Our Favorite Rib Recipes of All-Time

By Mary Shannon Wells

These rib recipes cover all areas of experience (from roasted in the oven to pitmaster) for all summer events (from casual cookout to date night at home). Whether you like spareribs, baby back ribs, dry-rubbed ribs or lick-your-fingers ribs, these are the best summer rib recipes. There are sweet, spicy and smoky flavors in these inventive rib recipes that barbecue-eaters from any Southern region will enjoy.

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Deep South Barbecue Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Deep South Barbecue Ribs 

You can make these oven-roasted ribs even if you’re not a pitmaster, and our Southern BBQ dry rub and Melting Pot Barbecue Sauce will satisfy guests from any Southern barbecue city.

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Slow-Cooker Ginger, Sweet Tea, and Whiskey Short Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Ginger, Sweet Tea, and Whiskey Short Ribs

This inventive recipe is a tangy take on short ribs. It just wouldn’t be a Southern summer recipe if sweet tea wasn't included, though.

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Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Memphis Dry-Rubbed Baby Back Ribs

These easy-to-make, dry-rubbed ribs mean less mess and more fun at your summer cookout.

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Smoked Cola-and-Coffee Beef Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Smoked Cola-and-Coffee Beef Ribs

The combination of a sweet cola sauce and a savory dry rub makes these ribs the perfect balance. This slaw would be a perfect companion.

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Sweet Chili-and-Mustard Baby Back Ribs

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Sweet Chili-and-Mustard Baby Back Ribs

These grilled baby back ribs are brushed with multiple doses of tangy sweet chili sauce that you won’t mind licking off your fingers.

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Sweet-and-Spicy Short Ribs with Egg Noodles

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Short Ribs with Egg Noodles

These fall-off-the-bone short ribs get their sweetness from brown sugar and their spiciness from chili powder, paprika and cayenne. The ingredient you least expect? Beer.

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The Ultimate Smoky, Sweet Ribs

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: The Ultimate Smoky, Sweet Ribs

Don’t let the name fool you — these ribs can be prepared with a charcoal or gas grill, not just a smoker. Our sweet and spicy barbecue sauce is the perfect match for our smoky dry rub. I guess you really can have it all.

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Beef Ribs with Sorghum Glaze

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Beef Ribs with Sorghum Glaze 

These ribs are made in the oven and prepped with a slightly spicy dry rub before being basted with the sweet sorghum glaze.

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Grilled Italian Spare Ribs

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Grilled Italian Spare Ribs

Italian spices, herbs and an olive-oil-based marinade make these spareribs the perfect pairing with roasted summer vegetables and a date night in. Don’t forget the red wine!

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Apricot-Pineapple Sweet Ribs

Photo by Beth Dreiling Hontzas / Styling by Lisa Powell Bailey / Food Styling by Pam Lolley

Recipe: Apricot-Pineapple Sweet Ribs

Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q shared this recipe with us, and between the dry rub, the liquid seasoning and the sweet barbecue glaze, every bite of these ribs has flavor and texture.

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Baby Loin Back Ribs

Recipe: Baby Loin Back Ribs 

These ribs start with a dry rub, are cooked with a basting sauce and finished off with our sweet sauce for the last 30 minutes of grilling so that the already-soft meat soaks it up just in time for plating.

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Honey-Soy Appetizer Ribs

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Recipe: Honey-Soy Appetizer Ribs

Your guests will want to fill up on the appetizer round with these sweet, small ribs. They’ll have no idea that this delicious recipe was only made with six ingredients.

 

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Smoky Chipotle Baby Back Ribs

Recipe: Smoky Chipotle Baby Back Ribs

Want to throw a summer party with a Southwestern flair? You don’t have to stick to tacos and guac with these chipotle ribs, made with this rub and smoky chili sauce.

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