Soul Food BBQ Ribs
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Nothing will make your mouth water more than the first whiff of a rack of juicy, savory soul food BBQ ribs!
Soul food BBQ ribs are a perfect crowd-pleaser and an all-time favorite main dish for potlucks, tailgates, game days, or a Black BBQ cookout menu.
Are ribs a Southern food?
Topping the list of Southern soul food main entrées are BBQ ribs.
African Americans even include ribs in Sunday dinner line-ups when watching the game, enjoying a well-seasoned, flavorful BBQ bite with each play.
The homemade favorite BBQ sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and sticky, so you’ll be licking your fingers clean and begging for more.
And because soul food BBQ ribs are made with Southern hospitality, more, in the form of a second helping, is what you’ll get!
Ingredients
These tender ribs, seasoned with a spice rub and slow-cooked in the oven to perfection, embody the flavorful traditions of soul food cuisine cherished by pitmasters and home cooks alike. Passed down through generations, they serve as a testament to the power of gathering around for hearty, comforting meals.
Measurements for the recipe can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Ribs – Beef or pork ribs. I used beef short ribs.
- Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning or similar – Use this chicken seasoning on the ribs. It contains soulful flavors, including paprika, mustard seed, garlic powder, onion powder, bell pepper, and lemon zest.
- Weber Seasoning, Roasted Garlic & Herb, or similar – You could also use your favorite all-purpose seasoning or a combination of these soul food seasonings to make a homemade dry rub. See the recipe card notes below for instructions.
- BBQ sauce – It’s used in two ways, as a marinade and mop sauce.
Best BBQ sauce for soul food ribs
The homemade soul food BBQ sauce is carefully crafted before the ribs touch the oven or on the grill. It blends traditional Southern cuisine ingredients like brown sugar and apple cider vinegar to create the perfect balance of sweetness and tang, complementing the natural flavors of the meat.
Do you season the ribs or just use sauce?
Soul food cooking rule number 1: ALWAYS season your meat!
For ribs, the seasonings should be used as a dry rub to infuse flavor into the tougher meat.
So, first, season the ribs, then sauce the meat.
How to make Soul food ribs in the oven
The key to achieving perfectly tender ribs is to cook them at the right temperature for the right time. Baking ribs is a simpler option if you’re not familiar with grilling. Additionally, you can cook large batches of ribs at once when baking, and this method requires less attention while it’s in the oven.
Step-by-step guided instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven and line large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Remove the white membrane from the back of the rack of ribs.
- Cut the rack into individual ribs.
- Mix the seasonings to create the dry rub.
- Rub the seasoning mixture on the ribs to coat them.
- Then, baste the ribs with BBQ sauce, coating both sides evenly.
- Place the ribs on the baking sheet, bone side down.
- Cover and seal with foil. This seals in the flavor and moisture and promotes tenderness.
- Bake the ribs for 2 to 2 ½ hours hours.
- Check if the ribs are tender by carefully opening one corner of the sealed foil.
- Brush more BBQ sauce on the cooked ribs.
- Optionally, grill or air fry the ribs to achieve a nice char.
- Serve right away, and enjoy!
For a quick and easy drop-in-the-pot dinner, check out my Instant Pot BBQ ribs recipe HERE!
How to remove the membrane from ribs
Here are the steps for removing the silvery or whitish-dense skin on the bone side of the ribs. The membrane may come off in one whole piece, or you may need to remove it in smaller pieces.
- Slide a dinner knife under the membrane and over a bone at one end of the rack.
- Lift and loosen the membrane until it tears.
- Grab the edge of the membrane with a paper towel for grip, and pull it off.
How long does it take to bake Southern ribs?
Soul food ribs are best slow-cooked, with a recommended cooking time of 2-2 ½ hours at a low temperature in the oven.
Check out my air fryer BBQ ribs recipe for quick, delicious ribs ready in minutes instead of baking for hours!
Do you put BBQ sauce on ribs before baking?
For this recipe, the BBQ sauce is used in two ways: as a marinade and as a mop sauce. Using BBQ sauce as a marinade helps to tenderize the tough meat and add flavor, so it’s best to baste your ribs with BBQ sauce before baking.
When preparing BBQ ribs, use the traditional soul food method. Coat the ribs with sauce before placing them in the oven to combine with the soul food seasonings, allowing the meat to absorb the flavors. Then, as a mop sauce, apply another layer of BBQ sauce after baking.
Do you cook ribs bone side up or down?
Barbecue enthusiasts and grill masters agree: place them bone side down when cooking ribs!
Ribs are relatively tough meat that requires long, slow cooking with indirect heat. So, the bony concave side should always face down, with the meat side up. This helps to prevent the thin, meaty layer from overcooking during the longer cooking process.
How to know when baked ribs are done
There are two ways to determine when ribs are done. The first method is checking the internal temperature, and the second is observing the bone itself.
Using a meat thermometer, you should aim for a meat temperature of around 200 degrees F. When the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F, the ribs should be tender and easily come off the bone when removing a piece of meat with a fork. It’s safe for the meat to have a pink or rare color at this temperature.
If your ribs aren’t fall-off-the-bone tender, continue baking and check them every 30 minutes.
The secret to tender ribs
As mentioned above, to get the most tender soul food BBQ ribs, start by peeling the white membrane off the back. Then, after you’ve seasoned and sauced, cover the ribs as you cook them, bone side down.
This way, the outer part of the ribs will get a crunchy texture while the inside will become soft, and the meat will fall off the bone. Covering also locks in the flavor and moisture by avoiding evaporation.
What to serve with BBQ ribs
An excellent BBQ rib dish only needs a few simple side dishes to complement it. With a combination of sweet and tangy, ribs are the perfect option to have on the table. Southern potato salad, soul food macaroni salad, Southern coleslaw, and soul food baked beans are essential for Southern BBQ ribs.
Still, cornbread, creamed corn, or baked sweet potato are more unique side dishes that are popular with many. To avoid getting carried away with how many different side dishes you want to make, keep it to a minimum to focus on the ribs. Two to three side dishes are good enough!
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- Basting brush
- Air fryer or grill Optional, to char the ribs
Ingredients
- 3 ½-4 pounds ribs beef or pork ribs – I used beef short ribs
- 1 tablespoon seasoning Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning, or similar (Yes – use CHICKEN SEASONING on the ribs! See the notes below for how to make a homemade dry rub.)
- 1 tablespoon seasoning Weber Seasoning Roasted Garlic & Herb, or similar (See the notes below for how to make a homemade dry rub.)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce Homemade BBQ sauce recipe HERE!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and set it aside.
- Remove the white membrane from the back of the rack of ribs and cut them into individual ribs.
- Mix the chicken seasoning and the garlic & herb seasoning in a small bowl.
- Rub the seasoning mixture on the ribs to coat them.
- Then, baste the ribs with BBQ sauce, coating them evenly in the sauce on both sides.
- Place the ribs on the baking sheet, bone side down.
- Cover and seal the baking sheet with the ribs on it with foil.
- Bake the ribs for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
- After 2 hours, carefully open one corner of the sealed foil and use a fork to pull a small piece of meat off to see if the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender. If they are not, return the ribs to the oven for 30 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, brush more BBQ sauce on the cooked ribs.
- Optionally, grill or air fry the ribs at 360 degrees for 10 minutes for a nice char.
- Serve this soul food BBQ ribs recipe right away, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 1 ½ tablespoons of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
Nutrition
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Delicious recipe for family holiday gathering!
This recipe will be a star on the table. LOL