Growing up near Memphis, I became loyal to their signature “dry” ribs early on in life, preferring them to the “wet,” or sauced, kind found elsewhere. There are many theories about how best to cook ribs (boil first then grill, or barbecue slow and low the whole way?), but in the air fryer, you can have tender, pull-apart ribs in a fraction of the traditional time. The spice rub ensures a crunchy, caramelized exterior “shell” as well, so there’s nothing missing here except the hefty barbecue grill and all the mess that comes along with it.
Recipe information
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, mustard powder, and pepper. Add the ribs and toss and rub the seasonings into them with your hands until they’re fully coated.
Step 2
Arrange the ribs in the air fryer basket standing up on their ends and leaned up against the wall of the basket and each other. Cook at 350°F until the ribs are tender inside and golden brown and crisp on the outside, about 35 minutes. Transfer the ribs to plates and serve hot.
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Reviews (13)
Back to TopInstead of using mustard powder. I used wet mustard as a rub and season with my own rub. I let set in a bowl for a 30 to 40min /9 the seasoning will set. Then I cook for about 25 min each batch in my air fryer until they are at a crisp and they come out perfect. I create a honey mustard dipping g sauce to serve with it.
Criss
9/18/2022
has anyone tried these in a convection oven? If so how did that work? I typically sous vide and finish on a grill but this seems to be a dry rub. Not sure how these would ever be anything but dried out, but I'm willing to be educated. :)
mj
Ann Arbor, Michigan
2/12/2022
This was my first attempt at using my new air fryer. These were very good - tender, but with a good chew. I used baby back ribs. I thunk I used too much rub (my own). I am used to sprinkling the rub on a full rack of ribs. When I cut them into individual ribs prior to cooking, I think I got too much on as it hit the sides as well. Next time not so much, but that was my fault. I cooked them for 13 minutes, as they are significantly smaller than St. Louis style. That was just right. The flavor was very good but different than my usual method of baking in the oven first and then finishing them on the grill. Definitely will make again (with less rub).
Anonymous
Manhattan Beach, CA
8/8/2020
Meh. I agree with one cook below who thinks that a nice sous vide and then finish on the grill is better than this recipe, but I'm not done with this one yet. Not all air fryers are the same and mine won't accommodate the ribs standing up unless they can lean at almost a 45° angle from the center. The ribs were a bit overcooked at 35 mins and weren't tender. The sugar caused the dangly bits to char. I found the rub to be a bit salty and when I try it again I'll use much less rub on each rib, maybe using only baby back ribs that are inherently much shorter.
duspin
Boston, MA
8/6/2019
We vote on recipes when we make them for the first time. We have the Nuwave air fryer and made ribs with this method and my own rub. Three thumbs up for the method. Today I decided to make up a double batch of this rub for use on pork loin. I added tumeric instead of mustard powder then put it through the sifter a few times before putting in a canning jar to seal out moisture. My husband tasted it and said I need to make a much bigger batch and put it in 8 oz. Jars to go in holiday gift bags. Thanks for the recipe!
Lizcoppus
Ohio
5/7/2019
4 spoons when considering how easy it was to make. My 13 yr old son made it as well - finger-lickin' good!
timcat
3/14/2019
PERFECT! I used "Country style" pork spareribs (3/4in), my own dry rub (similar spices), tossed it in sunflower seed oil, placed them flat in the air fryer and followed the temp & time and my god, my boyfriend couldn't have loved it more!
Peacheats
NY
1/30/2019
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