BBQ Ribs

No Manches Don Juan Mexican BBQ Ribs

Smoky. Sticky. Tender. Mexican Soul Meets Texas BBQ.

These aren't ribs you eat politely.

Our No Manches Don Juan Mexican BBQ Ribs start with meaty pork ribs seasoned with garlic, chile, cumin, smoked paprika and Mexican oregano. They're cooked low and slow until tender, then layered with No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ Sauce and finished over higher heat to create the dark, sticky, caramelized glaze you see in the photo.

The result is smoky pork, a little Mexican-inspired heat, a beautiful BBQ bark and plenty of sauce.

Grab the napkins.

You're going to need them.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 4–6 hours
Rest Time: 10–15 minutes
Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

For the Ribs

• 2 racks pork ribs, baby back or St. Louis-style

• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, as a binder

• 2 tablespoons apple juice, for spritzing as needed

For the Mexican-Texas BBQ Rub

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional for extra heat

For the No Manches BBQ Glaze

• 1 cup No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ Sauce

• 2 tablespoons raw honey

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• 1 teaspoon chipotle adobo sauce, optional

For Serving

• Extra No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ Sauce

• Creamy coleslaw

• Pickled jalapeños

• Pickled red onions

• Fresh lime wedges

How to Make No Manches Mexican BBQ Ribs

1. Prep the Ribs

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and pat them dry.

If the membrane is still attached to the bone side, loosen one corner with a butter knife, grab it with a paper towel and pull it away.

Trim away any loose pieces of meat or excess fat.

Spread a thin coating of yellow mustard over both sides of the ribs.

Don't worry—the finished ribs won't taste like mustard. It simply helps our Mexican-Texas rub stick to the meat.

2. Season Them No Manches Style

Combine the brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, chipotle powder and optional cayenne.

Coat both sides of the ribs generously.

Press the seasoning into the meat instead of rubbing it back and forth.

Let the seasoned ribs sit for about 20–30 minutes while you prepare your smoker.

The surface will begin to look slightly wet as the seasoning works into the meat.

That's exactly what we want.

3. Fire Up the Smoker

Preheat your smoker to approximately 250°F.

Hickory, oak, pecan or a combination works beautifully with these ribs.

Place the ribs on the smoker bone-side down, close the lid and let the smoke do its work.

Cook until the outside develops a deep mahogany color and the seasoning has formed a good bark.

If the surface starts looking dry during the cook, lightly spritz with apple juice.

Don't soak them.

We're building bark, not washing it away.

4. Wrap for Tenderness

Once the ribs have developed the color and bark you want, lay each rack on butcher paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Add a small splash of apple juice.

Wrap tightly and return the ribs to the smoker.

Continue cooking until the meat is tender and has pulled back slightly from the ends of the bones.

We're looking for ribs that are tender but still have enough structure to stay on the bone.

5. Make the No Manches BBQ Glaze

While the ribs finish cooking, combine:

1 cup No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon melted butter

For a smoky kick, add a teaspoon of chipotle adobo sauce.

Mix until smooth.

The honey helps create that beautiful sticky finish, while the lime cuts through some of the richness of the pork.

6. Sauce & Caramelize

Carefully unwrap the ribs and return them to the smoker or grill.

Brush a generous layer of No Manches BBQ glaze across the meat side.

Let it set.

Brush on another thin layer.

This is how we build that dark, glossy BBQ finish from your photograph without drowning the ribs in sauce all at once.

For the final few minutes, you can move the ribs over slightly higher heat to help caramelize the glaze.

Watch them closely.

We want sticky and charred around the edges—not burned.

7. Rest, Slice & Serve

Remove the ribs from the heat and let them rest for 10–15 minutes.

Turn each rack bone-side up so you can clearly see where to cut.

Slice between the bones with a sharp knife.

Then flip them back over and brush with one final light layer of No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ Sauce.

Now bring them to the table.

🔥 Don Juan's Rib Tips

Don't rush the ribs. Low and slow gives the fat and connective tissue time to break down.

Build your sauce in layers. Several thin coats will give you a better sticky glaze than dumping on one heavy coat.

Add the BBQ sauce toward the end of cooking. Sauce contains sugar, and sugar can burn during a long smoke.

Don't rely only on time. Every rack is different.

One good test is to pick up the rack carefully with tongs. It should bend easily and the surface should begin to crack slightly without the entire rack falling apart.

And give them those 10–15 minutes to rest before slicing.

You've already waited hours.

Don't lose patience now.

What to Serve With Mexican BBQ Ribs

Your photograph already gives us one of the best choices: creamy coleslaw.

I'd build the rest of the meal around the Mexican-Texas BBQ theme:

• Creamy coleslaw

• Mexican street corn

• Charro beans

• Jalapeño mac & cheese

• Grilled corn

• Mexican rice

• Pickled red onions

• Pickled jalapeños

• Warm tortillas

• Fresh lime wedges

Turn Up the Heat

Want hotter ribs?

Increase the chipotle powder in the rub and add chipotle adobo to the BBQ glaze.

For another layer of heat, serve them with grilled jalapeños or serrano peppers.

Want them sweeter instead?

Use No Manches Don Juan Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce for the finishing glaze. The honey-forward sweet-and-tangy profile would work especially well on pork ribs.

Bring on the Sauce

No Manches Don Juan Original BBQ

These ribs bring together exactly what No Manches Don Juan Mexican Barbecue is about:

Smoke. Fire. Mexican-inspired spice. Texas BBQ roots. And a whole lot of sauce.

Season them.

Smoke them.

Glaze them.

Caramelize them.

Then put the bottle on the table and let everybody decide how messy they want to get.

NO MANCHES DON JUAN

MEXICAN BARBECUE

Texas Roots. Mexican Soul.