How to Sous Vide Pork Baby Back Ribs

Rich, smoky, and tender... ribs are such a fantastic food! Especially when cooked sous vide so you can balance the tenderness with the moisture just how you want it.

When cooking with sous vide the smoke flavor has to be introduced through other means. Briefly smoking the meat before sous viding it, using liquid smoke or pre-smoked ingredients like paprika, or a final run through a smoker at the end are the most common methods.

There are many different suggestions for how long and what temperature to cook ribs. It can be confusing but the time and temperature combination you want to use depends on how you'd like your final ribs to turn out. The hotter the temperature, the faster they cook and the more they tenderize. The amount of time you cook them for determines how tender they end up. These time and temperature combinations work for most kinds of pork ribs, including St. Louis cut, baby back, back, and spare ribs.

Traditional Pork Ribs

If you prefer traditional-style ribs, then cooking them at 160°F to 167°F (71.1°C to 75°C) for 4 to 10 hours is what you want. These ribs are flaky and falling off the bone. Sous vide them for 4 hours for ribs with a lot of bite to them and for 10 hours for ribs barely hanging on the bone.

Cooking the ribs at a temperature in between those two extremes results in firmer, but still flaky, ribs. They don't fall off the bone but they are much closer to traditional ribs. I often cook mine at 156°F (68.8°C) for 8 to 12 hours.

Chop Like Pork Ribs

For tender ribs that are more pork chop-like you can cook them at 135°F to 149°F (57.2°C to 65°C) for 1 to 2 days depending on the consistency you're trying to achieve. They do not have the texture of traditional ribs but retain a lot more of their moisture.

I recommend reading more about how to sous vide pork for more information.

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Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs Times and Temperatures

• Chop-Like
• Medium-Rare: 135°F for 1 to 2 Days (57.2ºC)
• Medium: 140°F for 1 to 2 Days (60.0ºC)
• Well Done: 145°F for 1 to 2 Days (62.8ºC)
• Braise-Like
• Firm but Shreddable: 156°F for 18 to 24 Hours (68.9ºC)
• More Fall Apart: 165°F for 18 to 24 Hours (73.9ºC)
• Really Fall Apart: 176°F for 12 to 18 Hours (80.0ºC)

Do you have experience cooking baby back ribs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Looking for more pork? Check out the sous vide pork time and temperatures for all the sous vide information you need.

Sous Vide Ribs Recipes and Articles

• Concepts: Pork, Ribs, Smoking, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs, Sous Vide Back Ribs, Sous Vide BBQ , Sous Vide Pork , Sous Vide Ribs , Sous Vide Smoking
  
  Info: BBQ ribs are one of my favorite meals! I love getting all messy and eating them off the bone. They are also amazing to serve at parties and are a great way to get everyone to loosen up. Using sous vide to tenderize the ribs, then the smoker to flavor them results in moist, flavorful ribs that always turn out perfect! Sous Vide Smoked BBQ Ribs Recipe
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  Info: 72 hour sous vide short ribs are a classic sous vide dish, and when combined with a hearty romesco sauce it makes for an amazing meal. 72 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs with Romesco Sauce
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  Info: This sous vide country style ribs recipe uses a honey-chipotle glazed to perk up the flavor of the dish. For a thicker, clingier sauce on your ribs, adding a tad of xanthan gum will make that happen! Sous Vide Honey-Chipotle Glazed Country Style Ribs
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  Info: This sous vide recipe for short ribs has a great tang to it from the balsamic vinegar and orange juice. Basil-Balsamic Sous Vide Short Ribs Recipe
• Concepts: Dish, Fruit, Pork, Recipe, Ribs, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Pork , Sous Vide Recipes, Sous Vide Ribs
  
  Info: For this sous vide recipe I decided to use country style ribs and paired them with sweet apples and an orzo salad. The ribs come out super tender but still nice and moist and the apples add a great hit of sweetness to them. Sous Vide Ribs Recipe with Sweet Apples
• Concepts: BBQ, Dish, Grilling, Pork, Recipe, Ribs, Sous Vide, Sous Vide BBQ , Sous Vide Pork , Sous Vide Recipes, Sous Vide Ribs , Sous Vide St. Louis Rib
  
  Info: One of my favorite summer foods are ribs. I like them smoked, boiled, grilled, and just about any other way you can cook them. I've found that preparing sous vide ribs lets you tenderize them while still keeping them medium rare and is a really unique way to do them. I've cooked them a few different ways and these sous vide St. Louis ribs were one of my favorites. Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs Recipe
• Concepts: BBQ, Beef, Dish, Grilling, Recipe, Ribs, Sous Vide, Sous Vide BBQ , Sous Vide Beef , Sous Vide Beef Ribs, Sous Vide Grilling , Sous Vide Recipes, Sous Vide Ribs
  
  Info: Big juicy beef ribs are one of my favorite foods but you have to make sure they become tender enough to really enjoy them. There are many ways to make sure they are tender, from smoking to braising, to cooking in the oven at low temperatures. They all have their benefits and sous vide just adds one more option for you. You can follow our sous vide recipe or come up with your version. Sous Vide Beef Ribs Recipe
• Concepts: Pastrami, Recipe, Ribs, Sandwiches, Short Ribs, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Pastrami , Sous Vide Recipes, Sous Vide Ribs , Sous Vide Sandwiches , Sous Vide Short Ribs
  
  Info: I'm a huge fan of Michael Ruhlman and an even bigger fan of pastrami so when he recently posted about making short rib pastrami it inspired me to follow suit. Of course, I had to make sous vide pastrami instead of braising it. Sous Vide Pastrami with Short Ribs Recipe

Sous Vide Smoked BBQ Ribs Recipe

BBQ ribs are one of my favorite meals! I love getting all messy and eating them off the bone. They are also amazing to serve at parties and are a great way to get everyone to loosen up. Using sous vide to tenderize the ribs, then the smoker to flavor them results in moist, flavorful ribs that always turn out perfect!

72 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs with Romesco Sauce

72 hour sous vide short ribs are a classic sous vide dish, and when combined with a hearty romesco sauce it makes for an amazing meal.

Sous Vide Honey-Chipotle Glazed Country Style Ribs

This sous vide country style ribs recipe uses a honey-chipotle glazed to perk up the flavor of the dish. For a thicker, clingier sauce on your ribs, adding a tad of xanthan gum will make that happen!

Basil-Balsamic Sous Vide Short Ribs Recipe

This sous vide recipe for short ribs has a great tang to it from the balsamic vinegar and orange juice.

Sous Vide Ribs Recipe with Sweet Apples

For this sous vide recipe I decided to use country style ribs and paired them with sweet apples and an orzo salad. The ribs come out super tender but still nice and moist and the apples add a great hit of sweetness to them.

Sous Vide St. Louis Ribs Recipe

One of my favorite summer foods are ribs. I like them smoked, boiled, grilled, and just about any other way you can cook them. I've found that preparing sous vide ribs lets you tenderize them while still keeping them medium rare and is a really unique way to do them. I've cooked them a few different ways and these sous vide St. Louis ribs were one of my favorites.

Sous Vide Beef Ribs Recipe

Big juicy beef ribs are one of my favorite foods but you have to make sure they become tender enough to really enjoy them. There are many ways to make sure they are tender, from smoking to braising, to cooking in the oven at low temperatures. They all have their benefits and sous vide just adds one more option for you. You can follow our sous vide recipe or come up with your version.

Sous Vide Pastrami with Short Ribs Recipe

I'm a huge fan of Michael Ruhlman and an even bigger fan of pastrami so when he recently posted about making short rib pastrami it inspired me to follow suit. Of course, I had to make sous vide pastrami instead of braising it.

Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs Comments