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.
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.
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.
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!
Want more keto BBQ Recipes?
Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken
Keto Dry Rub Ribs
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.
Reni says
Can’t wait to make these, bbq ribs are one of my faves! I am practically slobbering. Don’t have any ribs in freezer, but I do have hotdogs…
todd says
Just want to confirm that 425 for 1 1/2 hours is correct.
Carolyn says
Yup! Just make sure to have plenty of water in the bottom of the pan to braise them.
Andy says
I’ll be making the sauce and using it highly watered down and cooking the ribs in my mega pressure cooker. If this works out,
i’ll be able to eat ribs twice a week. More if I don’t overdose each feeding.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Laura says
Has anyone ever made extra of the barbecue sauce? How long does it keep in the refrigerator? Has anyone tried canning it or does it need to stay in the fridge?
Sherrie Lee says
I made a double batch of the sauce and used it on lots of things including dipping hot dogs minus the bun. Tasted great and lasted several months. I didn’t keep track of the time but I ran out long before it could have gone bad in the fridge. Loved it and can’t wait to make more! I might even triple or quadruple the recipe this time and give some to my father -in – law and brother in law, who also loved it!
Janice says
Would this be as good with beef ribs?
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried beef ribs at home, but they do tend to be tougher than pork ribs. So they can stand to use some braising like this…I think it’s worth a try!
Ranee Stollenwerk says
My husband REALLY wanted some BBQ ribs but knew I wouldn’t be able to eat our usual recipe. I told him about your recipe and he thought about it for 3 days but decided today to actually make them. He is a low carb eye roller! He is sure I’m a nut job where all my low carbing is concerned. The ribs turned out AMAZING! Even my doubting husband and picky kids loved them! The only change was we used a crock pot instead if the oven – it was 96 degrees today. I also was out of Swerve so we subbed surkin gold brown sugar. Perfect! We will make these again!! Thank you!
Carolyn says
Glad we won over the eye-rolling husband!
Shell says
I’ve made this sauce twice since I saw it last week. I have to say it’s probably the best I’ve ever had. The ribs (your recipe) and the grilled chicken thighs were wonderful! My husband said I should make double next time and see if it freezes and I think I’ll give it a shot. Thanks so much for the yummyness!
Carolyn says
Yay, so glad to hear it!
Lynn says
Yum and Delish!!! Made this tonight and I tripled the recipe for 3 racks of ribs (along with the BBQ sauce). Once again–always with your recipes–another awesome keeper! Happy 4th of July!
Carolyn says
So glad you like it!
Pam Vienneau says
Made the sauce to use in pulled pork. I have some leftover and plan on using it on a fathead pizza crust to make a barbeque chicken pizza. Yum!
Carolyn says
Great idea!
Linda says
Hello can I braise in oven the day before and bar bq the next day?
Stephanie says
I made this for dinner last night and it was IINCREDIBLE! After being on Keto for nearly a year, it was great to finally enjoy a great, low carb rib option. The sauce tasted very sweet to me, but a little went a long way and complimented the ribs nicely. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Stephanie says
This method rocks! I’ve spent years cooking ribs slowing on the grill for 6+ hours. I tried your method and will NEVER make ribs any other way again!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Stephanie! It’s really great, isn’t it?
gary says
I was looking up swerve sweetener and according to the label it has 5 grams of carbs per teaspoon, that’s more than sugar(4.3)What’s up with that?
Carolyn says
It’s erythritol, which technically has carbs but they never enter the blood stream and thus don’t engage an insulin response. They are excreted into the urine whole. As someone who tests her blood sugar regularly, I have seen it with my own eyes. http://www.swervesweetener.com/about-swerve/
Heather says
Wow! I just got done eating these and had to tell you how fantastically amazing these ribs were. I omitted the whisky simply because I was too lazy to go to the liquor store and used the higher amounts of cayenne and chipotle pepper in the rub and sauce because I love spicy bbq. This has to be the most perfect blend of spicy heat and sweetness. My fiance is a rib lover and im pretty sure he just ate a whole rack all by himself. This is going to be a staple in our house for the rest of forever.
Carolyn says
Yay, love hearing that. I actually make ours more spicy too, but I know not everyone loves that so I try to tone it down a bit for the posted recipe!
Janet says
posted a comment on the sauce recipe, because I didn’t make the ribs just the sauce for some pulled pork. OMG it is the best!!
Carolyn says
I’ve used it for pulled pork too! Delicious.
Sharon says
Is there any recipe for barbecue sauce that does not use any sweetener or whiskey?
Carolyn says
I don’t have one on here but I created a cherry BBQ sauce for Stemilt: http://stemilt.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/cherries/cherry-glazed-baby-back-ribs/
Jan says
I have rarely attempted ribs because the results were not great, but after seeing this recipe and finding them for half price over the holiday weekend, I decided to give them another try. The recipe was super easy and will definitely be my go-to method in the future. Ribs turned out very tender. The one bit of advice I would offer is not to err so much on choosing the leanest rack of ribs on the grocery shelf. I think a little higher ratio of fat to meat would have made my ribs moister. Perhaps more water in the pan or some bacon strips on top would also be an option if your meat happens to be super lean.
Carolyn says
I always buy the St. Louis spare ribs, as they have the most fat on them. Baby back ribs are far too lean for my taste!
Sherrie Lee says
Hi Carolyn!
The weather is really hot but I want to make this. Finishing on the grill is fine, but I’d really like to avoid heating up the house for the oven part. Do you think a slow cooker will work? I realize they would take much longer, I’m just hoping for the best of both worlds without compromising your fantastic results.
Thank you,
Sherrie
Carolyn says
You can certainly try it! I think it’s the same idea.
Dani says
A little late, but I will say yes, cooking in the slow cooker works. I made some last night. Some use ½ cup beer or water, but I did mine in a home made BBQ sauce and they were so incredibly tender. Only took 3 ½ hours. :-p
Sherrie Lee says
Thanks Dani!
Jenny says
Yum-yum !!! I start a LCD and your site helps me a lot. Keep up the good work !!!
Do the ribs touch the water ? Or I have to use the ruck ?
Thank you !!
Carolyn says
The ribs touch the water, no need for a rack.
Becca from ItsYummi! says
You sure do know how to make a girl drool in the morning. YUM!
Lin says
You may mean that they are to be cooked at 225 for 8 1/2 hours, not 425. Am I correct? I sauce sounds great and I will make it.
Lin says
Sorry..I misread the recipe! It was too early in the morning when I first saw it!
Carolyn says
I was a little confused by that!
Diamondd says
I am trying to get my son on a LC diet and just this morning, he asked if he could have barbque sauce and I told him no because I know that he would not know how to make some of the LC recipes. With what you have provided, there is no way that he could go wrong. I don’t have ribs today but I am going to make the sauce tonight for grilled chicken. I will come back to let you know because I hate seeing the comment that I am going to make but with no follow-up to share the experience IMO. I am sending this to him ASAP. As always, thank you so much for sharing.
Carolyn says
Definitely come back and let me know! This sauce is pretty spicy on its own and I thought it was going to be too spicy. Then once it was brushed over the meat, it was perfect! I also used it in pulled pork and it was delicious.
Diamondd says
Carolyn,
YUM!! These were so good and very tender. I have always cooked my ribs on 275-300 for at least 2 1/2 hours. I was a little scared thinking they would turn out tough but they were not. Sauce was a tiny bit sweet but I believe because I used Xylitol vs. Swerve and Xylitol tends to be VERY sweet – overall the sauce was tasty and not too spicy. This is a keeper. I did make an extra jar of sauce to keep in the fridge and will probably use again this weekend 🙂
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it! I got the baking at 425F with water in the bottom from an old recipe in Gourmet magazine and I will never do it any other way!