How to Season Riblets

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: October 25, 2021 References

Riblets are tasty on their own, but to really bring out their flavor you will need to season them well. There are many approaches you can take to seasoning them. Dry rubs are a basic way to spice your ribs and you can use them in nearly every recipe and cooking method. Adding some sauce to your riblets after you grill or broil them is a great way to enhance the meat. If you plan on cooking riblets in a slow cooker, you can add different spices and sauces throughout the cooking process. Read this wikiHow to learn how to season riblets in several different ways!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Preparing a Dry Rub

1
Gather your ingredients. Dry rubs consist of a variety of spices that will bring out the flavor in the riblets. Depending on what kind of flavors you enjoy, there are several other spices you should add to your dry rub. The ingredients listed below will make a great dry rub, but feel free to experiment on your own. This recipe will make enough dry rub for 4 servings.^{[1]
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- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of cumin.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of paprika.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of powdered garlic.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of onion powder.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of chili powder.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of brown sugar.
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of kosher salt.
- 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of cayenne pepper.
- 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of black pepper
2
Blend the spices in a bowl or on a plate. Combine all of the spices together in a bowl or plate. You can mix the spices up using the tines of a fork.
- You should use a bowl if you want to add the spice by hand and control the amount that goes on the ribs. A plate will work better if you plan on coating the entire riblets in spices.
3
Rub the spice mixture onto the riblets. Take your spice mixture and put it on the surface of the meat. Use a spoon or your hands to massage the spices into the riblets. The moisture in the meat should make the spices stick to it.
- For a full coating, place the riblets on top of the spices that you mixed on the plate. Push the riblets into the spices. Turn them over on the other side and press the meat into the spices again.
- If you are trying to limit how much spice gets on the riblets, sprinkle a spoonful of the spices on the top surface of the riblets evenly. Rub in these spices with the spoon or your hand. Repeat this process until the ribs are spiced the way you like.
4
Let the rub rest on the meat. You should let the spices sit on the riblets for about 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to soak into the meat more. Keep the rubbed, uncooked meat in the fridge while it sits.^{[2]
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- If you have a bunch of spices left over, or want to make a large batch for future recipes, store your spice mix in a glass jar with an airtight lid. Only store spices that have not come into contact with raw meat.
5
Cook your riblets. There are many ways to cook riblets, but all of them have you put on your dry rub before fully cooking the meat. You can grill, broil, or put the riblets into a slow cooker.
- Some recipes suggest that you should lightly score your riblets before you apply the dry rub. This means that you will very briefly cook the ribs over a very high heat. You will only cook each side of the riblet for a few seconds. Scoring seals in some of the juices in the meat.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Coating Riblets with a Sauce

1
Collect your ingredients for making a sauce. There are a lot of great sauces you can buy, but making your own can be fun, delicious, and rewarding. Below are some ingredients for making a great barbecue sauce, but you have many other options. The following ingredients will fill a 32 fluid ounces (950 mL) sauce bottle.^{[4]
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- 1.5 cups (350 mL) of brown sugar.
- 1.5 cups (350 mL) of ketchup.
- 0.5 cups (120 mL) of red wine vinegar.
- 0.5 cups (120 mL) of water.
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of Worcestershire sauce.
- 2.5 tablespoons (37 mL) of dry mustard.
- 2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) of paprika.
- 2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) of salt.
- 1.5 teaspoons (7.4 mL) of black pepper.
- Hot sauce to taste.
2
Mix the ingredients together. A blender is an ideal tool for mixing these ingredients. If you don't have a blender, put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork, slotted spoon, or a whisk. The entire sauce should be smooth and have a uniform color and consistency when it is finished.^{[5]
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- Although it is not necessary, you can heat the sauce up on the stove. This can help mix the ingredients together. Cook the sauce on low heat so that it does not boil or burn.
3
Grill or broil your riblets. If you are going to be adding a sauce to your riblets, you will most likely be grilling or broiling your riblets. You will need to cook the ribs using your method of choice until they are nearly done before applying the sauce.^{[6]
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- If you are grilling riblets, lay the ribs on the preheated grill uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn them over and let them cook for another 3 minutes.
- To broil the riblets, set the oven to broil. Put the riblets in a pan with a small amount of water in the base of the pan. Place the riblets in a rack over the water and cover the top of the pan with tinfoil. Cook for 30 minutes.
4
Brush on the sauce immediately after the ribs have cooked. When you have removed the ribs from the grill or oven, use a sauce brush to coat the entire riblet in the sauce of your choice. Make sure you get bone tips and the underside of the riblets. If you want to heat up the sauce a bit, you can put the riblets back in the oven or on the grill for about 2 minutes.^{[7]
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- You can also brush on the sauce when the riblets are about halfway done. Because riblets are smaller than full ribs, they don’t take as much time to cook. You will only have the sauce on for a few minutes depending on which method you choose, so it is often easier to add the sauce after the riblets have fully cooked.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Seasoning Riblets in a Slow Cooker

1
Season your riblets with a dry rub. Before you put the riblets into the slow cooker, you should apply a dry rub seasoning to the meat. You can use the recipe provided above, or find one that you like even better. This will keep the meat and the broth that is created flavorful while it is cooking in the slow cooker.
2
Fill your slow cooker pot ¼ of the way full with water. A little bit of water will prevent the meat from sticking to the sides of the slow cooker. It will also moisten the riblets and make the meat tender.^{[8]
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- If you want to infuse your riblets with a sauce that you like, you can add some sauce to the water in the crockpot. A bit of Worcestershire or barbecue sauce will give your riblets some extra flavor.
3
Cook the ribs in the slow cooker for 4 to 6 hours. When the riblets are done, there should be more liquid in the crock pot than when you started cooking the ribs. This is largely the melted fat from the riblets. The bones of the riblets should be more exposed and the ends of the bones should be dark brown. You should be able to pull apart the meat easily with a fork if the riblets are fully cooked.^{[9]
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- You can slow cook riblets for much longer than 6 hours. Riblets will need less time than full ribs, but if you are cooking a lot of them at once, you might keep them in the slow cooker for up to 8 hours.
4
Transfer the ribs from the slow cooker to a baking pan. Use tongs to pull the riblets out of the crockpot. Be careful with the meat, because it should be falling off of the bones. Place the riblets directly into the baking pan.^{[10]
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- It is not necessary to put down oil or cooking spray on the baking pan, but you might want to put a little bit of the juice from the crock pot into the bottom of the pan.
5
Brush the riblets with the sauce of your choice. Use a sauce brush to coat the riblets in your favorite sauce. Make sure you get both sides of the riblets.^{[11]
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6
Bake the meat in the oven until the sauce caramelizes. You should bake the riblets at 375 °F (191 °C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the riblets from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.^{[12]
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