Baby Back Rib Cheeseburger Sliders

You’ve grilled up some ribs. Now what to do with them? This year I wanted to change things up a little bit and top them on some sliders. Since everyone always grills burgers for their fourth of July cookouts, why not combine the two?

I’ve make a baby back rib slider with a red cabbage slaw that is out of this world. It’s got a beautiful barbecue flavor, with a little crunch from the slaw. It’s a crowd pleaser without a doubt!

Baby back ribs are one of my favorite cuts of rib, they’ve got the perfect amount of meat on them and just enough fat to render down and make them full of flavor and such a treat to serve at cookouts.

During the summer I must do ribs at least once. Growing up ribs were such a treat to have at a local barbecue joint, and its something I’ve always loved eating! I mean, who doesn’t love a good rib though?

My go to brand for barbecue over the last few years has been Stubb’s I love their assortment of different flavor sauces and their rubs make life so easy! I can’t believe I’ve only been aware for them in the last 5 years, since this year marks their 50^th anniversary!

I’m huge on low and slow cooking, and for thisrecipe, my ribs are cooked at around 225F on a wood pellet grill. This is where I like to experiment with different types of wood to get different flavor profiles.

For the rub I went with Stubb’s Pork Spice Rub, that has a nice tang to it from the lime juice, and a little heat on the end, which makes for a great rib!

This time around I cooked it with a 50/50 blend of applewood and hickory to get a beautifully flavored smoke going on these ribs! Then I finished it off with Stubb’s Sweet Honey & Spice.

If you want to have your ribs prepared a few hours ahead of time, wrap them in foil, and place them in a cooler, and they’ll keep temperature for a few hours. This will allow you to grill burgers and entertain with ease as well!

If you’re looking for a side to serve along with these baby back rib sliders, I highly recommend checking out Stubb’s BBQ Macaroni Salad!

Baby Back Rib Cheeseburger Sliders

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 12 sliders

Print Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE RIBS:

• 2 racks baby back ribs
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 2 oz Stubb's Pork Spice Rub
• 1 cup Stubb's Sweet Honey & Spice Bar-B-Q Sauce

FOR THE SLAW

• 2 cups chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard coarse ground

FOR THE SLIDERS

• 1 lbs 80/20 ground beef
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 package 12 count slider-sized hamburger buns
• 6 slices cheddar cheese

Instructions

FOR THE RIBS

• Preheat your grill/smoker to 225. Turn your ribs over meat side down. Slide your finger under the membrane that covers the bone. Using a paper towel to get leverage, pull the membrane off the bone.
• Rub a light coating of yellow mustard over each side of your ribs; liberally coat each side with Stubb’s Pork Spice rub and pat down to bind your rub to the meat.
• Place on your grill/smoker and let cook for about 4-6 hours, until your internal temperature is around 195-200F.
• Wrap in tinfoil and place in a cooler until ready to serve.

FOR THE SLAW

• Coarsely chop red cabbage and carrots, placing in a bowl. Combine ranch, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

FOR THE SLIDERS

• In a bowl, combine ground beef with salt, pepper and ketchup. Form into 12 small palm sized patties.
• Grill for about 4 minutes, flip then add cheese. Continue grilling until cheese has melted and internal temperature is around 150F for medium doneness.
• Pull apart ribs into bite side pieces. You can use a knife if needed to speed up the process. Toss ribs into Stubb’s Sweet Honey & Spice Bar-B-Q Sauce
• Assemble sliders with a little of your red cabbage slaw, add the burger, and top with pulled rib meat, and a little more sauce. Enjoy!