Sous-Vide Barbecue Ribs Recipe
We love ribs. Whether they're barbecue, jerk or soy glazed, we don't care. We love them all. And with all the recipes and techniques we've tried, we've figured out the secret to making any kind of ribs even better: Cook them sous vide. Going low and slow for 24 hours in a water bath makes for tender and juicy meat. Then just finish them on the grill, and you're ready to feast.
To top it off, we recommend making your own barbecue sauce to keep on hand all summer long. But if you don't feel like making your own sauce after doing the sous-vide thing (even though this recipe is dead simple), try one of our favorite store-bought varieties (taste-tested and ranked here). So either way, you're, ahem, covered.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Sous-Vide Barbecue Ribs Recipe
Cook spiced baby back ribs sous vide for 24 hours before throwing them on the grill for the best barbecue ribs you can make at home.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground cayenne
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 (2½-pound) racks baby back ribs, cut in half crosswise
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought
Directions
- In a bowl, whisk together the salt, paprika, brown sugar, cumin, cayenne and coriander.
- Rub the mix on the ribs, coating both racks completely. Transfer the racks to 2 large vacuum-seal bags and seal shut. Alternatively, place the ribs in sealable plastic bags and dip them into a large bowl of water to displace the air before sealing shut.
- Preheat a pot of water fitted with a sous-vide immersion circulator to 155 F according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Cook the ribs for 24 hours, making sure the bag remains completely submerged.
- The next day, remove the ribs from the bags and light a grill. Grill the ribs, flipping often, basting them with the barbecue sauce until lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board and carve, then serve.