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Bone-in venison ribs glazed and searing on a charcoal grill grate

  • Course

    Main

  • Serves

    BBQ Rub: Yield 3 Cups, BBQ Sauce: Yield 3 Cups
Chef’s notes

A lot of people don’t realize that you can make great bone-in rib recipes with your venison ribs if you just apply a little low, slow heat first and then go to the grill. Give this recipe a try. You’ll never look at venison ribs the same way again.

Brought to you by Weston

Equipment available from westonbrands.com

Ingredients

BBQ Rub

  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp. granulated garlic
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chili powder
  • 2 tbsp. cumin
  • 2 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. ground mustard
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tbsp. oregano
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

BBQ Sauce

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 4 tbsp. BBQ rub (see above)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 tbsp. liquid smoke
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper

Special equipment

Slow cooker or pressure cooker, grill or grill over fire.

Preparation

BBQ Rub and Sauce

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for about a week in the fridge, longer if you omit the lemon juice.

The Ribs

  1. Using a hacksaw or bone saw, cut a rack of game ribs perpendicular to the bones, so to get a 4-6 inch strip of connected rib bones.
  2. Then cut these strips into pieces containing 3 or 4 ribs apiece.
  3. Place the ribs into a pressure cooker or crock pot and add just enough stock or water to cover them.
  4. Cook at full pressure for 30 minutes. If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. By then, the ribs should be fairly tender. The measure of a perfectly cooked venison rib will be if the meat hangs on to the bone when picked up, but if you shook the bone the meat would start to fall off. A little resistance is not a bad thing.
  5. Prepare a grill (gas or charcoal) at medium-high heat.
  6. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker, let them cool, and then give them a generous rub-down with the rub.
  7. Place the ribs on the grill.
  8. Since they’re already cooked, you’re simply reheating the meat and charring the outside a bit.
  9. Once the ribs have crisped, about 10 minutes, coat them generously with the barbeque sauce, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize and thicken.
  10. Serve warm.

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Venison Ribs

Recipe by: MeatEater Staff
Bone-in venison ribs glazed and searing on a charcoal grill grate

  • Course

    Main

  • Serves

    BBQ Rub: Yield 3 Cups, BBQ Sauce: Yield 3 Cups
Chef’s notes

A lot of people don’t realize that you can make great bone-in rib recipes with your venison ribs if you just apply a little low, slow heat first and then go to the grill. Give this recipe a try. You’ll never look at venison ribs the same way again.

Brought to you by Weston

Equipment available from westonbrands.com

Ingredients

BBQ Rub

  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp. granulated garlic
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chili powder
  • 2 tbsp. cumin
  • 2 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. ground mustard
  • 1 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tbsp. oregano
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

BBQ Sauce

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 4 tbsp. BBQ rub (see above)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 tbsp. liquid smoke
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper

Special equipment

Slow cooker or pressure cooker, grill or grill over fire.

Preparation

BBQ Rub and Sauce

  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for about a week in the fridge, longer if you omit the lemon juice.

The Ribs

  1. Using a hacksaw or bone saw, cut a rack of game ribs perpendicular to the bones, so to get a 4-6 inch strip of connected rib bones.
  2. Then cut these strips into pieces containing 3 or 4 ribs apiece.
  3. Place the ribs into a pressure cooker or crock pot and add just enough stock or water to cover them.
  4. Cook at full pressure for 30 minutes. If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. By then, the ribs should be fairly tender. The measure of a perfectly cooked venison rib will be if the meat hangs on to the bone when picked up, but if you shook the bone the meat would start to fall off. A little resistance is not a bad thing.
  5. Prepare a grill (gas or charcoal) at medium-high heat.
  6. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker, let them cool, and then give them a generous rub-down with the rub.
  7. Place the ribs on the grill.
  8. Since they’re already cooked, you’re simply reheating the meat and charring the outside a bit.
  9. Once the ribs have crisped, about 10 minutes, coat them generously with the barbeque sauce, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize and thicken.
  10. Serve warm.