🍖 BBQ ribs
BBQ ribs are racks of ribs rubbed with spices and sugar, cooked low and slow over wood smoke until the meat pulls cleanly from the bone, then glazed with a sticky, sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. The outside turns dark and caramelised, the inside stays juicy and smoky. They are eaten with your hands, usually with coleslaw, corn or beans on the side.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 racks of ribs, about 2 kg
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- 200 ml tomato ketchup
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar and 2 tbsp honey
- A pinch of cayenne
Method
- Pull the thin membrane off the back of each rack and pat the ribs dry.
- Mix the sugar, paprika, garlic and onion powder, chilli, salt and pepper and rub it all over the ribs. Leave for at least 1 hour.
- Smoke or bake the ribs at 120 °C for about 4 hours, until the meat has shrunk back from the bone ends and is very tender.
- Meanwhile simmer the ketchup, vinegar, honey and cayenne for 10 minutes into a thick sauce.
- Brush the ribs with sauce and cook for 20–30 minutes more, brushing once or twice, until sticky and glazed.
- Rest for 10 minutes, cut between the bones and serve with the remaining sauce.
How to make it lighter
- Go light on the glaze and serve extra sauce on the side — every tablespoon adds sugar.
- Pair the ribs with a vinegar slaw or grilled vegetables instead of fries and cornbread.
- Count the ribs: half a rack is a generous portion, and the bones make up a good part of the weight.
History
Slow-cooking meat over wood smoke is the backbone of barbecue in the American South, where regional styles grew up in places such as Memphis, Kansas City and the Carolinas. Ribs are a centrepiece of that tradition, served dry-rubbed in some cities and heavily sauced in others. Today they are a staple of barbecue joints and backyard cookouts across the United States.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →