Chinese Dry Rub Ribs

Name: Chinese Dry Rub Ribs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 130 min
Total time: 855 min
Ingredients: 1 rack (about 3 lbs / 1.4 kg) St Louis ribs (or baby back ribs); 1 tablespoon salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon cumin; 1 tablespoon gochugaru ((or paprika for less spicy)); 1 tablespoon ground black pepper ((or 1/2 tablespoon ground Sichuan peppercorns)); 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

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2 10

33 Reviews

4.84 from 12 votes

Published: 07/09/2021Updated: 10/25/2022Author:

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These super-simple dry rub ribs come out with a texture that melts in your mouth and a sweet yet spicy taste that makes them impossible to resist!

A slab of juicy Chinese dry rub ribs with a few sliced off

Dry Rub Ribs: Super Easy + Tasty BBQ in the Oven

Want an easy BBQ recipe that delivers big results? These Chinese dry rub ribs are the answer you’re searching for!

This easy recipe takes just a few ingredients to create ribs that are crispy outside yet melt-in-your-mouth tender inside, guaranteeing a wonderful sensory experience for everyone you share them with. While they take a bit of time to cook, there’s very little hands-on time. All you need to do to make these dry rub ribs is to mix the spices, rub it onto the meat, wrap it up in foil, and bake!

Juicy, spicy Chinese style pork ribs with sliced green onion

Low and Slow, Then Turn it Up

The key to these dry rub ribs is to roast them covered at low heat for most of the cooking time. After two hours, you’ll remove the foil, crank up the heat, and let them get crispy under the broiler.

Step-by-step process for making Chinese dry ribs

The luscious texture and luxurious flavor you’ll get from it will certainly surprise you. It’s a must-make for barbecue lovers of all kinds!

Tender, juicy dry rub pork ribs sliced on a cutting board

A Simple Spice Mix with Huge Flavor

The spices you’ll use are likely in your kitchen too. You’ll mix salt, sugar, cumin, gochugaru (a Korean chili pepper), black pepper, garlic powder, and five-spice powder for this dry rub ribs recipe. If you don’t have gochugaru, you can use paprika!

There are some dry rub mixes with dozens of ingredients in them, but not this one. The flavor profile here is slightly spicy (both chili and black pepper), warming (from the cumin and five-spice), and umami, with just a touch of sweetness.

It’s a nicely balanced profile that leans Asian, but these ribs fit right into a traditional BBQ meal spread, too.

The Best Dry Rub Ribs Are Nicely Marbled

The best results for these dry rub ribs will come from well-marbled slabs. Look for an even layer of meat too, one that isn’t too thin or too thick. I used St. Louis ribs because they’re flatter, so they crisp up evenly at the end. This cut of ribs is also fattier, so the end result is that your ribs will be super tender after the fat melts away.

A raw rack of pork ribs with spices for rubbing

If you can’t find St. Louis ribs, you can use baby back or spare ribs. They will come out delicious just the same. And while I’d love to say this recipe is good for meal prep, I can’t, because it is just too delicious – I have never been able to have any leftovers when I make these Chinese dry rub ribs. They go fast!

Make it a Feast with These Pairings

Since you’ll have two hours while the ribs are baking at low heat, this is a perfect recipe to make if you’re going to prepare some sides to go with the ribs. This will work great with any of the traditional BBQ sides you typically see (slaw, mac ‘n cheese, collards, etc.).

Here are a few Asian-inspired sides that will go perfectly with the ribs:

Tender, juicy Chinese pork ribs with spicy dry rub

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