing sauce and these ribs are perfect for game day.
• Your family is going to devour our mouthwatering Smoked Beef Ribs. Use a simple rub or even just salt and pepper to get the best tasting beef ribs out there!