Kansas City Style Ribs (2024)

By Kevin

published Apr 30, 2018, updated Mar 21, 2022

5 from 11 votes

Servings: 6

Prep: 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cook: 2 hours hrs

Total: 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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• ▢ 2 racks baby back pork ribs or spare ribs
• ▢ Oak or hickory wood chips soaked (if smoking)
• ▢ Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce (recipe link)
• ▢ Kansas City Style Dry Rub (recipe link)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke (See Note 1)

• Whisk together the Kansas City Style Dry Rub spices together and set aside.

• Remove the membrane from the back of the rack, and trim the pork ribs of any excess fat. Rub each rack liberally with the rub on both sides. Wrap ribs in foil or large container and refrigerate over night (optional, minimum 2 hours).

• Remove the ribs from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Soak wood chips and start your grill or smoker.

  See Also

  Sweet And Spicy Kansas City Rib Rub Recipe

• Mix together the Kansas City Style barbecue sauce recipe and set aside or use your favorite.

For the Grill:

• If you like it low and slow, set up the grill and preheat to 225°F. Add smoker chips per manufacturer’s instructions if using.

• Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate, cover the grill and and cook the ribs about 4 to 5 hours for baby backs or 5 to 6 hours for spare ribs.

• In the last hour of grilling/smoking, baste the top of each rack with the reserved marinade or BBQ sauce every 15 minutes and close the lid. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.

• Remove from the grill and let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the ribs.

• If you don’t have the time: Set up the grill and preheat to medium (325° to 350°F).

• Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate, cover the grill and cook the ribs for 2 1/2 to 3 hours for spare ribs or 1 1/2 to 2 hours for baby back ribs.

• In the last hour of grilling/smoking, baste the top of each rack with the reserved marinade or BBQ sauce every 15 minutes and close the lid. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.You want the ribs to have an internal temperature of 195°F. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.

• Remove from the grill and let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the ribs.

For the Smoker:

• Set up and light the smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to low (225°F). Add smoker chips per manufacturer’s instructions.

• Place the ribs in the smoker bone side down and smoke until cooked through, 4 to 5 hours for baby backs or 5 to 6 hours for spare ribs.

• In the last 2 hours of grilling/smoking, baste the top of each rack with the reserved marinade or BBQ sauce every 15 minutes and close the lid. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. You want the ribs to have an internal temperature of 195°F.

• Remove from the smoker and let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the ribs.

For the Oven:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.

• Place the ribs, bone side down, on top of a wire rack set in an aluminum foil lined baking tray and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours for spare ribs or 1 1/2 to 2 hours for baby back ribs. Halfway through, cover ribs with aluminum foil to protect them from drying out.

• In the last 1/2 hour of baking, baste the top of each rack with the barbecue sauce, re-cover with foil, and finish cooking. At this point they should be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. You want the ribs to have an internal temperature of 195°F. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.

For the Instant Pot:

• Place trivet in bottom of pot and add 1 cup of water (or apple/pineapple juice, optional).

• Set ribs upright on the trivet so they are not stacked on top of one another.

• Close lid and vent. Select Manual Pressure and set timer for 24 minutes (25-28 minutes depending if they’re extra meaty).

• Once done, allow the Instant Pot to go through natural release.

• Brush with marinade or barbecue sauce (or olive oil/seasoning for dry ribs) and broil or grill until slightly sticky and slightly charred.

1. Only use the liquid smoke if baking in the kitchen. Add it to the BBQ Sauce before basting in last 30 minutes of baking, but this is optional.
2. For pork, the accepted finished temperature is 145°F. However, the collagen inside your ribs hasn’t had time to become gelatin for that perfect bite, which happens when the internal temperatures reach 165°F. It’s recommended to continue cooking ribs until they reach an internal temperature of 195°F to 200°F for that fall off the bone goodness.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main

Cuisine: American, Southern, Western