Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (2024)

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (1)

I drive a lot for work so I am a big fan of audio books. Currently listening to “The End of Overeating” in the car. In the book the author, David Kessler, shares his research on how our brains have been hardwired to crave food full of fat, sugar, and salt.

Recently, I heard David read that we also are more apt to eat unhealthy food — even if we are not hungry — if the food, location, season, whatever elicits a positive memory or emotion.

Not exactly rocket science there, but it did make me think: Are there foods that I associate with a memory or emotion?

Ribs instantly came to mind.

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (2)

I love ribs. I always have.

Ribs remind me of this fun and sort of fancy place we used to always go to for my dad’s birthday in Cincinnati.

It reminds me of my Senior Prom when I ordered a full slab of ribs while all the other girls at the table carefully ate salads and light colored chicken dishes. (That’s what towelettes are for anyway, right!?)

And, of course, ribs remind me of summer barbecues.

That’s when I thought that it’s not shocking that ribs came to mind: I could really go for a summer barbecue.

However, Problem #1: I try to find pasture raised meat relatively locally. We do chickens on our own and have a decent hook-up for beef, but pork has been kind of hard to find in the winter.

So tough, that in the last few weeks my husband and I have even been talking about raising our own cows and pigs for ourselves and to maybe even sell to other people. Because of this we were checking out different ways to potentially market and sell the meat and we came acrossHome Grown Cow.

Home Grown Cow is an online farmers market that features family farms across the nation in order to give them a larger audience.

I love this mission for growers. It’s hard and time consuming for farmers to not just grow food and raise animals, but also try to figure out social media, line up (and work at) farmer’s markets, market to consumers, and so much more.

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (3)

I also love how Home Grown Cow‘s mission also serves consumers. Not only do they get introduced to farmers in their area, but they also get a peak at the farm to know where their food is coming from.

One of my favorite parts of the site was that you can add filters to your search specifying locations, cuts of meat, and even farming practices.

Using these filters I found pastured spare ribs from a farm in Wisconsin called NorthStar Bison and placed my order. NorthStar Bison is home to 1200 acres and the owners believe that grass fed, pastured meat is the best product for the land, animals and people. They raise a slew of animals on these acres including elk, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, bison, lamb, rabbits, and even ostrich!

[quote]Ordering from Home Grown Cow was a cinch and the ribs arrived frozen in an insulated box with dry ice. I was one step closer to my Wanna-Be Summer Barbecue.[/quote]

For real “summer” flare I began making plans to make a side dishes with some of my remaining frozen garden zucchini and sweet corn in addition to my go to homemade rib rub. This rub is great balance of sweet and spicy. It has a full depth of flavors thanks to the mixture of ingredients like coffee grounds, paprika, and oregano. It also adds a nice texture as the rib crisp up at the end of the cooking process.

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (4)

Enter Problem #2: We got eight, maybe nine, inches of new snow the day I was planning on barbecuing the ribs.

As the heavy snow fell on our smoker and grill on the patio, my husband looked at me and said, “Well, I’m not going out there.”

I wasn’t either.

Instead, we stayed out of the snow and made them in the oven. Cooking ribs in the oven is so easy. The flavors of the seasoned rub, the pastured ribs, and a local artisan’s barbecue sauce were so great together.

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (5)

It was the perfect taste for the perfect winter barbecue to give me a new memory to associate with ribs… and Home Grown Cow!

Both of which, I look forward to enjoying again.

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Homemade Rib Rub

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds spare ribs, membrane removed (you have to check out the amazing quality meats over at Home Grown Cow)
  • Rib rub (see below)
  • ½ yellow onion, sliced thin
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • water
  • 8 ounces barbecue sauce of your choice

Ingredients for Rib Rub (we love to get organic, non-irradiated spices and herbs from here)

  • 5 Tbs brown sugar (organic and non-GMO like this)
  • ½ cup paprika
  • 4 Tbl oregano
  • 3 Tbl coffee grounds
  • 4 tsp salt (unrefined, real salt like this)
  • 1 Tbl pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all rub ingredients well
  2. Gently rub into ribs and let rest so that flavors work into meat at least 1 hour (this can also be done one day before cooking)
  3. Heat oven to 325
  4. In a ½ inch to 1 inch deep baking sheet, add onion, garlic and enough water to cover the bottom of the sheet. Place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet and add the ribs to the rack
  5. Loosely cover ribs with foil and bake for 90 minutes covered
  6. Remove ribs from oven and remove foil cover. Brush barbecue sauce over the ribs and place back in the oven for another 90 minutes, uncovered
  7. When the ribs easily twist off the rack, raise oven rack and broil for five minutes
  8. Enjoy right away!

This post is sponsored by Home Grown Cow, however, the opinions and photos are our own. Authenticity is of the highest importance to Scratch Mommy, so we wouldneverpromote any brand or product that we wholeheartedly don’t believe in orwouldn’t useourselves.

Homemade Rib Rub Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long should rub be on ribs before cooking? ›

Properly seasoning meat makes a huge difference to its flavor. Ribs, for instance, are delicious when cooked properly but can easily become dry and tough when overcooked. The solution is to season them overnight, so the meat absorbs all of the seasoning's flavor before it's cooked.

Is it better to marinate or dry rub ribs? ›

Marinades and dry rubs both add tons of flavor and dimension to your recipes, but they work in totally different ways. While marinades are great for tenderizing the meat by breaking down muscle fibers and adding moisture, the flavor of a marinade is usually the focal point of the recipe.

What is the best way to season ribs? ›

Ingredients for Rib Rub
  1. 1/4 cup brown sugar.
  2. 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
  3. 2 teaspoons black pepper.
  4. 2 teaspoons smoked paprika.
  5. 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
  6. 1 teaspoon onion powder.
  7. 1 teaspoon ground mustard.
  8. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
Apr 4, 2023

What is the secret to juicy ribs? ›

Select a lean rib and cut off the visible fat. We like our ribs lean, tender, and beautiful. Cook them low and slow.

Can you leave dry rub on too long? ›

You can even leave the dry rub on overnight, but keep in mind that the salt content will begin to dry out the meat if left on for too long. If you're in a hurry, you can hit the grill immediately after applying the rub.

Do you put oil on ribs before dry rub? ›

Once you've removed as much moisture as possible, cover your food with the sticking agent of your choice, like egg, olive oil, or mustard, to help the rub bind to the meat.

What is the best meat tenderizer for ribs? ›

Dry brining with baking soda is an ideal route for making slabs of ribs or roasts because it isn't time-sensitive! With this method, you can tenderize your cuts of meat with baking soda in the morning and have them ready to cook in for your afternoon barbecue or an appetizing feast at dinner.

How do you keep ribs moist and tender? ›

Moist, gentle heat and a wet vinegary sauce can save dry ribs. Here's what to do: Make a 50/50 mixture of your favorite BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar and coat the ribs in this mixture. Then wrap the ribs tightly in foil and put them in a low oven (say 300°F) for about an hour.

Why soak ribs in apple cider vinegar? ›

Essentially, the vinegar solution "cleanses" the meat and makes the flavors shine through without any "gamey" flavor. According to Elizabeth, you don't need a charcoal grill to achieve deliciously-barbequed ribs.

Should I bake ribs at 250 or 275? ›

The best temperature to bake ribs is typically around 275°F to 300°F (135°C to 150°C). Cooking ribs at this temperature allows them to cook low and slow, which helps break down the tough connective tissues and makes the meat tender and juicy.

When to put brown sugar on ribs? ›

(Also, it's best to apply it the night before, so it can really seep into the meat and give it incredible flavor. Make sure you securely wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.) After smoking for a couple hours, the honey, butter, and brown sugar are added.

How do you get super tender ribs? ›

The secret to incredibly tender ribs is baking them low and slow. Baking ribs in the oven is so easy. 95% of the cooking time is spent relaxing while your ribs transform into fall-off-the-bone perfection.

What can you spray on ribs to make them tender? ›

Combine the apple cider vinegar and apple juice in a spritzing bottle (this is my favorite). Spritz the ribs every 30 minutes after the first hour. Spritz and smoke. Keep your temperatures at 275 degrees F and the spritz hitting the ribs every 30 minutes until those ribs are tender.

How long do you leave pork rub on? ›

After seasoning with salt and pepper, liberally coat all sides of the pork with the barbeque rub so that all of the meat is coated in rub. Wrap the pork tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit in your fridge overnight. About 6 hours before you plan on smoking, take the pork out of the fridge and unwrap it.

Is it better to wet or dry rub ribs? ›

The dry rib creates a crust - enhancing the flavor of the ribs without adding moisture. The wet rub takes a dry rub and adds moisture to the mix. A dry rub is best used on food that that is cooked faster. The wet rub is best when applied generously and cooked in slowly.

How long should ribs sit out before cooking? ›

Allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Season the ribs all over with the rub. Place the ribs in the rib rack and grill them over indirect low heat for 1 hour. The grill temperature should be about 300 degrees.

Can you dry rub meat the night before? ›

Dry Rub Tips

Salt is a flavor enhancer, and it pushes out more flavor, so keeping a 50/50 ratio helps you incorporate other seasonings without losing the tinge of saltiness. Apply your rub the night before. Applying it the night before will help the seasonings work their way into the meat properly. Don't wrap the meat.

References

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