These Easy Air Fryer Ribs are juicy, tender, and easy to whip up! You can use baby back, spare, or any of your favorite cuts of pork. Be sure to drizzle these in your favorite BBQ sauce.

This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.

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Do you live in a part of the country that has harsh winters? I do! I’m a Midwest gal. I live in Kansas City. Not only do we have harsh winters, but we are KNOWN for our BBQ here. No other city or state can compare to ours! The air fryer makes it easy to enjoy ribs year round.

What Type of Ribs to Use

You can use any ribs you like in this recipe, the prep and cook times will remain about the same. I used spare pork ribs.

Spare ribs are cut from the belly and behind the shoulder. They are closer to the belly and tend to have more fat. These ribs are also really flat. Because they have more fat, there’s lots of flavor so some people tend to favor these.

A slab or rack of baby back often includes 10-13 ribs and weighs 1- 3 pounds. One rack is usually enough to serve 2 people, maybe 3 or 4 if 2 pounds. This slab was a little over 3 pounds.

St. Louis Style ribs are spare ribs that have been trimmed down by cutting away the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage, otherwise known as connective tissue.

Beef back ribs are from the upper part of the cow and are the same cut found in bone-in ribeyes. These are usually mostly bone and fat, with a small amount of meat, but have lots of flavor.

Beef short ribs come from the lower part of the animal. These are typically really meaty and often served braised.

How to Season the Ribs

You can use a dry rub or a liquid marinade for the ribs. A dry rub is a combination of spices and seasoning added to the meat to enhance flavor. It’s different from a marinade which has liquid ingredients (often to tenderize the meat) like apple cider vinegar or citrus.

The purpose of a dry rub is to create a crust around the meat. A dry rub will enhance the flavor of the ribs without using moisture or a liquid marinade. Rubs are usually a little more coarse than simply adding seasoning.

 I love to use my Homemade BBQ Rub and Seasoning for these. It’s a combination of the following:

• Brown Sugar or Sweetener
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Smoked Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper

Feel free to use your favorite rub.

How to Make Easy Air Fryer Ribs

1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
2. Drizzle the liquid smoke over both sides of the ribs.
3. Season both sides with the pork rub, salt and pepper.
4. Air fry.

Air Fryer Temperature

I use 360 degrees.

Cook Time/How Long to Cook

The ribs will need 30 minutes to marinate and another 30 minutes of cook time. You can complete the recipe in about an hour.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftovers can be stored tightly covered and sealed for 3-4 days.

How to Reheat

Reheat leftovers at 350 degrees in the air fryer until warm.

Freezer Tips

You can freeze ribs tightly covered and sealed for up to 3 months.

If you prefer to make your own BBQ sauce, check out this post on Homemade BBQ Sauce recipes.

More Ribs Recipes

Traeger Smoked Ribs (3-2-1 Method)
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Pair These With:

How to Grill the Best Burgers
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Southern Coleslaw
Southern Potato Salad
Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Quesadillas
Air Fryer Cheeseburgers
Air Fryer Homemade Fries
Air Fryer Panko Breaded Bang Bang Shrimp
Air Fryer Turkey Legs
Air Fryer Sausage
Oven Baked Roasted Corn on the Cob

Get a full list of Air Fryer Recipes here.

Easy Air Fryer Ribs

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

These Easy Air Fryer Ribs are juicy, tender, and easy to whip up! You can use baby back, spare, or any of your favorite cuts of pork. Be sure to drizzle these in your favorite BBQ sauce.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 rack ribs (baby back or spare ribs)
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 2-3 tablespoons pork or BBQ rub I used my Homemade Rub linked in the notes below
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.This is a thin layer that can be tough to remove. Sometimes it will peel right off. You can also cut it, and pull it off.  Cut the ribs in half or so the ribs are able to fit in the air fryer.
2. Drizzle the liquid smoke over both sides of the ribs.
3. Season both sides with the pork rub, salt and pepper.
4. Cover the ribs and allow the ribs to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
5. Add the ribs to the air fryer. It is ok to stack the ribs.
6. Cook for 15 minutes on 360 degrees.
7. Open the air fryer. Flip the ribs. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Remove the ribs from the air fryer. Drizzle the ribs with BBQ sauce.

Notes

Get the recipe for Low-Carb Homemade BBQ Sauce here.

Get the recipe for my Homemade BBQ Rub here.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Power Air Fryer XL 5.3 Quart
• 
  Evo Oil Sprayer Bottle, Non-Aerosol for Olive Oil and Cooking Oils, 8-ounce Capacity, Set of 2
• 
  Air Fryer Accessories for Gowise Phillips and Cozyna, Deluxe Set of 6, Fit all 3.7QT
• 
  WRIGHT'S Hickory Liquid Smoke - 3.5 Oz
• 
  McCormick PORK RUB 3.46oz (2 pack)

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 375Total Fat 27gCarbohydrates 12 net gProtein 18g