Tender Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs
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Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs are a perfect way to get tender baby back ribs when you just don’t feel like hanging around outside with the smoker.
I think my sous vide baby back ribs are off the chart and I have to thank my sous vide machine for all of the magic.
I love my sous vide machine. I don’t mean like kind of love. I really love it. It’s my favorite kitchen gadget.
My wife and I use it at least once a week. There isn’t much I have cooked with it that didn’t turn out absolutely fantastic.
All of my steaks start out in the sous vide machine as well. You can read all about that method here.
I also love baby back ribs, but there are some days I just don’t feel like screwing with my smoker.
One rainy weekend I really wanted ribs but didn’t feel like babysitting the smoker in the rain, so I had the brilliant idea of doing some research on sous vide ribs.
There’s a lot of information on the interwebs about how to sous vide a large variety of meats, including baby back ribs.
The variation in information, techniques, and results are wide, so I am giving a rundown of my preferred method of cooking sous vide ribs.
I don’t like tough ribs. I actually prefer my ribs to be almost fall off the bone tender.
So in this recipe, we’re going to aim for some delicious fall off the bone sous vide baby back ribs.
Ribs
Good Sous Ribs begins at the grocery store. Get your ribs from your local butcher or go with an organic brand if you can.
I haven’t had good luck with the megastore brands like Tyson, so I avoid them at all costs.
When buying your ribs, you want to look for a rack that’s got an even thickness across the whole rack with no bones sticking through any of the meat (shiners).
Once you get them home, you’ll want to pull them out of whatever packaging you bought them in and pat them dry.
There might be a membrane on the backside of your ribs. Check out this video on how to remove the membrane.
INGREDIENTS
You’ll need a full rack of ribs, a quarter cup of yellow mustard, and a quarter cup of liquid smoke.
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut your ribs up into three or four smaller portions.
Since we aren’t smoking these ribs, I like to coat the ribs in mustard and liquid smoke to give them a more BBQ-like flavor. Mix together the yellow mustard and the liquid smoke.
Brush the mustard and smoke mixture onto the ribs.
Then coat the ribs in your favorite BBQ rub. I highly recommend using my super simple versatile BBQ rub because it actually goes really well with this recipe.
After you have your ribs well coated, place them into vacuum bags or into heavy-duty freezer bags.
Remove as much of the air from your bags as you can.
Sous Vide Settings
Set your sous vide machine to 165 degrees F.
Place the ribs into your water bath and cook for 9 hours.
If you don’t want your ribs to be fall off the bone tender, then you can try cooking them 6 to 7 hours.
Your mileage may vary but experiment with the cooking time.
FINISHING
After you sous vide your ribs for however long you want to cook them, pull them out of the bags.
Do not clean them off or pat them dry. Let whatever sticks to them stay.
We will let them dry on the grill and the more goodness that’s left on the ribs the better.
Preheat your charcoal or gas grill with a two-zone fire.
Place all of your charcoal on one side of your grill or turn your gas on so that only roughly half of the grill has flames on.
This setup gives your grill a hotter side and a cooler side.
Place your ribs on the cooler zone meat side up. Put on the lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and glaze your ribs in your favorite BBQ sauce.
Cook the ribs for another 5 minutes.
Put another layer of BBQ sauce on your ribs and cook 5 more minutes.
If you’d like some char on your ribs, put the ribs meat side down over direct heat for 20-30 seconds. Be careful and keep a close eye on your ribs if you go this route.
I normally don’t do this route because I’ve had too many problems with the sauce sticking to the grates or burning the sauce.
However, once your ribs are done to your liking, pull them off the grill and let them cool for 10-15 minutes. I like to cut my ribs into individual ribs to serve.
TOOLS I USE
This post contains affiliate links.
Anova sous vide machine I use.
Starter Sous Vide Bag kit you can always upgrade to an electric vacuum sealer if you decide to sous vide all the time.
Of course, you will also need to buy sealing bags separately when you choose this route.
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Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup liquid smoke
- 1/2 cup BBQ Rub
- BBQ Sauce optional
Instructions
- Set the sous vide machine into a water bath and set to 165⁰F.
- Cut the rack of ribs into 4 equal pieces.
- Combine the yellow mustard and the liquid smoke and brush onto both sides of the ribs.
- Sprinkle BBQ rub evenly over both sides of the ribs,
- Brush the mustard and smoke mixture onto the ribs.
- Place the rib section into vacuum bags or into heavy-duty freezer bags and remove as much of the air from your bags as you can.
- Place the sealed ribs into the sous vide setup and cook for 9 hours. For less tender ribs try 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove the ribs from the water when finished cooking.
- Remove from the bags, do not rinse or dry off.
- Char the ribs if desired on a two zoned grill or under the broiler, if desired.
- Ribs may be coated with BBQ sauce prior to charring.
Notes
- Reduce cooking time for less tender ribs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Ron Unz
Dr. Ron Unz, PhD
Dr. Ron Unz is a physicist, food journalist, and co-founder of Pear Tree Kitchen. A Mississippi State University graduate and certified BJCP beer judge, he brings a scientist's precision to the kitchen and the brew kettle. When he's not in the lab, he's perfecting recipes and crafting beer pairings for family and friends.
I would suggest smoking the ribs up to 150°, then vacuum seal and sous vide for your original cook time/temp minus the time in the smoker. Follow that up with a reverse sear.
Thanks Tony for sharing! I bet smoking first might add some serious smoke flavor.
Hello! Do you think it’s possible to do all the steps up to the vacuum seal and refrigerate until we’re ready? We’re going on vacation and I’d love to make these there but take them already prepped. Also, can these be finished off in the oven after the sous vide? If so at what temp would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi Karla!
They can be stored in the refrigerator! have kept mine stored there for up to 4 days without an issue. I would finish them under a broiler if possible, if not then try baking them at 375F and as high as 425F. Hope this helps!
Hi, so today I left my baby back ribs for 12 hours 154 degrees in the Sous vide and they still weren’t fall of the bone. It was delicious but next time I would leave them in there a little longer. The meat was soft but I like it when I can rip them apart with my fingers and don’t even need a knife. So how is it possible that yours are fall of the bone with a higher temperature and less time? I just got my Sous vide and I’m trying to understand and learn more about it
Hi Mandy!
The difference is the science of the cooking temperatures. Serious Eats has a great explanation of why it takes longer at lower temperatures. You’ll also need to experiment with your sous vide machine t determine which temperature ranges work best for your preferences. We like the more traditional mouth feel and prefer the ones we cook at 165, we also like being able to start ribs in the morning and being able to eat them the same night. Lowering the sous vide temperature by even a few degrees can add hours to the cooking time.
Hope this helps!
Cheers!
I love cooking Sous Vide. I really want to try the baby back rib rought but I do not have a charcoal grill. Can they be finished off in an electric smoker?
I’m thinking 1 hour at 225 degrees.
Any thoughts
Hi Mike!
I think they would be great in the smoker! You can even finish these under a broiler. The ribs are pretty much ready to eat out of the sous vide.
Cheers!
Thanks for your quick response.
Do you have any suggestions on time and temperature in the smoker for finishing?
My original idea was 1 hour at 225.
Any thoughts
Hi Mike!
We have never tried smoking already cooked ribs. Since these should already be cooked all the way through I would only leave them in the smoker long enough to cook off any remaining liquid and pick up some smoky flavor. I would check them around the 30-minute mark and decide if it needs more time.
Sorry, I can’t be more help.
Cheers!
I would suggest smoking the ribs up to 150°, then vacuum seal and sous vide for your original cook time/temp minus the time in the smoker. Follow that up with a reverse sear.
I would try a much higher temp to finish in the smoker. Maybe 10-15 min at 450 degrees. Just enough the glaze the outside with a crispy crust and put a little smoke flavor on.
Hi Jay!
Thanks for the tip!
I use my sousvide on the stove on a flat top diffuser. It works really well like that.
Hi Lisa!
Brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
I was worried when I saw that metal pot on what appears to be a marble or granite countertop, because I caused a tiny hairline crack in my quartz countertop with the same set up, metal pot set on a microfiber dish-drying pad, at only 150 degrees! I now have that double-walled so-vida container and it is sitting on my thickest wood cutting board until I find out if silicone pads won’t conduct heat through to the counter.
Hi Janet!
Thanks for stopping by! Great insight into the dangers of heating a pan while sitting on a stone countertop! The countertop in that particular photo is laminate but we will be sure to keep your advice in mind if it’s ever upgraded to granite.
Cheers!
If you want char/bark without the ribs sticking to the grill, try finishing them under the broiler in the oven.
Hi Steve!
Thanks for stopping by! Great tip! That’s how I char my Slow Cooker Ribs! I actually ruined one of my favorite baking pans this way.
Cheers!
If you don’t quite have 6-7 hours would you recommend increasing the sous vide temp? If so, to what temp for 5 hours in the bath?
Hi RH!
You can try 5 hours on the ribs and they will just have a bit more “bite” to them. You can also try turning your temperature up to 167 Degrees F.
Hope this helps!
Cheers!