The Neelys’ Sweet Cola Ribs

The Neelys prepare Sweet Cola Ribs with a dry rub and homemade barbecue sauce.

Get ready for the 4th with this delicious recipe for smoky, sweet ribs with cola barbecue sauce from the Neelys!

This Fourth of July, go out to your grill and do something beyond just burgers and hot dogs; set out a set of Sweet Cola Ribs that will really dazzle your guests. With this recipe, the Neelys show you how to make a delicious dry rub as well as a cola-infused sauce that pair perfectly with each other.

While the Neelys bring their cooked sauce right off the stove to apply to the ribs on the grill, you can prepare the sauce a few days in advance if you desire; in many ways, that allows the flavors to more evenly incorporate together. While there is something to be said for putting fresh-off-the-oven sauce over your ribs, it requires some attention to keep an eye on your simmering sauce, and you’d hate to ruin a delicious homemade sauce by letting it overcook.

For the ribs themselves, once you have prepped your rib by removing the membrane, removing excess fat, and applying the dry rub, you should let them sit, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least six hours to let the flavors of the rub to really sink down into the meat. Unlike steaks or burgers, don’t be afraid to flip and rotate your rack of ribs often; it is important for the whole rack to get cooked evenly.

With the sugars in the cola, as well as the brown sugar in both the dry rub and the sauce, you should see a nice crisp carmelization as you cook the Sweet Cola Ribs. Allow the ribs themselves to cook for at least an hour before applying sauce, this really seals and locks in the flavor of the rub and keeps the sauce from getting too dry or thick. My other pro tip is to go easy on the sauce; if you reserve plenty for people to put on to their taste, you’re more likely to please everyone. Remember: you can always add more sauce, but you can’t always remove sauce that has been cooked onto a rack of ribs!

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