The Best Baby Back Ribs Recipe (Grilled Pork Back Ribs)

The Best Baby Back Ribs Recipe (Grilled Pork Back Ribs), is a foolproof and simple recipe resulting in the tastiest, tender, and fall-off-the-bone ribs you've ever eaten! Keeping it simple, can use store-bought rub, or use our recipe. With only 3 ingredients and minimal work, you can easily make these tasty ribs - even if you're a grilling novice. There are two methods to cooking these baby back ribs - oven to grill, and instant pot to grill. Either one is easy and works great! You're family and friends will rave over this recipe. Grilled pork back ribs are a paleo, low carb, and keto-friendly recipe! 

You'll Love These Foolproof Grilled Pork Back Ribs

This is literally the best baby back ribs recipe and they are so easy to make even a novice will look like a grilling master! We have made these easy grilled ribs for years, and it is one of our family's most requested recipes. We don't have a family member or friend who hasn't had these ribs! This is a simple 3 ingredient recipe for grilled baby back ribs with two methods of cooking - baby back ribs in oven and baby back ribs in instant pot. Both methods are followed up on the grill for just a few minutes - resulting in super tasty, chargrilled, fall-off-the-bone ribs! A low carb, paleo, and keto-friendly recipe that everyone will love!

The Best Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Easy BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe

This is an EASY recipe. Simply sprinkle ribs with seasoning, wrap in foil, bake in the oven until tender, brush with BBQ sauce, and finish off on the grill for a few minutes (only long enough to get the chargrilled taste and pretty browning). Even though it tastes best to finish off on the grill, you can get a similar browning effect by broiling in your oven. Just do what you have time for! It's okay.

I also have a method to cook in your Instant Pot pressure cooker. You can only cook 1 rack at a time, but it's perfect for a weeknight meal because it's so quick. Again, you should finish off on the grill for best flavor (or broil in oven).

Family Friendly Recipe

This is definitely a family-friendly recipe that everyone loves! There are 5 of us in our house, and my boys and husband will gobble this up quicker than you can imagine! As I mentioned this has been our family's most requested recipe and a favorite at all of our gatherings. I am looking forward to telling everything my secret recipe is on the internet 🙂 LOL!

Use Your Favorite BBQ Pork Dry Rub

You can use any BBQ pork dry rub that you want. It doesn't matter, just pick your favorite. Honestly, you can even use salt and pepper, or garlic salt and pepper. In the picture above I tested garlic salt and pepper on one rack to see how it tasted. It was really good! Mind you, the flavor was milder than a typical bold dry rub, but some people like that - like me!

Make-Ahead Ribs for A Crowd

You can easily pre-cook these ribs in the oven well ahead of time. Cover tightly and remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling.

BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe Cooked in The Oven Or Instant Pot

There are no real rules here, other than cooking time. Substitute your favorite dry rub, or just use what you have on hand even if it means only salt and pepper! Seriously. I am sure some people will scoff at this, and that's fine. Busy families will know what I am talking about - it's often quicker and easier to just use what you have on hand

Use your favorite barbecue sauce - it doesn't matter if you follow the proper cooking method and time. You can buy a bottle, or you can make a homemade sauce. Whatever your preference.

You can do the foil-wrapped ribs oven method, or you can make these instant pot baby back ribs.

ribs + favorite rub + favorite BBQ sauce = yum

Low Carb, Paleo, Keto Ribs

Of course, ribs on their own are low carb, keto, and paleo. The trick is to make sure the seasoning and sauce are appropriate to the diet you are following.

For those of you following a low carb, keto, paleo, Whole 30 eating plan here are 2 suggestions for a barbecue sauce. One is a bottled store-bought sauce, and the other is a recipe.

When you don't feel like making your own barbecue sauce, here is a bottled BBQ sauce that I like and keep stocked in my pantry.

Here is the recipe for our Tangy and Sweet BBQ Sauce - It's So Good!

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Grilled Pork Back Ribs

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

• 2 racks, baby back ribs (approximately 2 to 3 lbs each)
• Your favorite dry rub (our recipe is below)
• Your favorite barbecue sauce. Here is our recipe: Tangy and Sweet BBQ Sauce

Tip: For keto and low carb followers, make sure your barbecue sauce is sugar-free. Double-check that your favorite rub is low in carbs.

How to Make Dry Rub For Pork

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. ground thyme
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 to 3 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• ½ tsp pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container.

How to Make Baby Back Ribs Recipe In Your Oven (Oven To Grill Method)

Okay, so you can start these in the oven and finish off on the grill, or you can cook them in your instant pot (pressure cooker) and finish them off on the grill.

Prep

Rinse and dry pork ribs. Spray 2 sheets of aluminum foil with nonstick spray. Lay ribs on foil

Season

Liberally sprinkle both sides of pork with seasoning. Cover ribs in foil and wrap tightly. Lay ribs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. The longer you do this the more flavor!

Note: below I have used a pork rub on the left, and garlic salt and pepper on the right.

Bake

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Remove pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Place rib racks (still on a cookie sheet) in the oven and bake for 2 ½ hours or until ribs are knife tender. Adjust time according to your rack size. Smaller racks will take less time (maybe 2 hours), bigger more time (possibly 3 hours). The key is that the ribs must be very tender. Wrapping them tightly in foil is keeping the moisture in.

Grill

Heat grill to medium-high. Remove ribs from oven and brush one side with barbecue sauce. Place that side down on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the second side with BBQ sauce then flip, cooking another 3 to 4 minutes.

Tip: Remember, the ribs are already cooked. You are simply finishing off on the grill to give them a nice chargrilled smoky taste, and pretty grill marks and browning.

Eat

Cut into serving-size pieces (2 to 3 rib sections) and serve with extra BBQ sauce! Yum.

How to Make Baby Back Ribs Recipe In An Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker To Grill Method)

A quick method of cooking ribs that make it easy to make for a weeknight meal. Keep in mind that you can only cook one rack of ribs in the pressure cooker so it's perfect for 4 people.

Prep

Rinse and dry pork ribs. Cut pork ribs apart into sections of approximately 2 - 3 ribs each.

Pressure Cook

Place rack into the bottom of your pressure cooker and add 1 cup of water to the bottom. Stand rib sections on the rack. Secure lid. Pressure cook on High setting, for 25 minutes. When complete, allow steam to release naturally for 1o to 15 minutes.

Tip: You can also experiment with other liquids (always using 1 cup). Beer is a great choice for example! What you add to the pot infuses itself into the ribs. A few cloves of garlic or herbs is nice.  I have even put a few drops of liquid smoke into the water before.  Lots of ways to experiment!

Season, Sauce, and Grill

Heat grill to medium-high. Remove ribs from the pressure cooker. Sprinkle the seasoning lightly over ribs, then brush one side with BBQ sauce. Place sauce side down on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Brush second side with barbecue sauce then flip, cooking another 3 to 4 minutes.

Tip: Remember, the ribs are already cooked. You are simply finishing off on the grill to give them a nice chargrilled smoky taste, and pretty grill marks and browning.

Eat

That's it you're done! Serve with extra BBQ sauce! Yum.

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