Copycat Famous Dave's Ribs - Best BBQ Ribs Recipe! (2024)

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Best BBQ Rib Recipes

Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Ribs (Famous Dave's Pit Barbecue Ribs) are the absolute best BBQ rib recipes for grilling out or cooking in your oven. Either way you cook these racks of ribs up, you'll be happy with the tasty results that will leave your mouth watering.

The sauce is slathered all over the ribs with a basting brush. It's like painting (with sauce), only it really doesn't matter at all if you get out of the lines. Basting brushes are a great tool to have in the kitchen when it comes to adding sauce to meat, but it is also good for brushing butter or other sauces onto dough and more.

Copycat Famous Dave's Ribs - Best BBQ Ribs Recipe! (1)

Now, you can buy Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce to save some time if you're going to be making these ribs later on, but if you don't have time and have the ingredients on hand--get ready to make this recipe from scratch.

Finish your meal off with an amazing side dish of Copycat KFC Coleslaw, Rosemary Bread, and Banana Cream Dessert.

Copycat Famous Dave's Ribs - Best BBQ Ribs Recipe! (2)

Best Ribs Recipe

Who doesn’t like smoked, saucy, gooey, tender ribs? It seems so easy to go out to eat these delectable treats but the truth is you can make them at home and they might even taste slightly better.

After all, you get to pick the cut of meat, you get to pick all the other ingredients and heck you can even adjust the recipe to suit yourself.

Plus, the smell of these ribs smoking is not to be missed. Everyone will be amazed and impressed. You don’t have to tell them it’s a copycat, it’s our secret.

Copycat Famous Dave's Ribs - Best BBQ Ribs Recipe! (3)

Recipe

Copycat Famous Dave’s Pit – Best BBQ Rib Recipes

All She Cooks

Make restaurant quality bbq ribs at home with this easy to follow recipe. It will be a big hit!

4.7 from 29 votes

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Prep Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Main dishes

Cuisine American

Ingredients

Rub

  • 2 packed cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup Kosher salt
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup garlic seasoning
  • ¼ cup chili powder
  • ¼ cup lemon pepper
  • ¼ cup onion salt
  • ¼ cup celery salt
  • 2 tablespoons ground black pepper coarse
  • 2 tablespoons whole celery seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cloves crushed
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne
  • ½ cup Mrs. Dash Original Blend
  • ¼ cup salt

Ribs

  • 2 4 to 5 pound racks spareribs
  • ½ cup Italian salad dressing
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper coarse
  • ½ packed cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup dried onion minced
  • 1 cup Rib Rub – above
  • Green hickory or water-soaked hickory chunks

Instructions

  • Thoroughly mix brown sugar, Kosher salt, sugar, garlic seasoning, chili powder, lemon pepper, onion salt, celery salt, black pepper, celery seeds, cloves, cayenne, Mrs. Dash Original Blend and salt. Store mixture in airtight container.

  • The day before you will be smoking the ribs, trim all excess fat from the ribs. Place ribs in a large Ziploc type plastic bag. Pour in the Italian dressing and turn bag over several times to coat all meat well after making sure bag is well sealed. Refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally.

  • Remove meat and wipe dressing off. Sprinkle each rib with pepper, ¼ cup of the brown sugar and ½ cup of the onion flakes. After wrapping each rib in plastic, refrigerate overnight.

  • The next morning remove ribs from wrap and wipe sludge off the meat. Generously coat both front and back of ribs with Rib Rub. Using your hands; rub seasoning into meat and set aside.

  • Get 15 charcoal briquettes red hot; using a chimney charcoal starter. Place coals on one end of grill, placing 1 pound of green hickory or chunks around coals. Keep internal temperature of the grill at 200 degrees Fahrenheit to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Place ribs with bone side down making sure they are not directly over hot coals. Every hour, add more charcoal and hickory chunks as needed. The smoking process will take 6 hours.

  • Remove ribs from grill and wrap in aluminum foil after 3 hours. Hold in covered grill at 180 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees Fahrenheit until fork tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

  • Next, build a hot bed of coals over the entire bottom of grill. Watch closely because this next step goes quickly. Place the ribs back on grill to add charred flavor. As soon as the meat becomes bubbly, take it up off the grill. Make sure to burn off bone side membrane.

Notes

For this rib recipe, it is essential to abide by the low and slow mentality. Don't turn up the heat too high on your charcoal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 12gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 64239mgPotassium: 939mgFiber: 12gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 5002IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 266mgIron: 7mg

Keyword bbq ribs, copycat rib recipes, easy rib recipes, rib recipes with rub

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. Mark

    In step 6 when adding more charcoal does it need to be pre-lit or can you just add “raw” charcoal?

    Reply

Copycat Famous Dave's Ribs - Best BBQ Ribs Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Does Famous Dave's smoke their ribs? ›

Famous Dave's smokes their ribs with hickory and follows competition standards that ribs should be tender to the tooth but not fall off the bone (this means they are actually over cooked).

What is the secret to making good ribs? ›

The Secret to Cooking Great Ribs
  1. Select a lean rib and cut off the visible fat. We like our ribs lean, tender, and beautiful. ...
  2. Lay the ribs out and put your seasoning rub on them. ...
  3. Just lay them on your grill real nice. ...
  4. Put wood chips on your fire side. ...
  5. How should I put the sauce on the ribs? ...
  6. Be careful not to burn them.

What to put on ribs before seasoning? ›

You can coat the ribs with olive oil or mustard first to help it stick. Then, use your hands to spread it evenly on the surface of the ribs. The thick coating of the rub will keep the meat moist and tender while giving it a flavorful exterior.

What is a good binder for a rib rub? ›

Mustard or oil are the two most common binders. Use just enough to give the ribs a nice even coat. Dry Rub- After the binder is on it's time to season with your favorite dry rub. Always taste the dry rub before seasoning the ribs to decide how much to use and what the flavor profile is.

Do you season ribs before smoking? ›

Season. Sprinkle all sides of the ribs with Rib Rub, Beef Rub, and black pepper. Smoke. Get those ribs on your smoker and let them cook for at least 4 hours before you open the lid and start checking on your ribs.

Is 250 too high to smoke ribs? ›

Smoke at 225 to 250°F for 4 to 5 hours.

Baste or mop the ribs occasionally, but don't open the grill too often.

Who owns Famous Dave's BBQ? ›

What is the 2 2 2 rule for ribs? ›

This method entails smoking them for the first 2 hours directly on the smoker rack. After 2 hours, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and baste on BBQ sauce and let them smoke for 2 more hours. For the last hour of smoking, remove them from the aluminum foil and then apply BBQ sauce directly to the ribs.

What is the 3 2 1 rule for ribs? ›

Essentially, 3 2 1 ribs go like this: 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on the pellet grill. 2 hours wrapped in foil, still cooking on the grill. 1 hour of cooking, unwrapped and slathered in barbecue sauce.

What is the 2 2 1 rule for ribs? ›

A Few Words on The 2-2-1 Method

The initial 2 hour step is where the smoke flavor gets into the meat, the middle 2 hour step is where the super tenderizing takes place. The last 1 hour step is where the crust develops on the outside.

What are the tastiest ribs? ›

Being large and meaty, with defined bones and a copious amount of delightful fat, spare ribs are widely considered to be the most flavorsome and the go-to choice for barbecues and get-togethers everywhere.

Which ribs have the most flavor? ›

St. Louis-style ribs are flatter than baby back ribs, which makes them easier to brown. There is a lot of bone but also a higher amount of fat, making them very flavorful.

Which ribs taste the best? ›

Beef ribs are larger and more substantial, with a higher fat and connective tissue content, making them a favorite of those who enjoy a more meaty and juicy taste. Pork ribs, on the other hand, are smaller and more tender, with a pronounced sweetness that comes from the meat and fat content.

Does Famous Dave's Rib Rub have MSG? ›

A: Famous Dave's Rib Rub does not contain MSG.

Can you use Famous Dave's rib rub on steak? ›

You can use Famous Daves Rib Rub with Pork Chops, Ribs and Steak, it's also great on chicken. Generously dust your ribs, pork chops, roast, or anything you like to infuse a little kick of sweet, smokey, garlicky spice.

What is Traeger prime rib rub made of? ›

This sweet & savory rub features rosemary and garlic flavors that pair perfectly with prime rib, thick steaks, and other premium cuts of beef.

What is in Bobby Flay poultry rub? ›

Ingredients
  1. Baking & Spices.
  2. • 1 tsp Black pepper.
  3. • 1 tbsp Brown sugar.
  4. • 1 tsp Cayenne pepper.
  5. • 1 tbsp Chili powder.
  6. • 2 tbsp Kosher salt.
  7. • 1 tbsp Paprika.
  8. • 1 tsp White pepper.

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