Best Barbecue Ribs Recipe from Dolly Parton with barbecue sauce on the side. Ribs aresitting on a wooden board
Photography, Aubrey Pick

Best Barbecue Ribs

A seasoning blend adds extra flavour to these delicious ribs.

When Dolly Parton published her cookbook, she included some of her favourite recipes, including this barbecue ribs recipe. And who better to share a classic Southern barbecue recipe than Dolly Parton? Parton also worked with her sister, Rachel Parton George. Better still, this recipe works for both beef ribs and pork ribs.

Why is this recipe so good? Dolly Parton explains in her cookbook why: “We love ribs. And though it may be a surprise to see, pickling spices work sort of like a marinade – it’s a wonderful thing. Using the spices when you precook the ribs makes the meat incredibly tender, and the ribs are already cooked through by the time they hit the grill. Putting them on the grill over a flame brings out even more of the flavour and adds some nice caramelization, too. And the spices work with either beef or pork!”

What to serve with barbecue ribs:

Curly Corn Ribs and Potato Salad are the perfect companions to barbecue ribs.

Best Barbecue Ribs Recipe from Dolly Parton with barbecue sauce on the side. Ribs aresitting on a wooden board

Best Barbecue Ribs

Dolly Parton
Using the spices when you precook the ribs makes the meat incredibly tender. Putting them on the grill over a flame brings out even more of the flavour and adds some nice caramelization, too.

Ingredients

Barbecue Ribs

  • 3 to 4 lbs. beef or pork ribs

Seasoning Blend

  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp sugar

Easy Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 cup store-bought barbecue sauce
  • ½ cup sweet chili sauce (we like Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce)
  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
 

Barbecue Ribs

  • To prepare the ribs, cut them into portions small enough to fit into a large pot.
  • Add 8 cups of water and pickling spice to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Add the ribs; if needed, add more water until they are covered.
  • Return the pot to medium-high heat, uncovered. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Turn the ribs in the water and continue cooking 30 minutes more.
  • Turn down the heat to low and simmer for another 30 minutes (1½ hours total). Low and slow is the way to cook ribs – either pork or beef – otherwise the meat won’t be nice and tender.
  • Remove the ribs from the pot and place them on a serving plate or platter. Sprinkle with the seasoning blend, turning to coat both sides. Baste with the barbecue sauce on all sides.
  • reheat the grill to medium-high heat. When it’s ready, place the ribs on the grill and turn every 5 minutes, reapplying barbecue sauce each time, for a total of 15 minutes.The ribs will be nicely glazed with a slightly charred flavour.

Seasoning Blend

  • Meanwhile, make the seasoning blend. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, onion powder, salt, pepper, and sugar. Set aside.

Easy Barbecue Sauce

  • Next, make the barbecue sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, chili sauce, and Worcestershire until smooth. Set aside.
Keyword Barbecue Ribs, Spareribs

Dolly Parton's good looking cookin cookbook cover.

“Good Lookin’ Cookin’” Copyright © 2024 Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Aubrie Pick. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.”
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