This Kansas City Style Ribs recipe features baking the ribs with a brown sugar dry rub and then brushing with sauce at the end of cooking.
Kansas City Style Ribs
These ribs are sloppy, finger-lickin’, delicious and amazing. The seasoning that is baked into the ribs is very flavorful, and the sauce is really great slathered on top. There are many ways to prepare ribs, but this one has to be my favorite.
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- pork loin back ribs
- packed brown sugar
- paprika
- garlic powder
- celery salt
- dry mustard
- chili powder
- salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper
- onion and garlic
- butter
- ketchup
- yellow mustard
- molasses
- cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
？How to remove the membrane from ribs:
To remove the membrane that covers the bones: slip a dull knife or the pointed end of a meat thermometer under the membrane. Use a paper towel to grip and pull it away from the bones.
✏️ How to make Kansas City Style Ribs:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Trim the fat from the ribs; remove the membrane (see tips below).
- Place the ribs in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, stir together the rub ingredients. Sprinkle the rub evenly over both sides of the ribs; rub in with your fingers. Cover the pan with foil. Bake the ribs for 2 to 2½ hours or until very tender. Carefully drain off the fat in the roasting pan.
- For the sauce, combine the onion, garlic and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium-heat until tender. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
For a charcoal grill: sprinkle the wood chips (if using) over medium coals. Grill the ribs on the rack of a covered grill directly over the coals for 10 to 15 minutes or until the ribs are browned, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with sauce.
For a gas grill: preheat the grill. Reduce heat to medium. Add wood chips (if using) according to manufacturer’s directions. Place the ribs on the grill rack over heat. Cover; grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until the ribs are browned, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with sauce.
Serve the ribs with the remaining sauce.
➡️ Tips and Substitutions:
- The wood chips are completely optional, but they sure lend a delicious flavor to the ribs so I recommend you use them! Wood chips can be found near the barbecue things in your market.
- Make sure that you take the time to remove the membrane from the ribs. The membrane makes the ribs difficult to chew and it ruins the texture of the meat.
- If you want to save some time, make the homemade seasoning for the ribs. But purchase your favorite barbecue sauce to use for the sauce portion of the ribs.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- These ribs are so delicious!
- They’re the perfect summertime recipe.
- I love to serve these when my son comes to visit. I double the recipe because he loves them so much.
Best Side Dishes to Serve with Ribs:
Kansas City Style Ribs
Ingredients
RIBS:
- 4 to 5 pounds pork loin back ribs
RUB:
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
SAUCE:
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
CHIPS:
- 2 cups hickory chips, optional (soaked in water for at least 1 hour, then drained)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Trim the fat from the ribs; remove the membrane (see tips below).
- Place the ribs in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, stir together the rub ingredients. Sprinkle the rub evenly over both sides of the ribs; rub in with your fingers. Cover the pan with foil. Bake the ribs for 2 to 2½ hours or until very tender. Carefully drain off the fat in the roasting pan.
- For the sauce, combine the onion, garlic and butter in a saucepan and cook over medium-heat until tender. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
- For a charcoal grill: sprinkle the wood chips (if using) over medium coals. Grill the ribs on the rack of a covered grill directly over the coals for 10 to 15 minutes or until the ribs are browned, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with sauce.For a gas grill: preheat the grill. Reduce heat to medium. Add wood chips (if using) according to manufacturer's directions. Place the ribs on the grill rack over heat. Cover; grill for 10 to 15 minutes or until the ribs are browned, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with sauce.
- Serve the ribs with the remaining sauce.
Notes
- To remove the membrane that covers the bones: slip a dull knife or the pointed end of a meat thermometer under the membrane. Use a paper towel to grip and pull it away from the bones.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
