Forget the BBQ sauce these Chipotle Dry Rub Ribs are the best ribs for grilling out in the summer!

 I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!
Yay for grilling season! I know I’ve said it before but I love being able to cook outside on the grill in the summer. I think everything tastes better on the grill, are you with me? I’m from Memphis originally, and even though we moved to Maryland when I was young I was still raised by parents who grew up in the south and I spent my summers with my extended family back in Tennessee. Memphis is all about good BBQ and ribs have always been my favorite. I’m not a huge fan of BBQ sauce, I’ve always preferred a good Memphis dry rub on my ribs. Now that I’m all grown up and don’t make it “home” as often I’ve come up with my own dry rub recipe and I’ve converted some die-hard BBQ sauce fans!

 I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!

There are a few things you need to do to make mouth-watering, fall-off-the-bone ribs. First, start with a good rack of ribs. Smithfield® St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs are my ribs of choice, and I found mine at Walmart, but Smithfield® also has  Pork Loin Baby Back Ribs, and Pork Spareribs, that are delish.

 I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!

When you get them home the first thing you need to do is remove the silverskin. Silverskin is the thin membrane on the underside of the ribs. Removing it helps make them more tender and easier to eat. It is pretty simple. Turn your ribs over so they are bone side up, then find the beginning of the thin membrane at one end. Pull it up and using a sharp knife gently scrape between the skin and the meat to help separate them. If you can get a good hold on the skin (some people use pliers) you can begin pulling the skin and it will come away fairly easily. Don’t worry if you don’t get every bit of it, just do your best.

 I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!

Once that is done it is time to make your dry rub. I mix together chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Then I coat the ribs in a thin layer of yellow mustard, and press the  dry rub mix into the top and bottom of the ribs. I get a nice thick layer so there will be lots of flavor once the ribs are cooked. Now, I’m going to tell you a secret, I don’t cook my ribs entirely on the grill. To get them nice and tender I first wrap them in foil and partially cook them in the over at 350°F for 2 hours. I usually do this the night before I want to eat them so when they come out of the oven I let them cool and then wrap them up and put them in the refrigerator.

I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!

Then when I’m ready to cook them the next day I put them on the grill for another hour. The trick to getting them nice and tender is to cook them over indirect heat with the grill lid closed. Yes, you can just cook them in the oven, but that hour on the grill gives them so much flavor from the smoke, and a little bit of char on the edges of the meat. To keep the meat moist while cooking on the grill you can use a mop sauce. It is a simple sauce made of water, apple cider vinegar, and yellow mustard. All you do it baste the ribs with it while they cook so they don’t get dried out.

I love grilling out in the summer and these chipotle dry rub ribs are the best! Easy to make ribs without all of the messy bbq sauce!

When the ribs are ready take them off the grill and let them rest for about 10 minutes before you cut them apart. And that’s it. Good ribs take a little while to cook but they are totally worth it!

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Chipotle Dry Rub Ribs

A simple dry rub recipe for awesome ribs!
Print Recipe
4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 rack Smithfield® St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs
  • 1-2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard

Dry Rub

Mop Sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Prepare ribs by removing silverskin and covering ribs in a thin layer of yellow mustard.
  • Cover top and bottom of ribs with dry rub.
  • Wrap ribs in aluminum foil and bake in oven for 2 hours.
  • Remove from oven and let cool then wrap ribs up and place them in the fridge until you are ready to finish them on the grill (you can skip this step if you are cooking them on the same day).
  • Combine ingredients to make the mop sauce.
  • When ready to finish the ribs cook them over indirect heat on the grill with the lid closed for one more hour.
  • Use the mop sauce to baste the ribs as they cook to keep them moist.
  • Remove from grill and let the ribs rest for 10-15 minutes then cut and serve.
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Dinner

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