Three baby back ribs on a grill with a jar of fiery peach bbq sauce.

Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce for Baby Back Ribs

This Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce hits all of the flavors so well – the perfect amount of spice and sweetness. Grab a rack of baby back ribs and let’s grill!

Three baby back ribs on a grill with a jar of fiery peach bbq sauce.
Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce for Baby Back Ribs

This Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce hits all of the flavors so well – the perfect amount of spice and sweet. Grab a rack of baby back ribs and let’s grill!

A collage of four photos depicting the stages in creating this recipe.

Baby Back Ribs

For weeks, my little girl has been begging me to do ribs. If she happens to be with me at the market, I can count on her to tug on my elbows at the butcher counter: Mama, can we grill some ribs? Well, with a weekend with no plans but to relax at home (at last!), we finally had the time to coax several racks of baby back ribs into slabs of finger-licking goodness.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. With Father’s Day, the start of summer, and Fourth of July cookouts on the horizon, I wanted to tackle a new barbecue sauce that would get everyone’s taste buds salivating.

How does this look to you?

A jar of spicy peach bbq sauce with a basting brush are in the foreground. In the background are two fresh peaches.

Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce

Don’t be confused. I know when my husband first glanced at my busy work in the kitchen, the sight of peach slices and the pungent smell of barbecue sauce bubbling on the stove resulted in some head-scratching. But I was happily tasting away, chirping, You’re gonna LOVE this! It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s going to be amazing on those ribs!

For brewing in my saucepan was a Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce that would perfectly set off the brown sugar-rubbed ribs he was mopping on the grill.

Two photos showing the jar of spicy peach bbq sauce and sliced peaches.

Magical Potions

There’s something about making barbeque sauce that makes you feel like a witch tending a cauldron. A pinch of this, a dash of that, a hint of sweet, a wallop of spice – there are countless ways to persuade a sauce into tasting magical.

I took copious notes this time with my ingredients so that I could be sure to recreate the magic. How the peaches entered into the spell was serendipitous; I was looking for a way to add more sweetness and thickness to the sauce when a glance at the ripening peaches on my counter made me realize – aha! It would perfectly balance the fiery heat.

A basting brush full of homemade glaze.

Early Dinner

When the ribs were ready to be coated in the Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce, the sight of them caramelizing on the grill was almost too much to bear. Let’s just say it was hard to resist the temptation – we succumbed to an early dinner that afternoon.

Three racks of baby back ribs on the grill with a jar of fiery peach bbq sauce.

The ribs were perfect – tender, slipping off the bone, with the sticky glaze of zesty sauce oozing in every bite. There was only one problem: we ran out of sauce. I guess next time, I’ll have to pull out a bigger cauldron.

Three freshly cooked baby back ribs on the grill.

More BBQ Flavors

Rhubarb-Wine BBQ Sauce
Baby Back Ribs with Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Blackberry Ribs
Gochujang BBQ Sauce from Grill Girl

Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce for Baby Back Ribs

This Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce hits all of the flavors so well – the perfect amount of spice and sweetness. Grab a rack of baby back ribs and let's grill!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 4 cups of sauce
Calories 581kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 racks of baby back ribs

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup finely diced red onion
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup orange juice with pulp
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups peaches peeled and sliced (frozen peach slices work well, too)

For the Mop

  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/8 cup Worcestershire Sauce
  • 6 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/4 cup oil

Instructions

Make the Sauce:

  • In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add red onion and cook until translucent, stirring periodically. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes more.
  • Add water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange juice, sugar, Sriracha sauce and salt, and stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
  • Add peaches to the sauce and let it cook down until soft. Transfer sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Pass the sauce through a sieve and return to the stove to simmer for about 5-10 minutes more, or until nicely thickened.

Make the Mop:

  • Combine ingredients and use to baste ribs periodically.

Make the Ribs:

  • The methods for grilling pork ribs vary, and we’ve tried almost all of them. This includes:
  • 1. Parboiling the ribs prior to grilling
  • 2. Grilling the ribs with sauce in a packet of aluminum foil, then allowing the ribs to caramelize on the grill towards the end.
  • 3. Using a dry rub
  • 4. Smoking the ribs low and slow for 5-6 hours
  • 5. Grilling the ribs on low heat for about 1 1/2 hours
  • 6. Basting the ribs grills periodically with a mop
  • In this case, we decided to use a dry rub. I actually like Tyler Florence’s brown sugar rub, and it worked very well with this Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce. You can find the packaged rub, at your local grocer.
  • We grilled the ribs coated with olive oil and the brown sugar rub on very low heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, rotating and mopping it every half hour (see Mop Recipe above).
  • When the rib meat was very tender and the rack slack to the touch, the sauce was brushed on.
  • Be very careful with flareups from the sugar content in the barbecue sauce, move the ribs to the outskirts of the grill if necessary.
  • Serve the ribs with a generous drizzle of sauce.

Notes

Fiery Peach BBQ Sauce adapted from Barbecue Sauces, Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, 1975 Ed.

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1230mg | Potassium: 745mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 662IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see! Tag @kitchconfidante on Instagram and hashtag it #kitchenconfidante

Comments

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Stu

    Hi Liren. First thx for your quick response & help last week in resolving the link issue to this recipe. I made it last wknd to go with a pork loin & it was fabulous. I had a couple of guests who are a little timid when it comes to sriracha & the heat from chilies so I cut the sriracha back to to 3 tbsp rather than 4. Everyone loved it… even those sriracha-haters. Can’t wait to make my next batch… full strength next time!! Next up? Your Rhubarb-Wine BBQ Sauce. Thx again.

    Reply
  2. Brian

    Those are so mouthwatering, that pic is driving me crazy and hungry…lol. Looks great cant wait to try it, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. kita

    I have to ask, Im not a huge fan of fruit – and peach might as well be from Mars because that’s how alien it is to me. Is this sauce an overly fruity sauce or will someone like me, who is learning to like fruit enjoy it? I love the idea of mixing fruits into things and am learning to like them a little at a time! These ribs look amazing.

    Reply
    • Liren

      Hi Kita! The peach flavor is not at all overwhelmingly fruity. It adds a great caramelization to the ribs, but the underlying flavor is definitely spicy. I think this is perfect for you to try. My hubby is not the biggest fan of “sweet” meat, so when he gave this a thumbs up, I was glad. I hope you try it, let me know!

      Reply
  4. merry jennifer

    When you mentioned the sauce last weekend, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. It looks like a great sauce – and my, those ribs look incredible. Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
  5. Stephanie

    I’m a huge fan of the sweet/tangy/spicy combo in BBQ sauce, so this just sounds delicious to me! I can’t wait to try it the next time we’re grilling up some chicken or ribs!

    Reply
  6. Carolyn

    I love ribs. Love them! And usually I like a dry rub on them, but this fiery peach BBQ sauce truly sounds amazing. I am saving!

    Reply
    • Liren

      Hi Carolyn! You will love these ribs for sure, because it is made with a dry rub and finished off with this peach bbq sauce. It’s amazing :)

      Reply
  7. Chef Dennis

    my loves ribs, and I have to admit I’m not the best at cooking them, but your recipe and instructions have given me hope! I’m going to give it one more try with your recipe!
    Thanks so much for the inspiration!
    Dennis

    Reply
    • Liren

      Hi Chef Dennis, I know, ribs are so tricky and requires so much patience. I can’t tell you how many times we have tried to rush the process in the past. Hope you do try this, and hope you like it!

      Reply
  8. Barbara | Creative Culinary

    This would be called prophetic. I had just mentioned to someone that I wanted to try peaches in a barbecue sauce and the next day; you provide all the impetus I need to do just that. Ribs are in the freezer but they and the sauce will be on the grill this weekend…thanks!

    Reply
  9. Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet }

    Okay – this has to be one of my favorite recipes that you have come up with! Love, love, love it! The photos are beautiful. This sauce just screams SUMMER! On my my list of must makes! I bet everyone loved them. Have a great rest of the week.

    Reply
  10. Jean

    I love fruit-infused barbecue sauces but for sure, I’ve never had one with peaches–very fresh (and I’m sure, tasty) idea. I’m going to have to save your recipe for I’ve been craving ribs, too. This all looks so good!

    Reply
    • Liren

      Thanks, Gina! Twas fun to try something different with the photos :)

      Reply
  11. Vanille

    I will have to try this peach bbq sauce when Summer will be back on our side of the world…
    The pork ribs and the sauce look truly delectable !

    Reply
    • Liren

      I forget that while the temperatures are rising here, you’re in the depth of your winter! Yes, do keep this in mind for when summer returns!

      Reply
Kitchen Confidante®
3.8k