These ribs keep things simple: a bold chili-forward dry rub, a long slow cook, and a sweet-savory tomato barbecue sauce that clings to every bite. If you want backyard barbecue flavor without fussing over a dozen fancy ingredients, this one gets the job done.
The sauce simmers low and slow for deep flavor, while the ribs cook covered over low heat until tender. For best food safety and texture, keep the rubbed ribs refrigerated while they rest and cook pork to a safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F, then let it rest before serving, as explained by the USDA grilling safety guidelines.
- 🍖 Ingredients
- 🥣 How to Make BB King’s BBQ Ribs
- 🔥 Tips for the Best Ribs
- 🔄 Easy Variations
- 🥡 Storage and Leftovers
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- 💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: BB King’s BBQ Ribs
- 🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions about BB King’s BBQ Ribs
- 📌 Love this BB King’s BBQ Ribs? Pin it!
- 🖨️ Print-Friendly BB King’s BBQ Ribs
🍖 Ingredients
You’ll make two parts here: a tomato-based barbecue sauce and a smoky dry rub. The sauce is sweet, tangy, and salty in the right way, while the rub builds that barbecue-shop flavor before the ribs ever hit the grill.
BBQ sauce
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dried onion
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup dry spice rub
Ribs
- 2 pounds pork loin ribs
Dry spice rub
- 1 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
If you like to keep homemade seasoning blends on hand, a batch of BBQ Dry Rub or BBQ Spice Mixture fits right into the same flavor lane.
🥣 How to Make BB King’s BBQ Ribs
- Combine the chili powder, garlic granules, onion powder, cumin, salt, and seasoned salt in a bowl until evenly mixed.
- Rub the spice blend all over the pork loin ribs, coating both sides well.
- Cover the ribs tightly and refrigerate them for 4 to 6 hours.
- In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomato, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, soy sauce, water, and 1/2 cup of the dry spice rub.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook it for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the flavors mellow.
- Preheat a grill or smoker over low heat until hot.
- Place the ribs on the grill, cover, and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 hours until tender.
- Brush the ribs with sauce during the last few minutes of cooking so the sugars in the sauce dont burn too early.
- Rest briefly, slice, and serve with extra sauce on the side if you like.
🔥 Tips for the Best Ribs
Cook low, not fast. These ribs need gentle heat and time. If your grill runs too hot, the outside dries out before the meat turns tender.
Save the sauce for the end. Since the sauce contains tomato and brown sugar, it can scorch if brushed on too early. A late glaze gives you shine and flavor without burnt spots.
Dont waste the whole rub on one batch. The dry rub recipe makes more than you need for these 2 pounds of ribs. Use the stated 1/2 cup in the sauce plus enough to coat the ribs well, then store the rest for another cookout.
Covered cooking matters. Keeping the grill or smoker covered helps the ribs cook evenly and hold moisture. Constantly lifting the lid just lets the heat escape. Your ribs arent going anywhere.
🔄 Easy Variations
Want more heat? Add a pinch of cayenne to the dry rub or serve the ribs with Copycat Frank’s Red Hot Sauce on the side.
Prefer a smoother sauce? Skip the diced tomato for a more uniform texture. The flavor still stays rich and tomato-forward.
Need a stronger smoky edge? Cook these in a smoker instead of a standard grill, or use a slightly smokier seasoning blend. The base sauce is sturdy enough to handle it.
Like a saltier barbecue profile? Use regular soy sauce if thats what you keep on hand, but dont add extra salt until you taste the finished sauce.
🥡 Storage and Leftovers
Cooked ribs: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a shallow, airtight container. Use within 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 to 4 months for best quality.
Barbecue sauce: Cool the sauce completely, then refrigerate it in a sealed jar or container for up to 4 days. This is a conservative estimate based on the cooked tomato mixture and the meat-free ingredients used here.
Dry spice rub: Store the extra rub in an airtight jar in a cool, dry cupboard for up to 6 months for best flavor. It may stay safe longer, but ground spices lose punch over time, and dull barbecue rub is just pantry confetti.
Raw rubbed ribs: Keep the seasoned ribs refrigerated during the 4 to 6 hour rest. If you need to prep ahead, cook or freeze fresh pork within 3 to 5 days of purchase.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve these ribs with baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, coleslaw, or thick slices of bread to catch the extra sauce. They also pair well with a sharp, tangy side to balance the sweet tomato glaze.
If youre building a full cookout spread, add a bowl of Arby’s BBQ Sauce for dipping or comparison. Nobody complains about extra sauce options at a barbecue.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: BB King's BBQ Ribs
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Tomato Sauce, 15 oz
- Diced Tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- Brown Sugar, 32 oz
- Worcestershire Sauce, 10 fl oz
- Minced Onion, 2.35 oz
- Soy Sauce, 15 fl oz
- BBQ Dry Rub, 4.62 oz
- Pork Back Ribs, about 3 lb tray
- Chili Powder, 3 oz
- Garlic Powder, 3.4 oz
- Onion Powder, 3.25 oz
- Ground Cumin, 2.5 oz
- Iodized Salt, 26 oz
- Seasoned Salt, 8 oz
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about BB King’s BBQ Ribs
Absolutely. Bake the ribs tightly covered at 300°F until tender, then brush on the sauce near the end and uncover briefly to set the glaze. Low heat matters more than fancy equipment here, so your oven can do the heavy lifting just fine.
That long simmer cooks off excess water and rounds out the sharp edges from the tomato, soy sauce, and dried onion. You end up with a thicker sauce that actually sticks to the ribs instead of sliding off like it has somewhere better to be.
No, and you shouldn’t. This recipe already calls for 1/2 cup of the rub to go into the sauce, so use only enough to coat the ribs generously and save the rest in a jar for another batch. That keeps the seasoning balanced instead of burying the meat under a spice dune.
Yes, both work. Baby back ribs usually cook a bit faster and stay leaner, while spare ribs take longer and give you a richer, meatier bite. Keep the heat low either way and start checking tenderness toward the earlier end of the 3 to 5 hour range.
It adds a deeper savory note and a little tang without making the sauce taste obviously fishy or sharp. Even the small amount here helps the tomato sauce taste fuller and less flat, which is handy when you’re building flavor from pantry basics.
Keep the heat low, leave the grill covered, and don’t sauce them too early. Early sugar can burn before the meat is tender, while steady covered cooking gives the ribs time to soften without turning into barbecue jerky.
You can, and it’s a smart move if you want an easier cook day. Let it cool completely, refrigerate it in a sealed container, and use it within 4 days so the flavor stays fresh and the texture stays right.
Go with classic barbecue sides that balance the sweet-savory sauce, like coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, or plain bread. Something cool or tangy on the side keeps the plate from tasting too heavy.
Yes, just double every sauce ingredient and keep the simmer gentle so it reduces evenly. A wider pot helps it cook down faster, and extra sauce is never the problem at a rib dinner.
Look for tender meat that bends easily and has pulled back from the bones a bit, then confirm doneness with a thermometer if needed. Since grill temperatures vary wildly from one backyard to the next, time alone is a suggestion, not a contract.
📌 Love this BB King’s BBQ Ribs? Pin it!
Did you make this recipe? Tell us how your ribs turned out and what you served with them in the comments. Your backyard barbecue notes might save somebody else from a dry rack and a bad side dish.
🖨️ Print-Friendly BB King’s BBQ Ribs
BB King's BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- BBQ sauce
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- ½ cup diced tomato
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dried onion
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup dry spice rub
- Ribs
- 2 pounds pork loin ribs
- Dry spice rub
- 1 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the chili powder, garlic granules, onion powder, cumin, salt, and seasoned salt in a bowl until evenly mixed.
- Rub the spice blend all over the pork loin ribs.
- Cover the ribs tightly and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
- In a saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, diced tomato, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, soy sauce, water, and 1/2 cup dry spice rub.
- Simmer the sauce for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat a grill or smoker over low heat until hot.
- Add the ribs, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 hours until tender.
- Brush with sauce during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Rest briefly, then slice and serve.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Cook time includes the 4 to 6 hour refrigeration period, 3 hour sauce simmer, and an estimated 1 hour overlap during grill setup and finishing workflow.
For food safety, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use cooked ribs within 3 to 4 days.
Extra dry rub can be stored in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months for best flavor.
