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    Home » Dairy Free Keto » Keto Dry Rub Ribs

    Published: May 28, 2019 · Modified: Apr 12, 2020 by Carolyn

    Keto Dry Rub Ribs

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    5.7K shares
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    These dry rub ribs are so tender, they practically melt in your mouth. With my sugar-free dry rub recipe, they are paleo and keto friendly. After a long slow braising, you can grill them or broil them. Seriously the best low carb ribs recipe ever.

    Dry rub ribs on a wooden cutting board

    I am a pork rib. fanatic. A true lover of all things ribs. But I’ve never been a big fan of saucy ribs. I much prefer tender, fall apart ribs with a classic dry rub. I might brush them with a little of my Sugar Free BBQ Sauce at the end, but I might also just eat them the way they are. Either way, this keto ribs recipe is a winner.

    I have such a delicious recipe that I use over and over and over, every time I cook ribs. I mean, these are the definitive fall-off-the-bone ribs, where you go to take a bite and find that you’re only holding the bone in your hand, because all the meat fell back onto your plate.

    Once you make these, you won’t ever want to cook ribs any other way again.

    A long rack of dry rub spare ribs with a knife

    The Secret to Perfect Dry Rub Ribs

    Actually, it’s three secrets. Or three factors that come into play to make the most tender and delicious ribs you will ever eat.

    • The cut of ribs
    • The dry rub
    • The cooking method

    For the ribs, I almost always recommend St. Louis style spare ribs over the puny baby back ribs. Spare ribs are meatier, with more fat, so they are often more tender. And usually a lot less expensive as well. I can’t for the life of me figure out why baby back ribs are so prized when spare ribs can make a much bigger and more satisfying meal.

    The cooking method utilizes slow braising in the oven, which loosens all the tough, fibrous membranes and makes the meat unbelievably tender. We’re talking at least an hour and a half. More if you are doing more than one rack of ribs.

    You then only grill or broil the ribs for a total of about 8 minutes, to crisp up the outside. Sometimes the ribs are so tender, I can hardly transfer them to a platter without things falling apart.

    This is a recipe my husband and I developed over several years, and really it’s an amalgamation of ideas from several sources, including the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. It was their recipe that introduced me to the braising method and from the word go, it made some of the best ribs I’d ever had.

    The dry rub was adapted from Steve Raichlan. His recipe took sugar, of course, and mine takes no sweetener at all. I find it entirely unnecessary. And somewhere along the way, I started adding chili powder, and we found we liked it so much, it stuck around.

    It’s really insanely easy to make. I usually keep a large jar of this dry rub recipe for ribs ready to go, so we can have them any time we want. And let me tell you, in the summer, that’s pretty darn often.

    White spoons full of spices for dry rub for ribs

    To Sauce or not to Sauce

    I tend to like less saucy ribs and I hate when I go to restaurants and the ribs are drowned in a sugary-sweet condiment, so thick you have to scrape off several inches just to find the meat.

    Good ribs shouldn’t need all that dressing up and all that sugar. And good barbecue sauce should be tangy and spicy, with some sweetness but not so sweet you feel like you are licking a bbq flavoured lollipop.

    There’s a happy balance somewhere in there and it’s not easy to find. But if I do feel like a little sauce in my ribs, I go with my Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce. It’s so easy to make, and requires no cooking. Just mix it up and slather it on.

    You can slather some on the ribs just before grilling or broiling so that it cooks right on a bit. Or you can wait until the ribs come off and give them a good brushing with sauce, so they have that more saucy feeling. It’s really up to you.

    You could also try the Chipotle Whisky BBQ Sauce I created for Swerve, if you wanted something a little different.

    If you’re ready for the best keto dry rub ribs of your life, get your oven preheating. Once you try this method for braised spare ribs, you may never make them any other way again!

    Keto ribs on a plate with salad

    Want more keto BBQ Recipes?

    Instant Pot Pulled Pork

    Pepper Jack Stuffed Meatloaf

    Slow Cooker BBQ Meatloaf 

    Smoked BBQ Short Ribs 

    Texas Keto BBQ Sauce

    Instant Pot BBQ Drumsticks

    Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken

     

    Keto Dry Rub Ribs

    These low carb ribs are so tender, they practically fall off the bone. And a little sugar-free dry rub makes them out of this world!
    4.90 from 48 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: dry rub recipe, dry rub ribs, keto ribs
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 455kcal

    Ingredients

    Dry Rub:

    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

    Ribs:

    • 1 rack pork spare ribs
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 recipe Easy Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce (if desired)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425F.
    • For the dry rub, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
    • Rub all over both sides of the ribs. Lay ribs in a large roasting pan (cut in half if you need to, to make them fit). Add the water and cover the whole pan tightly in foil.
    • Bake 1 & ½ hours, until meat is very tender. Check occasionally that the water has not evaporated away, as this can burn your ribs.
    • Preheat grill or broiler. Grill or broil 6 to 8 minutes, watching carefully so that they don't burn. You can brush some of the BBQ sauce on before grilling or after, that's up to you.

    Notes

    The nutritional information does not include the Easy BBQ Sauce.
    Nutrition Facts
    Keto Dry Rub Ribs
    Amount Per Serving (2 ribs)
    Calories 455 Calories from Fat 279
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 31g48%
    Carbohydrates 1.3g0%
    Fiber 0.5g2%
    Protein 33.2g66%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    5.7K shares

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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kristina Cargill says

      August 12, 2023 at 4:46 pm

      5 stars
      Just finished bbqing the ribs. Was short chili powder so added a little extra chipotle but everything else was amazing. Made the Easiest Ketchup and then used it in the Easiest BBQ sauce. Total winner in this house and back ribs are on sale so guess what I’m doing tomorrow….grabbing several more packages for my freezer. By the way, Carolyn’s ketchup is awesome on its own so I always make a double batch.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        August 12, 2023 at 8:09 pm

        So glad you like it!

        Reply
    2. Kim says

      August 06, 2023 at 2:38 pm

      I am planning a get together with friends. Would I be able to cook these ahead of time, earlier in the day, then finish on the grill just before serving?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        August 06, 2023 at 3:23 pm

        YES! We do that all the time. In fact, I’ve got a bunch in the oven for these evening. We will take them out at about 4:30 but grill them at 6:30.

        We’ve even stuck them in the fridge overnight before and then let them come to room temp and grilled them at serving time.

        Reply
    3. Emily Bartholomew says

      July 16, 2023 at 4:59 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made these ribs many times before, and always get rave reviews from the entire family! If doing two racks of ribs, how much longer do I need to roast them above the standard 90 minutes?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        July 16, 2023 at 6:54 pm

        If they are each in their own baking pan, you don’t need to roast any longer.

        Reply
    4. Denise says

      June 14, 2023 at 1:46 pm

      425 seems very high for “long, slow braising in the oven.” Is this a typo? 325 seems more like it. The dry rub mix sounds delish & all the other instructions ring true. I’m single, so I’d only cook a whole rack of ribs if I was having company. I wouldn’t be willing to risk a pricey rack of ribs & disappointment at this temp, though. Please clarify. I look forward to trying it. Thanks! I love your recipes!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 14, 2023 at 3:53 pm

        No mistake. Yes, it is high for braising but it works. Just read the hundreds of reviews on this recipe! 🙂

        Reply
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