Tender Air Fryer Pork Ribs with Smoky Homemade Dry Rub

Tender, juicy ribs cooked in an air fryer. Ribs are seasoned with a tasty homemade dry rub and cooked quickly for an easy weeknight dinner.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs
• 3 cups Water
• 1 1/2 cups Apple juice
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsp Black peppercorns
• 4-5 Whole pimento seeds
• 1 Whole nutmeg
• 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Korean Chili Flakes

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Step 1: Brine the Ribs ---
2. 2Mix the brine ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the brining liquid to a saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil then reduce to a simmer cooking for 10 minutes then allow to cool. Once cool, place the ribs in a large ziplock back, add the brine, and marinate the ribs overnight.
3. 3--- Step 2: Season The Ribs ---
4. 4Mix the spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. 5Season the slab of baby back ribs with the bbq spice rub, covering both the front and back of the ribs. Set aside.
6. 6--- Step 3: Air Fry The Ribs ---
7. 7Pre-heat the air fryer to 380 degrees F for a few minutes. Then place the pork ribs in the air fryer basket, meat side down and cook for 15 minutes.
8. 8Once the 15 minutes are up, grab a pair of tongs and flip the ribs over, and cook for an additional 8 minutes still at 380 degrees.
9. 9Optional Step: If you prefer sauced ribs, using your favorite bbq sauce brush the sauce on the ribs and then cook in the air fryer for another 2 minutes.
10. 10Remove the ribs and allow them to rest for a few minutes. Feel free to cover with additional bbq sauce if you like saucy ribs or sprinkle more of the dry rub on them. If cooking both halves of ribs repeat for the other half rack.