Learn the best way to cook riblets!I’ll teach you how to make riblets in the oven with this beef chuck riblets recipe. You can use this easy recipe for cooking pork riblets in oven or beef chuck riblets. You’ll love these delicious BBQ riblets that require only 3 ingredients and that are fall-off-the-bone tender. Oven baked riblets in foil are naturally low carb, keto, and gluten free (depending on the barbecue sauce you use).
If you want to learn how long do riblets take to cook, you’ve come to the right place. I recently picked up a package of beef riblets from Walmart at a great price. I knew I wanted to use them to share a barbecue beef riblets recipe with you.
And if you want to make barbecue pork riblets instead? Sure, this recipe should work for bone-in pork riblets as well.
But before we get cooking, let’s cover some basics. (Or you can hit that “jump to” button below if you’d rather skip right to the recipe.)
Jump to:
- 🥩 What are riblets?
- ⭐ Riblets Ingredients
- 🧂 Beef Chuck Riblets Rub
- 🔪 How to Cook Beef Chuck Riblets
- ⏲️ How long to cook riblets in the oven at 350?
- 🔥 How long to cook riblets in oven at 400?
- ❓ How to cut riblets?
- 🍖 How to cook pork riblets fast?
- 🤔 Can you undercook ribs?
- 🌡️ How to Reheat Riblets
- 🥗 What to have with riblets?
- 📋 Riblets Nutrition Facts
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 👨🏾🍳 Other BBQ Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🥩 What are riblets?
Where do riblets come from? As the name implies, riblets are small pieces cut from the full rack of ribs. You can purchase pork loin riblets, beef riblets, or lamb riblets.
What is the difference between beef ribs and beef riblets?
Beef riblets are simply small pieces from the rack of beef ribs. You can also find rib tips, which are boneless meaty portions of spare ribs that have some cartilage.
Are riblets the same as baby back ribs?
No, riblets are only half the length of baby back ribs. To make pork riblets, a rack of baby back ribs is cut down the center widthwise (through the bone).
Are riblets the same as short ribs?
No, short ribs have more meat and fat on them than riblets. The beef chuck riblets I purchased are the same cut as short ribs, but they had more meat cut off.
⭐ Riblets Ingredients
Here’s your shopping list for my recipe for riblets:
- One pound of riblets (454 grams)
- BBQ sauce
- BBQ seasoning
- Cooking oil spray
I used BBCues Beef Chuck Riblets for this recipe. They are available with the fresh meat at Super Walmart. Another popular option are Hormel riblets made of fresh pork.
Use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe, including sugar free or gluten free sauces. I used ½ cup of BBQ sauce for this recipe. Some of the BBQ sauces with no brown sugar are very thin, so you may only need ¼ cup for good coverage.
The Noble Made Classic Barbeque Seasoning is my favorite. I used it in this recipe and it’s a staple in my summertime BBQ recipes.
For kitchen equipment, you need foil, a glass baking dish large enough to hold the riblets, and an instant read thermometer. I use a silicone pastry brush to spread the sauce on the riblets, but you could also use the back of a spoon.
🧂 Beef Chuck Riblets Rub
I’m using a barbecue seasoning blend from the store for this recipe. However, you’re welcome to use a homemade BBQ seasoning blend if you’d prefer. Here are some other ideas for seasoning riblets:
- Cajun seasoning (for blackened riblets)
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Chili powder
If you make riblets without BBQ sauce, you could add black bean sauce or soy sauce after cooking. This would give your riblets an Asian-inspired flair.
🔪 How to Cook Beef Chuck Riblets
How we’re going to talk about how to cook seasoned riblets in oven. With this method, we’re steaming riblets in foil packets with no broiling involved. This is the best way to cook riblets that I’ve found (and the easiest as well).
⏲️ How long to cook riblets in the oven at 350?
How long to cook riblets in oven? Oven bake riblets for 105-120 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177C). (That’s 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.)
To begin, preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Season the riblets on both sides with the BBQ seasoning. It’s important to start with a 1 lb riblet piece; using smaller or larger pieces can impact the cooking time.
Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray. Place the seasoned riblet on the foil, meatier side up.
Brush barbecue sauce all over the top of the riblet. You don’t need to sauce both sides because some sauce ends up on the bottom of the packet as it cooks.
Make the foil into a packet around the meat by folding up the top and bottom, and then the sides. Place the closed foil packet into a glass baking dish. Do not use a dark baking sheet- when I tried this, the BBQ sauce burned onto the foil.
Put the baking dish with the riblets on a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes up to 2 hours.
The riblets should reach a minimum internal temperature of 180F (82C) or more. The meat should release easily from the bone when done. If you use an oven bag instead of foil, your riblets will take about 2.5 hours.
You can add additional BBQ sauce to your riblets after baking. Or skip it, it’s up to you!
🔥 How long to cook riblets in oven at 400?
Riblets are not steaks- they benefit from a long, low cooking time. I recommend baking them at a temp of 300-350F. At 400F, they may cook too quickly, not giving the tough connective tissue enough time to break down.
If you really want to cook riblets at 400 (200C), try baking them in foil for 80-90 minutes. (In other words, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.) Add additional baking time if they’re still tough, but don’t let the sauce burn.
No matter what temp you cook riblets at, you can increase tenderness by boiling them first. Boil the riblets for 20 minutes before seasoning, saucing, and baking. I always skip this step, but it’s suggested on the package of riblets I purchased.
❓ How to cut riblets?
After cooking, I like to cut riblets into smaller pieces by cutting lengthwise between each bone. This makes them easier to pick up and eat!
🍖 How to cook pork riblets fast?
Riblets are a slow food. For the best results, I don’t recommend trying to speed the process along. That said, you can cook in a foil packet, not an oven bag, to decrease the cooking time.
Another thing to try to cook riblets faster is to bake them at a higher temperature. This can be risky though, so I recommend sticking to an oven temp of 350F (177C) or lower for the best results.
🤔 Can you undercook ribs?
Yes, you can undercook riblets. You’ll know if this happened, because they’ll be quite tough. Cooking riblets for a long time at a relatively low temperature allows the tough connective tissue to break down.
🌡️ How to Reheat Riblets
There isn’t a lot of meat on riblets, so this recipe makes only 1-2 servings. You likely won’t have leftovers! If you do, remove the meat from the bones and store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can reheat leftover riblets in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
🥗 What to have with riblets?
What goes with riblets? My favorite side dishes for riblets are grilled corn on the cob and this southern potato salad recipe. You could also serve them with baked beans, coleslaw, or Amish Macaroni Salad.
Here are some other side dishes for riblets:
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Kale Apple Slaw
- Air Fryer Mexican Cornbread
- Frozen Green Beans in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
📋 Riblets Nutrition Facts
Here is the nutrition info for one 4-ounce serving of beef chuck riblets (113 grams):
- Calories: 430
- Total fat: 41g
- Saturated fat: 18g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
- Sodium: 55mg
- Total carbohydrate: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 16g
- Calcium: 0% DV
- Iron: 10% DV
This is for plain riblets without seasoning or BBQ sauce. The nutrition information for this BBQ riblets recipe can be found in the recipe card.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). I love delicious riblets! They’re rich in an assortment of B vitamins and a source of high-quality protein. However, they’re not a great choice if you are trying to lose weight.
Riblets are a very fatty meat, providing more fat than protein. A 4-ounce serving of riblets provides 369 calories from fat, and only 64 calories from protein.
Remember that you need to maintain a calorie deficit for weight loss. A 4-ounce serving of lean ground beef is only 140-170 calories. Beef riblets are 430 calories per 4-ounce serving, nearly 300 calories more.
Fat is the most energy dense macronutrient. That means it packs a lot of calories into a small volume. If you want to lose weight without eating less food, one way to do it is to swap fatty meats for lean protein.
In addition to being high in total fat, riblets are also high in saturated fat. This is the type of fat to cut back on if you’re trying to improve your cholesterol levels.
Riblets are also typically bathed in sugary BBQ sauce and salty seasonings. These additions are more reasons riblets aren’t the best choice if you’re trying to eat a heart healthy diet.
All of that said, you’ll still find me enjoying riblets on occasion, particularly during summer holidays like July 4th and Memorial Day. IMVHO, it’s fine to enjoy treats like riblets on occasion, if they don’t conflict with a medically prescribed diet. However, they really shouldn’t be an everyday food in most diets.
FAQs
How to make riblets on the grill?
Here’s a recipe for grilled and smoked riblets that looks absolutely amazing. The recipe has you smoke riblets with cherry wood and then grill them up. I might have to go grocery shopping so I can make these grilled pork riblets very soon. Yum!
How to make air fryer riblets?
Can you cook riblets in an air fryer? I don’t recommend cooking riblets in the air fryer, as the fast cooking time and dry heat makes them tough. You can use the air fryer to quickly reheat riblets that have already been cooked.
How to make riblets in Instant Pot?
You can make Instant Pot riblets using the slow cooker setting and the directions below. Pressure cooker riblets need sufficient liquid to prevent burning. If you want to go this route, you’re better off making the riblets into a soup instead of BBQ riblets.
How to make riblets in slow cooker?
Riblets take 6-7 hours on low in the slow cooker. To prevent the BBQ sauce from burning, add it towards the end of cooking. Spray the crock pot with cooking spray so the seasoned riblets don’t stick.
Where to buy riblets?
Where to get riblets? If you don’t feel like cooking, certain restaurants such as Applebee’s sells riblets. I buy riblets at Super Walmart; the riblets price is a reasonable $2.94 per pound. (This may vary by location and is subject to change.)
👨🏾🍳 Other BBQ Recipes
Need more barbecue recipes? You may enjoy these:
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
- Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (Air Fryer)
📖 Recipe
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