Air Fryer Beef Ribs
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Air Fryer Beef Ribs are a short cut to juicy beef ribs that the family will love! It’s a great way to enjoy a delicious cut of beef that normally might take 8-10 hours and make it in just 35 minutes!
Why Does This Recipe Work
The air fryer’s convection oven cooks food by constantly circulating hot air around your food. This speeds up the cooking process. With ribs – you typically want to go low and slow – but this works too! While these aren’t the “fall-off-the-bone” ribs you’ll get from a long day of smoking ribs, you will come out with extremely juicy beef ribs that are just as full of flavor!
Best Air Fryer Accessories
Here’s my ultimate list of best air fryer accessories – whether you have a basket- or oven-style! I’ve also included a price guide as well as my favorite recipes for those accessories.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Beef Ribs
Good meat doesn’t need a lot of fancy ingredients! A lot of BBQ folks will tell you that salt and black pepper are all that’s needed. I went with:
- Rack of Beef Back Ribs – these are a very meaty rib and come out very juicy!
- BBQ Seasoning Rub – I always go with Historic BBQ – they’re local to me in Cinci and are so delicious! A great rub is going to have seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin and more.
- Favorite Barbecue Sauce – I love Williamson Bros but use what you love!
Beef Back Ribs vs Beef Short Ribs
Beef back ribs are from the back of the cow behind the shoulders. This area is also where prime rib and ribeye steaks are from. (yum!) The meat on back ribs is between the bones and these are great braised or barbecued.
Short ribs are from the lower part of the cow’s rib cage behind the brisket. The meat in beef short ribs is thicker and on top of the bones. These are best for a low-and-slow cooking methods. You can braise beef short ribs in a slow cooker or in a Dutch Oven.
How to Air Fry Beef Ribs
It’s really easy to air fry beef ribs – rub the ribs and pop them in the air fryer! Here’s a little more detail for you:
- Peel off the silver membrane from the back of the ribs. Use a boning knife to start the membrane on the edge of the ribs and then peel it back. Using a paper towel, pull on the membrane and it should come right off!
- Season the ribs with the dry rub on both sides. If you have time, let the ribs rest overnight with the seasoning.
- If you have an air fryer basket, you’ll likely need to cut the rack of ribs in half to fit. If you have an oven style, you can probably do a whole rack at once.
- Place your ribs in the air fryer meat side up (I tried both ways and up turned out meatier and juicier) in a single layer.
- Air fry at 320º for 25 minutes.
- Open the air fryer, flip the ribs and baste with your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook at 320º for another 10 minutes.
- Check the temperature of the meat with an instant read meat thermometer and the internal temperature reaches 190º.
- Brush with additional BBQ sauce and serve.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
They’ll be done in the air fryer in about 35 minutes for a half rack.
I wanted to cook them as low and slow as you can in an air fryer so I went with 320º. If you go at a lower temp, it will take a bit longer.
Yes – these ribs were very tender and juicy! Not “fall off the bone” but very juicy!
That’s a loaded question! I think the smoker is still the best way to make ribs – but these air fryer ribs were delicious and ready in 35 minutes instead of 9 hours!
Store any leftover ribs in an airtight container – I prefer these glass dishes with snap-tight lids.
I like reheating ribs by laying a damp paper towel on top and microwave them for 1 minute.
What side dishes to serve with Air Fryer Ribs
- Dijon Parmesan Potatoes
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Red Robin Freckled Lemonade
- No Cook Refrigerator Pickles
- Creamiest Macaroni & Cheese
More Air Fryer Recipes for Meat
Air Fryer Beef Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack of beef back ribs
- 3 tbsp Historic BBQ Black Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Williamson Bros. BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Peel off the silver membrane from the back of the ribs. Use a boning knife to start the membrane on the edge of the ribs and then peel it back. Using a paper towel, pull on the membrane and it should come right off!
- Season the ribs with the dry rub on both sides. If you have time, let the ribs rest overnight with the seasoning.
- If you have a basket air fryer, you'll likely need to cut the rack of ribs in half to fit. If you have an oven style, you can probably do a whole rack at once.
- Place your ribs in the air fryer meat side up (I tried both ways and up turned out meatier and juicier).
- Air fry at 320º for 25 minutes.
- Open the air fryer, flip the ribs and baste with your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook at 320º for another 10 minutes.
- Check the temperature of the meat with an instant read meat thermometer and it should be approx 190º.
- Brush with additional BBQ sauce and serve.
