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overhead shot of rack of bbq grilled ribbs and cut ribs on a platter with bbq brush
4.59 from 724 votes

Fall-Off-The-Bone Dry Rub Ribs

These baby back ribs are seasoned with an easy homemade dry rub and baked in the oven till they are tender and fall off the bone. These dry rubbed ribs are slathered in BBQ sauce and finished on the grill for juicy, tender fall-off-the-bone ribs! Keep this homemade rib dry rub in your pantry at all times.
Prep: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Cook: 2 hours 40 minutes
Total: 4 hours 55 minutes
2 racks

Ingredients

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Instructions

  • See note #1 on removing membrane from baby back ribs. This step is important! If you do not remove the membrane you will end up with tough chewy ribs.
  • In a bowl, add all of the spices. Mix with a spoon until combined. Use the back of the spoon to press out any large clumps.
  • Tear two sheets of aluminum foil, long enough to pass the sides of each rack of ribs. Place one rack, curved side down (the side that you removed the membrane will be facing down), per foil. Using a brush, spread 1 tbsp of yellow mustard on each rack. Sprinkle a 1/4 of the dry rub on the rack and using your fingers, spread. Flip the racks over and repeat mustard and dry rubbing.
  • Once the ribs have been rubbed, carefully wrap the aluminum foil closed. I add an extra sheet of foil around the center, to ensure the ribs are fully sealed. [See note #3]. Place them curved side down, so that the side you removed the membrane, is facing down.
  • Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 275℉. Remove ribs from refrigerator, place on baking sheet curved side down(the side you removed the membrane, is facing down) and bake for 2 1/2 hours. If you see liquid start coming out onto the baking pan, carefully wrap with more foil.
  • Preheat grill to 350℉. After the ribs have baked low and slow in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, remove from the oven. Carefully open the foil. Using a meat thermometer, take the temperature in between the bones. Pork is technically done at 145℉, but if you want fall-off-the-bone ribs the temperature shoud be at 190°F-200°F.
  • Using your favorite BBQ sauce, brush the top of the ribs with the sauce. Since the ribs will be so tender, they may fall apart transferring to the grill. Use two sets of tongs (one on each side) to help them stay together when flipping. Place the ribs sauced side down, onto the grill. While that side chars, brush BBQ sauce on the side facing up. Grill for about 5 minutes per side, until ribs get charred grill marks. Remove from grill.
  • To slice, place the ribs curved side up, so you can see the bones. Slice in between bones and serve with additional BBQ sauce.

Notes

Removing the membrane

  • Butcher: Ask a butcher to remove the membrane when buying the ribs.
  • Doing it yourself: Place the ribs so the curve back is facing up. Using a sharp knife, on one end of the rack, slice under the membrane but above the bone. Using your fingers, pinch and pull so the membrane begins to lift. Because the membrane can be slippery, use a paper towel to grip the membrane and peel back to remove, discard. The membrane doesn’t always come off at once and some areas may be more stubborn to get off. 

Sides of the baby back ribs

  • In this recipe I refer a lot to the "curved side", this is the bone side which is also the side where you are removing the membrane from.

Dry rub

  • This dry rub recipe makes enough for 2 racks of ribs. Double ingredients for 4 racks of ribs. If you have leftover rub, you can store in a sealed jar for later use.
  • Minimum time to marinate the ribs in the rub is 2 hours. You can also marinate them overnight in the fridge.

Foiling the ribs

  • Make sure there are no holes or tears in the foil. Any punctures or rips will let liquid out and you'll end up with dried out ribs.

BBQ Sauce

Don't have a grill?

  • After the ribs have baked in the oven and you have applied the BBQ sauce, you can broil them in the oven for a few minutes to get a crisp top. Keep an eye on them so they do not burn.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6ribs, Calories: 589kcal (29%)
© Author: Stephanie