Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine butter, lime zest, lime juice, & liquid smoke. It may not completely combine, but that’s okay. In a separate bowl, combine spice rub.

If you’re using spare ribs, I like to trim the ends for a cleaner cut of ribs (see video or blog post), but this is optional. For fall off the bone ribs, remove the membrane/silver skin on the back of the ribs using a butter knife (see video or blog post). Pat dry the ribs well, trim excess fat, then smother the ribs with the lime butter. Sprinkle the spice rub on both sides of the ribs, packing it into the meat, then transfer ribs to a foil-lined baking tray in a single layer, meat-side up.

Pour apple cider on the sides of ribs, cover well with foil, & bake on the middle rack for 2 ½ - 3 ½ hours for pork spare ribs, or 2 - 2 ½ hours for baby back ribs. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the ribs & how fall-off-the-bone tender you like your ribs, so check at the first time benchmark & adjust as needed (more tips in notes)!

Meanwhile, make the gochujang bbq sauce! In a mixing bowl, combine gochujang, ketchup, water, rice vinegar, honey, brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, gochugaru, & sesame oil until brown sugar has dissolved, then set aside. Heat a small saucepan on medium-low heat with about a tablespoon of oil.

Saute garlic & ginger for a few seconds, until soft & fragrant, then whisk in gochujang sauce. Increase heat to medium, then once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low & simmer for about 20 minutes, or until it’s a thickened bbq sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. If it thickens too much / becomes too salty, add a splash of water. Remove & cover to keep warm - the flavors will continue to develop as it sits.

Remove ribs from the oven, uncover, & generously brush with the gochujang bbq sauce.

Broil (or bake at 500 degrees f) on the top rack until caramelized. Keep a close eye because every oven works differently & the sugars in the bbq sauce easily burn.

Remove from oven, if you like sticky ribs, brush with BBQ sauce & broil again (optional). Remove from oven, wait about 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra bbq sauce if desired & enjoy!