Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs

Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs. A lower fat, much quicker cooking, and totally delicious alternative to traditional ribs using pork tenderloin. A terrific last minute alternative to ribs for game day parties like the Super Bowl celebrations!

So what are boneless barbecue ribs you're probably asking. I got the idea on a cooking show last week to use pork tenderloin that has been pounded flat as a rack of  "boneless ribs".

I used my own version of a dry rub on the pork and let it sit all day in the fridge before quickly grilling the pork and slathering on homemade BBQ sauce in the last minute of cooking time. The dry rub is also used to flavour the barbecue sauce. 

In truth this recipe is really meant to demonstrate how pounding a pork tenderloin flat can be a quick, inexpensive, time saving alternative to slow cooked pork ribs. It's a very economical idea when serving a crowd too.

Use your own ideas and sauces that you would normally use in slow cooked BBQ Ribs. Most often we use our own Smokin Summer Spice Dry Rub as seasoning because we never fail to have it in hand.

Need sauce ideas? We have a whole collection from Coca Cola BBQ Sauce to Blueberry BBQ Sauce and many more for you to discover!

Preparing the tenderloin for Barbecue Boneless Ribs.

I like to choose larger size pork tenderloins when possible, to better approximate the look and size or=f normal ribs. They end to cook better than smaller tenderloins without drying out.

As shown above, trim any visible silverskin in the pork tenderloin. This membrane can  contract during cooking and cause a bend in the rack if ribs, preventing it from lying flat in the grill.

This is how the "racks" of ribs look on the grill after being pounded to about a half inch thickness. In the photo they are unseasoned, because in that case I was making the Honey Garlic version mentioned below.

Barbecue Boneless Ribs, the result.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the result. These barbecue boneless ribs are a great quick alternative to slow cooked ribs with the added bonus of being much lower in fat without sacrificing intense BBQ flavour.

Besides being a quick workday dinner idea, these would also make great party finger food or a fantastic bring-along dish for your next pot luck.

You might also like to try our Honey Garlic Boneless Ribs!

Need Side Dish Inspiration?

We have plenty of that too, in this collection including everything from baked beans & corn bread to deliciously different potato and pasta salads. Be sure to check them all out in our collection of 26 Best BBQ Side Dishes too.  

Like this Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs recipe?

If you enjoyed these Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs  we have lots of other great recipes like this. For well over 100 more amazing grilling and BBQ recipes check out our entire BBQ category.
 
It's easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram. 

Plus you'll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too. 

You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You'll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly  meals and desserts too!
 

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Continue to Content

Yield: 3 lbs boneless ribs

Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Spicy Barbecue Boneless Ribs. A lower fat, much quicker cooking, and totally delicious alternative to traditional ribs using pork tenderloin.

Print

No Ratings

Ingredients

• 3 lbs pork tenderloin (2 to 3 large)

For the Dry Rub (Mix all ingredients together until very well combined)

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon five spice powder
• 3 tablespoon powdered ginger
• 3 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon crushed chili flakes, more or less to taste

For the Sauce

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves finely minced garlic
• 1 ½ cups plain tomato sauce
• 6 tablespoon reserved dry rub
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

1. Place the tenderloins on a large cutting board. cover with a couple of layers of plastic wrap.
2. Using a meat mallet or other heavy object (my marble rolling pin works great) pound the tenderloin to about a half inch thickness or just a little thicker.
3. Reserve 6 tablespoon of the dry rub to use in the barbecue sauce recipe below.
4. Sprinkle the flattened pork tenderloins generously with the the dry rub so that they are completely covered on both sides.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
6. Grill over high heat for only a few minutes per side.
7. Brush both sides of the ribs with barbecue sauce and cook for an additional minute or two per side until the internal temperature on a meat probe reaches about 160 degrees F.
8. Let the ribs rest for a few minutes before serving with additional BBQ sauce for dipping.

To prepare the BBQ Sauce

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat add the garlic and olive oil.

2. Stir over medium heat for a minute to soften the garlic.

3. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the sauce.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat or until the sauce reaches a thick brushable consistency.

Notes

Additional notes and tips occur in the article above if you plan to make this and have "Jumped to Recipe".

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

Amount Per Serving Calories 432Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 122mgSodium 1093mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 7gSugar 22gProtein 48g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

Did you like this recipe?

Do you love our "Real food recipes for real people'? Share the recipe on Facebook to let your friends know about us. They'll thank you for it.