Inspired by the flavors of Fall, we started with Maple Pumpkin Butter as a base for our recipe. We used this flavor profile for the ribs and sides. The actual Maple Pumpkin Butter was the beginning of our BBQ sauce.

We started by trimming a full rack of spare ribs St. Louis style (check out the long form video on our YouTube channel for a tutorial on trimming ribs). We seasoned with salt, then allowed 30 minutes for the salt to penetrate. Pork ribs are not very thick and do not require a long time for the salt to reach the center. Next we added black pepper, to help build some bark, and rubbed the ribs with homemade pumpkin spice (remember, you don't actually rub, it's a pat).

We cooked these at 225F, with Maple wood, until they reached 165F, internal (about 4 hours). We wrapped in foil and continued cooking until they reached 195F, internal. You can cook them longer, but we stop at 195F because we are NOT looking for a fall off the bone texture. We served these with roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, seasoned with salt, pepper, apple spice (recipe below), rosemary, thyme, and sage.

Pumpkin Spice (all ingredients should be ground)
Cinnamon 3 tsp
Ginger 2 tsp Nutmeg 2 tsp
Allspice 1 1/2 tsp
Cloves 1 1/2 tsp

Apple Spice (all ingredients should be ground)
Cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg 1 1/2 tsp
Allspice 1 tsp
Cardamom 1 tsp (optional)

Maple Bourbon Pumpkin BBQ Sauce
Ketchup 1 cup
Brown Sugar 1/2 cup
Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 cup
Maple Syrup 1/4 cup
Bourbon 3 tbsp
Salt 2 tsp
Pumpkin Spice 2 tsp (add more to taste)
Onion Powder 1 tsp
Garlic Powder 1 tsp
Ground Mustard 1 tsp
Pumpkin Puree 34 oz (not pupmkin pie filling!)
If you start with the Maple Pumkin Butter, like we did, use the entire jar and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, garlic, onion, and mustard.

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