North Carolina-Style BBQ Ribs
Pork spareribs (1 slab) and worcestershire sauce come together in this pork β 70 minutes, 7 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and grill / broiler. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F). Pat the ribs dry, flip them meat-side down and peel off the thin silver membrane on the back by loosening a corner with a knife and pulling it away with a paper towel.
- Combine the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper to make the rub, then massage it evenly over both sides of the slab.
- Wrap the ribs tightly in two layers of foil, set them on a baking sheet and bake low and slow for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and has pulled back from the bone ends.
- Meanwhile, make the Carolina mop sauce: in a small saucepan combine the cider vinegar, honey, worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt, and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then set aside.
- Carefully open the foil (watch for steam), brush the ribs generously with the vinegar sauce, and raise the oven to 220 C (425 F) or fire up a grill to medium-high.
- Cook the unwrapped ribs for a further 12 to 15 minutes, basting with more sauce once or twice, until the surface is glazed and lightly charred at the edges.
- Confirm the ribs are cooked through and tender, then rest them for 10 minutes. Cut between the bones into individual ribs and serve with the remaining vinegar sauce on the side.
You'll use: Oven Β· Grill / broiler Β· Saucepan Β· Pan Β· Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Honey
- maple syrup Β· agave
Tips & common questions
How long does North Carolina-Style BBQ Ribs take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Try white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
North Carolina-Style BBQ Ribs is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Pig neon sign, Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee LCCN2010630376.tif (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.