If you’re looking for a game day sandwich that’s going to get everybody’s attention, this is it. We’re taking two big, meaty racks of baby back ribs, cooking them until the bones slide right out, then turning that tender rib meat into what I call the Grand Champion McRib.

We’re building layers of flavor with Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Rub, wrapping the ribs with Butter Bath & Wrap, and finishing everything with the same three-product sauce combination we’ve used at Memphis in May.

Once those bones come out, all that real rib meat goes onto a fresh roll with thin-sliced onion and dill pickles. It’s a real-deal rib sandwich made for game day.

Grand Champion McRib | Heath Riles BBQ

There’s a big difference between a formed rib sandwich and one made with actual baby back ribs. For this recipe, I started with two slabs of Prairie Fresh Prime baby backs and cooked them until they were tender enough that the bones could be pulled right out.

The ribs get a mustard binder followed by a base coat of Garlic Jalapeño Rub and a layer of Competition BBQ Rub. Then they go onto the Recteq Flagship 1600 at 275°F with Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets.

Once the color is where I want it, we wrap them with Butter Bath & Wrap mixed with apple juice and keep cooking until those bones are ready to pop out. That’s the key to turning a rack of ribs into one heck of a sandwich.

Why This Recipe Works

This sandwich is all about building flavor while getting the ribs tender enough to become completely boneless.

The mustard gives our seasonings something to grab onto, then the Garlic Jalapeño and Competition BBQ Rubs give us plenty of BBQ flavor and color. The ribs cook unwrapped first so that seasoning has time to set before we introduce any liquid.

Wrapping with Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap and apple juice takes us into the next stage of the cook. We want these ribs much more tender than we would for a traditional competition-style rib because the goal is to pull the bones completely out while keeping the slab together for our sandwich.

Then there’s the sauce. We combine Sweet BBQ Sauce, Competition BBQ Sauce, and Apple Habanero Glaze before brushing it over the boneless ribs and putting them back on the cooker to let that sauce tack up.

The Ingredients

• Baby Back Ribs. I started with two slabs of Prairie Fresh Prime baby back ribs. These were some big, meaty racks, which is exactly what we need to build a real rib sandwich.
• Mustard. We’re using mustard as our binder. It’s simple, it works, and it helps those layers of seasoning stick to the ribs.
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub. This goes down first to give the ribs a good base coat of flavor.
• Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Rub. Once the Garlic Jalapeño is on, I follow it with Competition BBQ Rub to add another layer of flavor and help build that beautiful color.
• Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap. I used ½ cup for two slabs of ribs, mixed with a little over 12 ounces of apple juice.
• Apple Juice. The apple juice gets mixed with our Butter Bath & Wrap before the ribs are wrapped.
• Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce. We use about ½ cup as the first part of our finishing sauce.
• Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce. Another ½ cup goes into our sauce mixture.
• Heath Riles BBQ Apple Habanero Glaze. About ¼ cup finishes off the sauce mixture.
• Fresh Rolls. You want a good, fresh roll that can hold all that tender rib meat and sauce.
• Thin-Sliced Onion. I like my onion sliced paper thin for this sandwich.
• Dill Pickle Chips. You only need a few pickles on each sandwich to add some acidity and crunch.

Smoker Setup

I fired up the Recteq Flagship 1600 to 275°F using Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets.

We’ll keep the cooker at 275°F throughout the rib cook. The ribs start out unwrapped to build color and flavor, then we’ll wrap them once the seasoning has set and continue cooking until they’re tender enough for the bones to slide out.

The Process

Trim and Prep the Baby Back Ribs

Start by getting the two racks of baby back ribs out of the package. These were big, meaty racks, but they had some hard fat that I didn’t want on the finished sandwich.

Using a knife, trim away any hard fat you don’t want and remove the membrane from the back of each rack. We want plenty of meat left on these ribs because that meat is going to become the center of our sandwich.

Season the Ribs

Coat the ribs with mustard to create a binder. Then lay down a good base coat of Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeño Rub, followed by a medium coat of Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Rub.

Repeat the same process so both sides of the ribs are seasoned. We want a good, even coating before they head out to the cooker.

Smoke the Ribs

Place both racks on the Recteq Flagship 1600 running at 275°F with Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets.

Let the ribs cook unwrapped for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours. At this point, we’re looking for good color and for the rub to be set on the meat. You should be able to touch the surface without wiping that seasoning right off.

Mix the Butter Bath

While the ribs are cooking, prepare the wrap mixture. Add a little over 12 ounces of apple juice to a Heath Riles BBQ Mixing Shaker Bottle.

For these two racks, add ½ cup of Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap. Shake everything together until well combined.

Wrap the Ribs

Once the ribs have the color you’re looking for and the seasoning has set, lay out your foil and place the ribs meat-side down.

Divide the Butter Bath mixture between the two racks, pouring it into the foil so all that flavor stays right there with the ribs. Wrap each rack tightly and return them to the smoker.

Let the wrapped ribs continue cooking until they become extremely tender. For this sandwich, we aren’t looking for a traditional rib bite—we want the bones ready to slide right out.

Check for Tenderness and Rest

At around the 3½-hour mark, check the ribs. The best test for this recipe is the bones themselves. When they start pulling free from the meat without much resistance, you know you’re where you need to be.

Once the ribs are tender, open the foil and let them steam off and cool down on their own for a little while. This makes them easier to handle when it’s time to remove the bones and turn them into a proper McRib.

Make the Grand Champion Sauce

While the ribs are cooling, mix up the finishing sauce. Add ½ cup Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce, ½ cup Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Sauce, and about ¼ cup Heath Riles BBQ Apple Habanero Glaze.

Mix everything together until you have one smooth sauce. This three-product combination is the same sauce combination we used for our Memphis in May-winning ribs.

Remove the Bones and Sauce the Ribs

Once the ribs have cooled enough to handle, carefully remove each bone from the racks. If you’ve cooked them tender enough, those bones should pull right out and leave you with a slab of real, boneless rib meat.

Use a Heath Riles BBQ Silicone Basting Brush to coat the boneless ribs with the Grand Champion sauce, making sure you get it into all those nooks and crannies.

Put the sauced ribs back onto the cooker just long enough for the sauce to set and tack up.

Build the Grand Champion McRib

Once the sauce has tacked up, bring the ribs inside and get ready to build the sandwiches. Place portions of the boneless rib meat onto fresh rolls, making sure you get plenty of real rib meat on each one.

Top the ribs with a few dill pickle chips and paper-thin slices of onion. You can add extra sauce if you want it, but there’s already plenty of flavor on that rib meat.

Put the top of the roll on, and you’ve got a real McRib made with real meat and real BBQ.

The Results

This is what a real rib sandwich ought to be. The ribs are tender enough that the bones slide right out, but you’re still getting actual baby back rib meat piled onto that fresh roll.

The finishing sauce brings everything together. The combination of Heath Riles BBQ Sweet BBQ Sauce, Competition BBQ Sauce, and Apple Habanero Glaze gives the ribs plenty of BBQ flavor before that sauce gets tacked up on the cooker.

Then you get the freshness of the bread, those paper-thin onions, and a little acidity from the dill pickles. Everything comes together in one bite. This one is killer, and it would be a heck of a sandwich to serve at your next game day.

Perfect Pairings

This Grand Champion McRib is already a big sandwich, so I’d keep the sides classic. Any of these recipes would fit right into a game day or backyard BBQ spread.

• Easy Classic Coleslaw. A cool, crunchy coleslaw is a great contrast to the rich, saucy rib meat.
• Southern-Style BBQ Baked Beans. You can’t go wrong with baked beans alongside a BBQ sandwich, especially when you’re feeding a crowd.
• Classic Southern Potato Salad. Keep the plate traditional with creamy Southern-style potato salad alongside your McRib.
• Crispy Weber Kettle Potato Wedges. If you want something hot and crispy, potato wedges are hard to beat with a big BBQ sandwich.

Storing Leftovers

If you have leftover rib meat, let it cool before transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Keep the rib meat separate from the rolls, onions, and pickles so you can build a fresh sandwich when you’re ready for another one.

When reheating, warm the rib meat until heated through. If it needs a little extra moisture, add some of your leftover sauce before serving. Then pile it onto a fresh roll and add your onion and pickles.

Tips for the Best Grand Champion McRib

• Start with meaty ribs. You want plenty of meat left after the bones come out, so a good, meaty rack of baby backs works great for this sandwich.
• Trim the hard fat. Before seasoning, remove any hard pieces of fat you don’t want on the finished ribs.
• Let the rub set. Give the ribs plenty of time unwrapped before moving on to the wrapping stage. When you can touch the surface without wiping the rub away, you know it has had time to set.
• Cook these ribs past a traditional rib bite. For this recipe, fall-off-the-bone tenderness is exactly what we want. The ribs need to get tender enough that you can pull the bones cleanly from the meat.
• Let the ribs cool down before deboning. Giving them some time to steam off makes the slabs easier to handle when you start removing the bones.
• Let the sauce tack up. After brushing the boneless ribs with the sauce mixture, put them back on the cooker. Giving that sauce time to set makes a difference in the finished sandwich.
• Slice the onion thin. Paper-thin onion gives you that fresh bite without overpowering the rib meat and sauce.

Final Thoughts

This Grand Champion McRib takes a little more work than picking up a rib sandwich at the drive-thru, but you’re getting the real deal.

We started with two meaty racks of baby back ribs, layered them with Garlic Jalapeño Rub and Competition BBQ Rub, and smoked them over Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets. Then we wrapped them with Butter Bath & Wrap until they were tender enough to pull every bone out.

From there, we hit the boneless ribs with our Grand Champion sauce, let it tack up on the cooker, and piled that real rib meat onto fresh rolls with thin-sliced onion and dill pickles.

If you’re looking for something different to cook for game day, give this one a shot. It’s tender, saucy, loaded with real rib meat, and guaranteed to get some attention when you set it down on the table.

Equipment & Tools

Recteq Flagship 1600, Royal Oak Hickory Blended Charcoal Pellets, Heath Riles BBQ Mixing Shaker Bottle, Heath Riles BBQ Signature Knife, Aluminum Foil, Heath Riles BBQ Silicone Basting Brush