Keto Baby Back Ribs {Smoker Or Oven}
These keto baby back ribs may just be the best ribs you will have ever eaten! They fall off the bone without being overcooked and falling apart, have a nice bark (or crust), and are loaded with flavor!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 734kcal
Ingredients
- 4 lb Rack Pork Baby Back Ribs see notes below for substitutions
- 1 cup Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar for smoker version only
- ¼ tablespoon Worchestershire Sauce for smoker version only
- 2 tablespoon Butter, Non-Dairy Butter, Or Ghee melted, for smoker version only
Spice Rub:
- 1 ½ tsp. Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Chipotle Chili Powder
- ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp. Coarse Or Kosher Salt ¼ teaspoon per pound (if using fine salt, reduce by half)
- ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
- ¼ cup Keto Brown Sweetener optional (use coconut palm sugar for Paleo)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all of the spice rub ingredients. Set aside.
- Remove the ribs from the packaging. Then, remove the membrane, or silver skin, off the back of the ribs. If needed, pat the meat dry so the ribs aren't too slippery when removing the membrane. To remove the membrane, you can slide a knife under it, work it loose with your fingers, then pull to remove it. Sometimes it's easier to remove if you grip the membrane with a paper towel as you remove it.
- Coat the meat with a thin layer of water. Then, cover the ribs with the rub. Wrap tightly in foil and place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
Oven Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and place the foil-wrapped ribs, meat side up, on the baking sheet. *Note- While I believe 225 degrees produces the best texture, they can also be baked at 275 degrees for around 2 to 3 hours and they will still be really delicious and tender!
- Once the oven is preheated, transfer the ribs to the oven, leaving them tightly wrapped. Bake for 3 to 5 hours. To check for doneness: Unwrap the ribs, then pick up the center of the slab with tongs. If the top easily cracks, the ribs are done! The more they crack, the more tender they will be. However, I don't recommend cooking them so long that they break apart when you pick them up.
- Once the ribs are done, brush with about half of the bbq sauce. Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until bbq sauce is nicely caramelized. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn!
- Allow meat to rest 10 to 15 minutes, then cut between the bones and serve with extra bbq sauce.
Smoker Instructions:
- In a squirt bottle or small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, and butter. Set aside. *Note- Be sure all the ingredients are room temperature, otherwise, the butter may get cold and harden.
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees according to the manufacturer's directions. Once preheated, remove the foil and place meat side up in the smoker. Close the lid and smoke for 3 to 5 hours, basting or spritzing every hour or so with the apple cider vinegar mixture. When doing this, be sure not to leave the door open too long! To check for doneness: Pick up the center of the slab with tongs. If the top easily cracks, the ribs are done! The more they crack, the more tender they will be. However, I don't recommend cooking them so long that they break apart when you pick them up.
- Once the ribs are done, brush with about half of the bbq sauce. Return the ribs to the smoker and smoke an additional 15 to 30 minutes, or until the bbq sauce is nicely caramelized. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn!
- Allow meat to rest 10 to 15 minutes, then cut between the bones and serve with extra bbq sauce.
Video
Notes
- See how easy this recipe is to make on my YouTube channel! Watch the full video here: YouTube Baby Back Ribs Video
- Nutrition info uses ½ of the bbq sauce and includes the brown sweetener.
- Unlike the smoked version, there will not be as much bark (or crust) on the oven-baked version.
- You can substitute St. Louis Style Ribs or Spare Ribs. However, they are a bit larger so you will need to cook them for 5 to 7 hours. Country Style Ribs are totally different, so I wouldn't recommend using them for this recipe.
- You may notice a pink layer just under the crust. Don't panic, this does not mean the ribs are undercooked! It's what's called a 'smoke ring' and is a chemical reaction when meat cooks at low temperatures.
- Why don't you use mustard? Mustard is used to form a type of "glue" for the spices and to help them dissolve into the meat. However, most of the mustard flavor cooks off. Because of this, I just use water. Water works just as well as mustard to dissolve and bind the spices to the meat. Then for the mustard flavor, I simply add dried mustard to my spice rub. However, if you want to use a thin layer of yellow mustard instead - feel free!
- Why don't you use the 3-2-1 method when smoking? The 3-2-1 method is a popular method that refers to smoking the ribs for 3 hours directly on the grill, 2 hours wrapped in foil with liquid, then another 1 hour unwrapped and covered in BBQ Sauce. However, if you don't do it exactly perfectly, this method can soften the bark and remove a lot of the rub. Even when done right, I can barely taste a difference, which is why I prefer not to use it. Plus, this method adds an extra hour or two of cooking time.
- Can I cook the ribs right after adding the rub and skipping letting it rest in the fridge? While you can skip this step, I don't recommend it. This step allows the salt to absorb into the meat, which will help amplify the flavor, retain moisture, and form a nice bark (or crust) on top if you're using the smoker version.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of rack | Calories: 734kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 809mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 910IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 3mg