16 Revelatory Rib Recipes for Memorial Day

These rib recipes give you the option of making them on the grill, in the oven, even in the Instant Pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker. What we’re trying to say is you can revel in barbecued rib awesomeness rain or shine, all year long.

A rack of barbecue beef ribs, with four sliced off the end.
Just like a country ham that’s dry-cured with salt and sugar and aged to perfection, a good beef rib sauce must balance sweet (in this case brown sugar) with spicy (cayenne and dry mustard). And, as with baby back pork ribs, beef ribs benefit from the added depth and complexity of a rich sauce because they don’t have that much flavor to begin with.
Recipe
Two slabs of smoked ribs on a rimmed baking sheet with spicy bourbon bbq sauce in a dish on the side.
Smoked ribs with spicy bourbon bbq sauce are easy to make. They only need some time and patience and the occasional spritz with apple juice.
Recipe
A person cutting a slab of the best St. Louis ribs into individual ribs.
Everyone is capable of making great barbecue on their own. The key is consistency, and the key to consistency is simple: Internal temperature always prevails over time. That makes these St. Louis ribs tender, the rub and sauce make them flavorful every time.
Recipe
A slab of glazed pressure cooker ribs with a knife cutting between two ribs
These pressure cooker ribs, which are easy and ideal for the Instant Pot, are finished in the oven with a brown sugar and Dijon glaze. It's a super-fast method for knee-wobbling, lip-smacking, fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
Recipe
A slab of fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs with a knife cutting them into individual ribs.
These fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs are first cooked low and slow in the oven and then slathered with a homemade chipotle maple barbecue sauce before being tossed on the grill for just a mere half hour for the finishing touch.
Recipe
Five cut Memphis style ribs on a wooden board.
Memphis dry rub ribs are most commonly made with St. Louis-style spare ribs, although the approach works equally terrifically on other pork ribs. The key to these tender ribs is low and slow cooking and a flavorful spice rub.
Recipe
A rack of oven baked barbecue ribs on a white platter with a jar of sauce and a brush next to them.
For these oven-baked BBQ ribs, baby back ribs get cozy with a sugar-garlic-pepper rub overnight and then are baked in the oven until tender. The pork ribs are then slathered with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce.
Recipe
Two smoked spareribs and a knife on a slab of stone
We want to show people that food without grains, legumes, dairy, or refined sugar can be spectacularly delicious and beautiful, while also nourishing the body and sustaining the earth. Praise the lard!
Recipe
Two slabs of BBQ ribs on a piece of foil with a dish of sauce and a spoon nearby.
These BBQ ribs are easy oven baked specimens of pork rib amazingness with a spicy chile dry rub and a tangy barbecue sauce. Just as slow cooked and tender and irresistible as if they’d come off the smoker. Here’s how to make them.
Recipe
Two racks of barbecued baby back ribs, and a third rack cut into individual ribs, resting on a knife.
These barbecued baby back ribs are first brined to keep them juicy, then liberally coated with a superlative spice rub made with paprika, chile, cumin, and pepper, and finally grilled low and slow until they’re almost falling-off-the-bone tender. So spectacular they require no sauce whatsoever.
Recipe
A rack of slow cooker ribs on a cutting board with four single ribs cut off.
These slow cooker ribs will feed a crowd and leave your oven free with these lip-smacking beauties.
Recipe
A wooden cutting board topped with two rack of smoked pork ribs.
I like to go all out and serve some of the classic sides to go with the smoked meat: mac and cheese, braised collards or turnip greens, potato salad, coleslaw, beans, cornbread, and corn on the cob.
Recipe
Two slabs of St. Louis style ribs from Alex Guarnaschelli with some cut into individual ribs and a knife lying in the middle.
St. Louis style ribs start with a sweet and spicy dry rub. Then we double down with tangy, sweet barbecue sauce made with red-wine vinegar and blackstrap molasses. Guaranteed to wobble knees.
Recipe
A rack of Vietnamese pork ribs on a sheet of parchment on a cutting board with a basting brush and a bowl of lime wedges nearby.
These Vietnamese pork ribs have layers of sweet, savory, and spicy thanks to its five spice marinade and a tangy citrus and soy basting sauce that clings to every crevice while the ribs finish on the grill.
Recipe
Seven spice-rubbed baby back ribs on a piece of parchment on a wooden surface.
Spice-rubbed baby back ribs are first given a dry rub of paprika, cumin, garlic, and more spices. After they sit for a spell in the fridge, they're grilled and slathered with your favorite sauce.
Recipe
A pile of Korean-style BBQ ribs on a wooden board, garnished with scallions and sesame seeds with several forks on the side.
Korean-style BBQ ribs are sticky, sweet, and tangy. Ginger, honey, brown sugar, and vinegar come together to infuse juicy ribs with Korean flavors. They're cooked in foil so the cleanup is easy-peasy, too. 
Recipe

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

Comments

  1. These all look absolutely yummy! and you have the right amount of variety. I, personally, could do without the “Piers Morgan Fox Nation ads tho”…. Disgusting.

  2. You should publish a recipe for pork ribs Rosticciana. Not all ribs need to be in the style of American BBQ.

    1. Thanks, Bkhuna. We’ll keep that in mind when we’re looking for and developing recipes.

Have something to say?

Then tell us. Have a picture you'd like to add to your comment? Attach it below. And as always, please take a gander at our comment policy before posting.

Upload a picture of your dish