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air fryer ribs served on butcher paper with a side dish of bbq sauce
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Smoky Air Fryer Ribs

These Air Fryer Pork Ribs are full of delectable, smoky, bbq flavor.
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American, Western
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 147kcal
Author Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds (700g) 1 slab of baby back pork ribs cut into individual pieces
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • salt to taste
  • ½ cup (118ml) barbecue sauce your favorite brand

Instructions

  • Place ribs in a bowl and add the paprika and salt, mixing to coat well.
  • Then add barbecue sauce and allow ribs to marinade for 30 minutes or so. However, if you don't have the extra time you can move straight to cooking.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
  • Remove the ribs from marinade, discarding the excess.
  • Place ribs inside the air fryer basket, making sure to allow space in between each rib.
  • Cook for 10-12 minutes for thin separated ribs, or 20-25 minutes for thicker ribs. Turn ribs once halfway through the cook time.

Notes

  • Feel free to slather on additional bbq sauce over ribs liberally and cook for a few more minutes just before removing them if you prefer these Air Fryer baby back ribs saucier.
  • I prefer to have ribs separate when air frying, but if you prefer to cook as a whole slab (assuming your air fryer style basket is big enough), you may need to cook pork ribs for a few minutes longer.
  • Please note these ribs are not going to fall off the bone. For that, you would need to do some slow cooking, oven bake long and slow, or pressure cook them.
  • For the best results, cook baby ribs in a single layer in the air fyer basket with space around all sides so the hot air rapidly circulates to cook them evenly. You might need to cook them in two batches if you don't have a large air fryer.
  • Keep an eye on the cooked pork ribs in the last few minutes, as it can go from tender meat to burnt very quickly.
  • For the best results, preheat the air fryer while preparing ribs for cooking.
  • Temperatures of air fryers can vary depending on the make and model. I recommend starting with less cook time, checking for doneness, then adding more time as needed.
  • Storage - keep leftovers in an airtight container inside the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • There are 5 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 285mg | Potassium: 172mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.5mg