Food and Recipes Quick and Easy Dinner 15 Delicious Recipes For Barbecue Ribs From sweet to smokey, there is a rib recipe for everyone. By Southern Living Editors Updated on November 30, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Give your favorite barbecue joint some competition with these baby back and spareribs recipes. Whether you prepare ribs the night before, use a dry rub, or bake them in the oven or a smoker, ribs are a classic summertime food. Don't let the seasons determine when or how you enjoy these mouthwatering meats. After choosing between beef or pork rubs, the various cuts can be grilled, smoked, roasted, baked, or fried. Some ribs, such as St. Louis-style ribs, get their name based on their origin, while animal parts give the name for others. There are several ways to prepare and enjoy these barbecue staples. Here are 15 deliciously mouthwatering ways to enjoy barbecue ribs. 01 of 15 Honey-Soy Appetizer Ribs Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen The ultimate finger food, spareribs can serve equally well as an appetizer as a main dish. A tangy glaze coats these ribs giving them an upscale flavor, made from honey, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Since these ribs are chilled overnight, you will need to cook them a little longer. 02 of 15 Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs PHOTOGRAPHER: JEN CAUSEY, PROP STYLIST: CLAIRE SPOLLEN, FOOD STYLIST: MARGRET MONROE DICKEY Slow, steady preparation makes these ribs moist and delectable. This recipe calls for wrapping the ribs in aluminum foil to help lock in the moisture, followed by covering the meat with barbecue sauce to carmelize the ribs. You can adjust the oven temperature for shorter cooking times depending on your time availability. 03 of 15 Smoked Beef Ribs with Texas BBQ Sauce Doug Scheiding These ribs use a no-frills rub with only four ingredients: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and thyme. This pantry-staples recipe allows the smoke and fire to add most of the flavoring. Finish the ribs with a tomato-based condiment for the perfect sauce pairing. 04 of 15 Easy BBQ Ribs Hector Sanchez The secret to this easy rib recipe is the homemade rib rub and barbecue sauce. With only 30 minutes of hands-on time, these ribs are savory, tender, and slow-cooked to perfection. The Fancy Barbeque Sauce only takes five ingredients, mostly pantry staples. 05 of 15 Baby Back Ribs With Coffee-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox Choose your favorite way to prepare ribs and pair it with this mouthwatering marinade and sauce. Bourbon and coffee are a classic flavor pairing, each ingredient helping to enhance the flavor of the other. Save the extra coffee marinade as a condiment for all your favorite foods. 06 of 15 Louis Ribs With Coffee Rub Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox These succulent ribs, cooked low and slow, are made with a secret ingredient—coffee granules. Whether you cook these St. Louis ribs in the oven, grill, or broiler, the earthy-sweet flavor will delight your taste buds. Ask a butcher to help trim these ribs so they are square and uniform, allowing them to cook evenly. 07 of 15 Deep South Barbecue Ribs Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Combine tomatoes, light brown sugar, vinegar, and yellow mustard for this sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Oven-roasting these ribs help tenderize the meat, which will impress your friends and family. The Melting Pot BBQ Sauce creates about a quart, so you can have some leftover or enjoy it all with these ribs. 08 of 15 Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Bourbon BBQ Sauce Southern Living With one coat of barbecue sauce, these ribs caramelize in the oven with hints of bourbon flavoring. Combining brown sugar, bourbon, and cayenne pepper is a classic mixture for these baby back ribs. The best part of this recipe is it only takes 30 minutes of hands-on cooking time. 09 of 15 Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox A Memphis-style dry rub gives the meat just as much flavoring without the messy sauce. The recipe creates a delicious crust around the meat, making the ribs savory and tender. For more seasoning, a vinegar wash at the end of the cooking process clears the way for an extra sprinkling of dry rub. 10 of 15 Instant Pot Country-Style Ribs Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Using an Instant Pot gives you country-style ribs without needing a time-consuming technique like smoking or grilling. Save even more time by adding a dry spice marinade to the ribs the night before you plan to cook. Since you are saving time cooking, consider making a homemade barbecue sauce. 11 of 15 Sticky-Sweet Korean Barbecue Ribs Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and sesame oil give these ribs the classic Korean bulgogi flavoring. The thinly sliced, marinated beef, or bulgogi, pairs well with vegetables or rice to build a complete meal. This combination creates a fall-off-the-bone meat. 12 of 15 Slow-Cooker Short Ribs with Pork Rind Gremolata Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Enjoy this classic short ribs recipe that does not require too much attention. While the total cook time is about seven hours, there is only about half an hour of hands-on time. Orange zest and ginger give these ribs a unique flavoring that pairs well with the rest of the meal. 13 of 15 Spicy-Sweet Ribs and Beans Southern Living This recipe is ideal for people who enjoy the perfect combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Before adding these ribs to the slow cooker, use the broil for extra flavoring. Between the jalapeño jelly, hickory-flavored barbecue sauce, and green hot sauce, this recipe is full of flavor. 14 of 15 Slow-Cooker Ginger, Sweet Tea, and Whiskey Short Ribs Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox The secret to these bright and tangy short ribs is sweet tea. Topped with fresh herbs, like parsley, scallions, and lemon zest, these short ribs are easy-to-prepare and easier to enjoy. Serve the short ribs topped with whiskey sauce. 15 of 15 Rib Rub Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Perfecting a rib rub can take time, so we did the work for you. In under five minutes, this rib rub assembles and acts as the ideal topping for your favorite meats. Using pantry staples, this brown sugar, ginger, pepper, and additional seasoning combination will enhance any ribs. Keep the barbecue theme going with these delicious barbecue side dishes—because it's not just about the meat. 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