If you’ve had dry ribs at the pub and want to make them at home, these ribs are for you.
If you’re a pub-lover just for the pub food, you’re my kind of person. I always, always happily agree to go to the bar or the pub because bar food! Bite-sized, usually deep-fried, and always delicious – I’m down.
What are dry ribs?
Dry ribs are deep-fried, seasoned pork riblets. They’re crispy, juicy, and completely addictive. I’m pretty sure dry ribs aren’t a popular menu item, but whenever I see them I’m excited because they’re so good. Usually, I see riblets served as saucy ribs but trust me when I say, dry riblets are superior. First off, they’re faster and easier to make and second, they aren’t super sticky and saucy which makes them a better finger food.
These ribs are perfect for game day, a snacky-snack, or even a meal if you make a vegetable side dish and some rice. I love them because they’re pretty hands off thanks to the air fryer. Traditionally dry ribs are deep-fried but I’m on the air fryer train and I’m not getting off anytime soon.
How to make dry ribs
- Cut – cut the ribs into individual rib pieces. Super simple, just cut between the rib bones to create single rib bites.
- Season – place the riblets in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of oil, some soy sauce or oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and sugar, mixing until coated.
- Dust – Take the ribs, shaking off any excess marinade and toss in cornstarch.
- Air fry – Lightly oil the air fryer basket and preheat the air fryer to 350°F. You don’t necessarily need to preheat, but I find that food gets more crispy when you do. When hot, carefully arrange the ribs, in a single layer, in the basket and drizzle the tops with a bit of oil. Air fry for 10 minutes, then shake or flip and fry for another 10 minutes or until crispy, golden, and cooked through.
- Enjoy – Let cool slightly and enjoy!
Dry rib ingredients
ribs – this is the essential ingredient. Look for riblets, pork spare ribs, rib-tips or even a rack of baby back or spare ribs that you ask the butcher to cut for you in half length-wise.
oil – a little bit of oil is going to help with browning and heat transfer. These dry ribs will be air fried so a coating of oil around each rib will help it cook evenly and keep the ribs juicy.
seasoning – how you season your dry ribs is up to you. This recipe goes in a more asian style (more on that below) but you can season them any which way you like, from old bay to your favorite chile rub to even just salt, pepper, and garlic powder is amazing.
coating – a simple coating of cornstarch is going to give these dry ribs a very light crispy crust. It’s barely there and that’s how we want it. These guys aren’t even remotely battered, just lightly dusted so you get a little bit of a crust that gives way to a juicy, meaty rib bite.
Dry rib seasoning
I went with a simple mix of oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and just a smidge of sugar. The result is savory and a touch sweet with lots of garlic notes. The key is to season with a savory mix with just a bit of sweetness. The Shaoxing wine adds a slightly complex note. It’s a little hard to describe, but a really fun and tasty backbone ingredient in Chinese cooking that you can read more about here. If you don’t have Shaoxing wine on hand and want to substitute in something similar, you can go for sherry vinegar. Or, if you have rice vinegar, you can use that and increase the sugar a bit. That being said, I’ve seasoned these ribs with so many different combinations.
Are dry ribs pork or beef?
In this case, dry ribs are pork, specifically pork riblets, which are essentially shortened ribs. They’re cut from the same part of a pig, the ribs. Instead of leaving the ribs long, they’re cut cross-wise so the rib bones are short making them perfectly bite-sized.
What kind of ribs for dry ribs?
Pork spare ribs, riblets, pork rib pieces, pork bone-in rib tips, and the names go on and on. Essentially, these pork ribs are just pork ribs that are cross cut so the rib bones are only 1 to 1.5 inches in length (see below). Asians love this cut of ribs so you’ll find the cut commonly at the butcher counter at Asian grocery stores. You’ll see them at national grocery store chains too, depending on how well stocked the meat department is. If you don’t see them, you can always ask the friendly butcher in the meat department if they can cross-cut a package of pork baby back ribs or pork spare ribs. The best part of riblets is the fact that they cook quickly.
Our favorite air fryer
I love deep-fried food and I love our air fryer because it gets us about 75% of the feels of deep frying with about 10% of the effort. We recently got this air fryer and both Mike and I are in love. It replaces our old air fryer which was over 5 years old and wow, there is a HUGE difference. Everything is so much more crispy and brown and there is a bunch more space.
How to make dry ribs in the oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake dry ribs in the oven. Follow the recipe then place the coated ribs on a lightly oiled rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the ribs in a 400°F preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.
How to deep fry dry ribs
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can deep fry these guys as well. Heat up 2 inches of neutral oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Carefully deep-fry in batches, for 7-9 minutes per batch, until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
What to serve with dry ribs
I love sauce and these guys would be amazing dipped in:
You can also serve them up with:
How to reheat dry ribs
To reheat any leftovers, simply air fry for 5-8 minutes at 350°F or warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy! I hope you’ll have a lil appetizer/bar food day. These guys are great for game day or an indulgent home happy hour. I hope they make you as happy as they make me.
xoxo steph
Air Fryer Dry Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork spare ribs cross-cut and cut into individual ribs
- 2 tbsp neutral oil divided
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine optional
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut the riblets into individual bite-size pieces.
- Add the ribs to a bowl, with 1 tbsp of oil, the soy sauce/oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and sugar.
- Remove any excess marinade from the bowl with the ribs and discard. Add the cornstarch to the ribs and toss to coat.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Carefully oil the basket of the air fryer and lay the ribs out in a single layer, being sure not to crowd. Drizzle the remaining oil over the ribs.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, then flip and air fry for an additional 10 minutes or until golden, crisp, and cooked through.
- Remove from the air fryer and enjoy!
