Easy Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs
Tender and juicy air fryer pork ribs can be made with either baby back ribs or pork spareribs. Eat them with the homemade dry rub recipe or smother them in BBQ sauce. No one will ever know the ribs aren't hot off the grill!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs 3 lb
- 2 tablespoon pork dry rub
- ¼ cup+ BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Blot the ribs dry with paper towels, but do not rinse.
- As an optional step, you can pull off the thin membrane from the back of the ribs, ours came with this already removed from the ribs. if it's on the back (link video).
- Cut the rack of ribs in half with a sharp kitchen knife.
- Sprinkle the pork ribs with 2 tablespoon seasoning on the meaty side of the ribs, this will be 1 tablespoon per half. Press the seasoning into the meat with clean fingertips to help get the rib mix to stick to the ribs.
- Wrap them tightly in foil and place them meat side down in the air fryer. It's ok if the halves overlap slightly.
- Cook the pork ribs for 20 minutes in the air fryer and then flip them over. Continue cooking with the meat side up (the ribs are still wrapped in foil) for 20 more minutes.
- Carefully open up the foil packages and baste BBQ on the ribs if desired (optional). Air fry the ribs for 5 more minutes until the sauce is starting to brown and has that slightly charred "grilled" appearance.
- The ribs had an internal temperature of 175 F after cooking, fall-off-the-bone ribs are usually cooked to the 185-190 F range. If you prefer them even softer, try cooking them 25 minutes per side, we have not tested this amount of cooking time for the recipe.
Notes
Let the ribs rest on the counter for 30 minutes before starting the recipe, it helps the meat to cook more evenly if you take the chill off.
Wrapping the pork ribs in foil helps to keep the moisture in and make the ribs extra juicy. You can skip the foil if desired.
Removing the membrane from the ribs is optional, but strongly
recommended as it will make them more flavorful and tender when they
have finished cooking. You can ask your butcher to remove it for you or watch the tutorial to learn how to easily remove it yourself. The recipe works for either baby back ribs or pork spareribs. BBQ sauce is also optional, air fryer ribs with just dry rub also tastes amazing! The ribs will technically be cooked after 30 minutes in the air fryer, but they'll taste even better and more juicy if you put them in slightly longer like our recipe suggests! While we prefer to make our own sugar-free pork rub seasoning, you can use your favorite store bought brand in place of the homemade rub linked in the recipe.
recommended as it will make them more flavorful and tender when they
have finished cooking. You can ask your butcher to remove it for you or watch the tutorial to learn how to easily remove it yourself. The recipe works for either baby back ribs or pork spareribs. BBQ sauce is also optional, air fryer ribs with just dry rub also tastes amazing! The ribs will technically be cooked after 30 minutes in the air fryer, but they'll taste even better and more juicy if you put them in slightly longer like our recipe suggests! While we prefer to make our own sugar-free pork rub seasoning, you can use your favorite store bought brand in place of the homemade rub linked in the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 660kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 55gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 251mgPotassium: 756mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 273IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 168mgIron: 5mg
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