When you’ve been making a recipe the exact same way for over a decade, you know it has to be good. And when everyone you serve it to asks you for the recipe, you know it has to be really, really good. So I can confidently say that these are some of the best keto ribs you will ever make.
Now, if you prefer your ribs more saucy, you’re more than welcome to brush them with some sugar-free BBQ sauce. But no matter what, you must try this method of slow-braising the meat until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Then a quick grilling or broiling to brown them up and finish them off.
Once you try this recipe, you’ll never cook ribs any other way again. Pair them with some cauliflower potato salad or keto coleslaw for the perfect summer meal.
One reader says
“I followed the recipe exactly (I don’t believe in changing a recipe, then posting a comment. Not fair.) I have to say, they’re the absolute best, ever. I will be making ribs more frequently due to this excellent recipe. Thank you. 😊” — Maureen P.
Why we adore this recipe
- Easy method: The active prep time for these ribs is only 10 minutes. Just rub on the spice blend and get cooking!
- Incredibly tender: The meat falls off the bone easily. In fact, I have to be careful not to overdo it or they become hard to eat.
- No sugary sauces: You can leave the ribs as is or use some of my keto bbq sauce. Whatever floats your boat!
- Balanced spices: The bold spice blend delivers flavor in every bite. And you can adjust the heat level to your liking.
- Versatile cooking: After braising, you can toss them on the grill or broil them in the oven.
- Keto and sugar-free: Too many dry rub recipes add unnecessary carbs and sugar. But these ribs have only 1.3 grams of carbs per serving.
Ingredient Notes
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Pork spare ribs: Choose the meatier St. Louis style spare ribs instead of baby back ribs.
- Sugar free bbq sauce: If you feel you need it!
Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Make the rub: Combine the spices in a small bowl or shaker jar.
- Coat the ribs: Rub the spice mix over both sides of the ribs and place on a large roasting pan.
- Bake: Add the water and cover tightly with foil. Bake until the meat is tender, checking occasionally that the water has not evaporated.
- Grill: Grill or broil the ribs until browned. Brush with keto BBQ sauce, if using.
Expert Tips
The secret to these amazing keto ribs is actually three secrets. All three factors 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 recommend spare ribs over puny baby back ribs. Spare ribs have more meat and more fat, so they come out more tender and juicy. They tend to be a lot less expensive as well.
The cooking method utilizes slow braising in the oven, which loosens all the tough, fibrous membranes and makes the meat unbelievably tender. But unlike most braised recipe, the cooking temperature is quite high. You need to trust the process. This recipe wouldn’t be such a popular one if it didn’t work!
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. My husband and I developed this recipe over several years. But it was the now-defunct Gourmet Magazine that introduced me to the high-temp braising method.
The dry rub is adapted from a recipe by Steve Raichlan. His recipe takes sugar, of course, and mine does not. And somewhere along the way, I started adding chili powder, and we found we liked it so much, it became our standard recipe.
It’s really insanely easy to make. I like to make big batches of it so I can have it any time I want. I add all the spices to a shaker jar so I can sprinkle it all over the ribs more evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prep the dry rub ribs up to 24 hours in advance by adding the spice blend to both sides. Store in the refrigerator if you plan to do this. You can also cook the ribs immediately after rubbing with the spice blend.
Absolutely! You can braise the ribs earlier in the day and then finish on the grill just before serving. We’ve even stuck them in the fridge overnight before and then let them come to room temp before grilling them at serving time.
This keto dry rub rib recipe has 1.3g of carbs and 0.5g of fiber per serving.
Keto Dry Rub Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Rub:
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chipotle or cayenne powder
Ribs:
- 1 (1,300 g) rack pork spare ribs
- 1 cup water
- 1 recipe Easy Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce, (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- For the dry rub, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl or shaker jar. Rub all over both sides of the ribs.
- Arrange the 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 one and a half hours, until meat is very tender. Check occasionally that the water has not evaporated away, as this can burn your ribs. If you are doing more than one rack in the same pan, you need to increase the cook time to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Preheat the grill or broiler. Grill or broil 4 minutes per side, watching carefully so that they don't burn. You can brush some of the BBQ sauce on before grilling or after if you wish.
Notes
Nutrition
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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These ribs were sooo amazing and soo flavorful! Thanks you so much for sharing!
These are so dang good
Delicious- we will be making this again and again!
Such a delicious low carb dinner with tons of flavor! Yum!
These ribs are fabulous!! I’m like you–I dislike sauces, so the dry rub by itself was perfect.
One perhaps silly question: When you place the ribs in the roasting pan, do you place them meat side UP or DOWN?
Thanks for all you great recipes and cookbooks.
Carole
Meat side up is best. Then the tough membranes of the ribs are closer to the water and they get more loosened up.
So you leave the membrane on the St. Louis style ribs while cooking in oven. Do you remove when cooked or eat it? How much water? Is it like boiling in the oven or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan??
I never remove it. It basically dissolves with the slow braising. Only about 1 cup of water, it should be fine.
Hi Carolyn,
The dry rub in this recipe is different than the one in your cookbook in that this recipe neglects the tablespoon of chili powder. Is that correct?
Thanks!!!—
Jenny
Does confectioner’s vs granular matter for the Swerve in the sauce? I have no idea if it dissolves, but would rather avoid a gritty mouthfeel.
Confectioner’s works best.
I’ve been using swerve brown in the BBQ sauce and it is amazing. No issues with it dissolving. Another great recipe, Carolyn.
Made these again today for Labor Day lunch. So delicious and so easy!
I can’t seem to access the BBQ sauce recipe. I tried clicking on both links, and it just takes me to the main page of the Swerve website. I even tried to do a search for the recipe on their site, but nothing came up with that name. Based on the comments above, people were accessing the receipe as recently as two months ago.
Just tried your snickerdoodle skillet cookie….it was wonderful!
Yes, they switched over to https and now they will need to redirect all my links. Hang tight, I am having them fix it!
YUM! I have been looking for a low carb BBQ sauce. Should have guessed you would have a great own. Our recipes are always agnate source of inspiration. I plan on changing it a bit as we prefer Bourbon over Whiskey. Also, I found a slow cooker rib recipe. Hoping for the best!
AArgh. can’t type. I know you have great recipes which are a great source of inspiration. Heres to a great Memorial Day weekend.
Hi Carolyn,
I just made this recipe with the sauce and I must say, these are the best ribs ever! We finished them off on our charcoal grill and added some soaked hickory wood chips for added smokiness…
Wonderful flavours and nothing too overpowering, just delicious ribs!
Thank you for all your wonderful work!
Yay! We love them too!
Just fixed this with HOT DOGS. Not my husband’s fave, but they are quick and I have had a hectic day…I didn’t have any of it as I am on a sort of diet (lost 10 lbs going for 20 more). When I get down to what I feel is right for me, I will be mostly on a low carb diet. I dipped a finger in the sauce, it tasted great – HE hasn’t complained, that’s as good as it gets with hot dogs and HIM. But – I am favoring him with the Raspberry Frozen Yogurt after he is through, can’t wait to see how he likes it. Wish I could have some, but all in good time 🙂
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…
Just want to confirm that 425 for 1 1/2 hours is correct.
Yup! Just make sure to have plenty of water in the bottom of the pan to braise them.
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!
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?
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!