Fall-Apart Smoked Rib Sandwiches with Kansas City BBQ Glaze
This is what happens when backyard barbecue meets sandwich perfection. Inspired by a certain fast food cult favorite, these fall-apart smoked rib sandwiches take everything you love about that mystery-meat classic and do it the right way—with real ribs, real smoke, and flavor you can actually trust. We season the ribs with Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub, smoke them over cherry wood, then wrap them in a buttery braise until the bones slide right out. Topped with sweet onions, dill pickles, and a generous slather of housemade Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, this is everything that sandwich wishes it could be—and you’ll know exactly what’s in every bite.
Smoked McRib-Style Sandwiches with Fall-Apart Baby Back Ribs and Kansas City BBQ Glaze
Glenn Connaughton
6
25 minutes
5 1/2
710
American
Main Dish
This sandwich is our nod to the cult-favorite fast food rib sandwich—but this one’s made with real ribs, real smoke, and ingredients you can stand behind. We season baby back ribs with Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub, smoke them low and slow over cherry wood, then braise them in a buttery, sweet apple cider mixture until they fall apart. After a final double-glaze with our housemade Kansas City-style BBQ Sauce, we remove the bones, portion the meat, and pile it onto soft sub rolls with sliced onions and dill pickles. It’s nostalgic, messy, and unmistakably better—because you know exactly what’s in it.
Ingredients
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- 2 racks baby back ribs (about 2.5 pounds each)
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 3 tablespoons Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub
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- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into pads
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup apple juice
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
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2/3 cup Revolution Barbecue Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce (see recipe at Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce)
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- 6 soft sub rolls or hoagie buns
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 18 dill pickle slices (3 per sandwich)
- Additional Revolution Barbecue Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce, for topping
Directions
- Prepare the Ribs: Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs. Lightly coat both sides with yellow mustard, then season evenly with Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub. Let the ribs rest at room temperature while the smoker preheats.
- Smoke the Ribs (Stage 1): Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit using cherry wood. Place the ribs bone side down on the grates and smoke uncovered for 2 hours.
- Make the BBQ Sauce: While the ribs are smoking, prepare the Revolution Barbecue Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce. Follow the full recipe posted at Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce, then set the sauce aside to cool until ready to glaze.
- Wrap the Ribs: On two large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, evenly divide the butter pads, brown sugar, apple juice, and apple cider vinegar. Place each rack of ribs meat side down on the foil over the mixture, then wrap tightly to seal.
- Smoke the Ribs (Stage 2): Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker and continue cooking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 more hours, until the ribs are extremely tender.
- Glaze and Finish: Remove the ribs from the foil and place them back on the smoker grates. Brush each rack generously with one-third cup of Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce. Let them cook uncovered for 15 minutes, then brush with the remaining sauce and smoke for another 15 minutes to set the glaze.
- Debone and Portion the Ribs: Once glazed and finished on the smoker, carefully transfer the ribs to a cutting board, meat side up. Use tongs or your fingers to gently slide the rib bones out of the meat—they should come out clean and easily. Be sure to remove any small bone fragments. Cut each rack into quarters—one long cut lengthwise and one widthwise—to create sandwich-sized portions.
- Assemble the Sandwiches: Place a portion of smoked rib meat onto the bottom half of each sandwich roll. Top with sliced sweet onions, dill pickle slices, and additional Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce as desired. Add the top bun and serve immediately.
