the simplest yet most delicious spice dry rub for tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram, you know that I eat ribs obsessively. I always try to rotate the types of meat I eat, but ribs make a frequent appearance within the cycle. There’s a couple of reasons for that. The primary reason is that they’re just so freaking delicious. The second reason is that they’re also very easy to make. Do I need a third reason??? I think that about sums it up.

I make my ribs either in the oven or the slow cooker setting of my Instant Pot. The Instant Pot slow cooker setting, of course, works fantastic and it’s the best option in terms of efficiency/if you have a busy schedule/aren’t going to be home. Set it in the morning, come home, and voila. Or set it over night, and in the morning, voila. You get the idea. However I do find that for best results, you need to throw your ribs post-slow cooker into the oven for 10-15 minutes to ensure maximum outer crispy-ness. Ribs are the best when they get that crisp outside texture and yet are still falling off the bone and melting in your mouth. I can guarantee all these essential rib factors when you make my recipe below. Oh, the taste is also delicious. So there’s that.

I’ll share my perfect rib dry rub mix of spices below, as well as the directives for both the Instant Pot slow cooker and the oven, however, if you’re home and you have the time, I definitely prefer and encourage the oven method!

perfect dry rub ribs: ingredients

2 racks of pork ribs, approx 1-1.5 lbs each
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of oregano
1/2 tsp of allspice
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of white pepper
1/4 tsp of cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Mike’s hot honey or preferred honey for drizzling (as desired/optional)

perfect dry rub ribs: how to

mix your spices all together in a small bowl.
in another small bowl, mix together the oil, honey and garlic.
pat the ribs dry with a paper towel, and proceed to rub the spice mix on both sides of the ribs.
once the ribs are coated in the dry rub, drizzle the oil-honey mixture across.
FOR THE OVEN: on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, roast the ribs at 250 for 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours, flipping twice through out — you’re last flip should have the ribs facing head up, the back of the ribs lying atop the tray. always be sure to check the internal temperature to be sure the ribs are properly cooked.
FOR THE INSTANT POT SLOW COOKER: wrap the ribs around the inner sides of the Instant Pot (like the photo above), and cook on low for eight hours. Once the ribs are done, I always like to move them on to a baking tray and put it in the oven on broil/or at 375 for 10 minutes to get the crispy texture on the outside.

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