Cherry Cola Ribs

4.8
(11)
10 Reviews
3 Photos

I've come to find out that cherry cola makes an incredibly delicious rack of ribs, which strangely enough, don't really taste like either cherry or cola, but taste very similar to your All-American Midwest-style barbecue.

By
John Mitzewich
Chef John
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques.
Allrecipes' editorial guidelines
Updated on April 30, 2024
3
perfectly glazed rack of ribs on cutting board with knife and meat fork
3
3
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
4 hrs
Rest Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
4 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
12
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings

Dry Rub:

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Wet Rub:

  • 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons cherry cola

Ribs and Sauce:

  • 1 (3 pound) rack baby back ribs, membrane removed

  • 1 1/2 cups cherry cola

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • salt to taste

Directions

  1. For dry rub, whisk salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper together in a small bowl; set aside.

  2. For wet rub, whisk mustard, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cherry cola together in a small bowl; set aside.

  3. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120  degrees C). Line a sheet pan with a piece of foil long enough to extend past the rack of ribs by at least 6 inches on both ends. Use large size, heavy-duty foil if possible. Place the ribs, meat side up, on the foil.

  4. Brush wet rub over top and sides, and sprinkle about 60% of dry rub over the surface. Turn ribs over and, with the bone side up, brush with wet rub, then sprinkle with all the remaining dry rub. Reserve any wet rub left at this point.

  5. Center the ribs lengthwise on the foil, and bring up the ends of the foil, like a boat, and crimp so any juices will stay inside. Crimp the two long edges together over the top of the ribs. The foil doesn’t have to be airtight, but the whole rack should be covered.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours. Remove, open the foil, and pour off juices that have accumulated in the foil into a saucepan.

  7. Turn the rack meat side up, and brush with wet rub. Enclose again in the foil, and continue to roast at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour.

  8. While meat is cooking, add any remaining wet rub to the juices in the saucepan, then add the 1 1/2 cups cherry cola, ketchup, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

  9. Bring to a simmer on medium high, cook until liquid is reduced by half. Reduce heat further, and simmer liquids very slowly until they eventually thicken and become sauce-like. Once it is the thickness of barbecue sauce, remove from heat entirely.

  10. After one hour at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), remove ribs from the oven, and open out the foil, pressing foil flat to line the pan.

  11. Turn the oven temperature up to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

  12. Brush ribs with sauce. Return ribs to the oven for 15 minutes. Repeat this process, brushing ribs with sauce every 15 minutes, until ribs are tender and come easily off the bone, about 1 hour more. (See Note)

  13. Let ribs rest for about 10 minutes. Slice between each rib with a sharp knife, and serve with extra sauce.

    perfectly glazed rack of ribs on cutting board with knife and meat fork

    Chef John

    Chef's Notes

    Here’s a trick for telling whether your ribs are done that I learned from an old pitmaster. During one of the bastings near the end of the cooking time, place a pair of tongs under the full length of the center rib, and gently lift the rack off the baking sheet. If the ends of the rack droop, the ribs are nearly done. If the rack remains stiff, the ribs need more cooking time, and if the rack breaks in the center and falls apart, they are overcooked.

    The video shows an easy way to remove the membrane from the bone side of a rack of ribs, an optional step I rarely take, but I did for this recipe.

    Feel free to try other flavors of soda with this recipe, like root beer or ginger ale.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

105 Calories
6g Fat
7g Carbs
6g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 105
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 483mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 6g 13%
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 18mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 97mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.