Discover the secret to perfectly tender and flavourful BBQ ribs: sous vide cooking for 48 hours. Get the recipe now!
BBQ sous vide ribs offer a tender and flavourful experience by combining the precision of sous vide cooking with the smoky, rich taste of barbecue.
The ribs are first seasoned with a dry rub, then vacuum-sealed and cooked in a water bath at a low, consistent temperature for 48 hours. This method ensures the ribs are perfectly tender and retain their natural juices.
After the sous vide process, the ribs are finished on the grill, BBQ, or under a broiler, and they are basted with BBQ sauce to achieve a caramelized, smoky crust.
The result is fall-off-the-bone ribs with a deep, savoury flavour and a hint of sweetness from the sauce.
Ingredients
for the ribs
- 1 rack of pork ribs, or more
- 1 tsp smoked paprika per rack
- 1 tsp brown sugar per rack
- Shetland sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the BBQ glaze
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 orange, juice only
- 2 apples, peeled and grated
- 3 splashes of Tabasco sauce
- 240 ml water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme, leaves only
- 2 bay leaves
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Instructions
for the ribs
- Fill and preheat the sous vide cooker to 143F/61.5C.
- Mix together the paprika, sugar, salt, and pepper and rub the ribs liberally with the mixture.
- Put each rack into a cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
- Submerge the pouch(es) in the water oven and cook for 48 hours.
for the glaze
- In a saucepan, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft.
- Add the fennel and cumin seeds and fry for a minute or two more.
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for half an hour.
- Remove from the heat and blitz (blend) the sauce with a hand-held food processor for 30 seconds. (Alternatively let it cool a little and pour into a blender jar or food processor and blend.)
- Remove any pulp left in the sauce by straining through a sieve.
- Return the sauce to the heat and reduce it until it is reasonably sticky.
to finish
- When you’re ready to eat, remove the ribs from their pouches, spoon over some of the glaze and seal in a frying pan or on the BBQ until the meat blackens a little.
- Use the remaining glaze as a dipping sauce.
What is a sous vide?
Well, the term is French and translates as ‘under vacuum’.
Sous vide is a method of cooking in which food is vacuum-sealed in bags and placed into a low-temperature controlled water bath for long periods. This ensures even cooking throughout without drying the outside of the food as you would in an oven. Sealing the food in bags is supposed to keep the aroma and juices of the ingredients without any loss in nutrients.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
48 Hour BBQ Ribs: The Perfect Blend of Sous Vide and Barbecue
Ingredients
for the ribs
- 2 rack pork ribs or more
- 1 tsp smoked paprika per rack
- 1 tsp brown sugar per rack
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
for the glaze
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 orange juice only
- 2 apples peeled and grated
- 3 splashes Tabasco sauce
- 240 ml water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 bay leaves
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Equipment
Instructions
for the ribs
- Fill and preheat the cooker to 143F/61.5C.
- Mix together 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp brown sugar, Shetland sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and rub 2 rack pork ribs liberally with the mixture.
- Put each rack into a cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
- Submerge the pouch(es) in the water oven and cook for 48 hours.
for the glaze
- In a saucepan, fry 1 medium onion and 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft.
- Add 2 tsp fennel seeds and 1 tsp whole cumin seeds and fry for a minute or two more.
- Add 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, the juice of 1 orange, 2 apples, peeled and grated, 3 splashes Tabasco sauce, 240 ml water, 2 tsp soy sauce2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves only, 2 bay leaves and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Cook over a low heat for half an hour.
- Remove from the heat and blend the sauce with a hand-held food processor for 30 seconds. (Alternatively let it cool a little and pour into a blender jar or food processor and blend.)
- Remove any pulp left in the sauce by straining through a sieve.
- Return the sauce to the heat and reduce it until it is reasonably sticky.
to finish
- When you’re ready to eat, remove the ribs from their pouches, spoon over some of the glaze and seal in a frying pan or on the BBQ until the meat starts to blacken a little. Use the remaining glaze as a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Other BBQ recipes you might like
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Sous Vide Duck Breasts with a Charred Orange and Cointreau Sauce by Cook Sister
Chilli and Paprika-Spiked Kale Crisps
It’s a wonderful recipe! The dish on the photos looks so juicy and appetizing. I’ll definitely prepare it this weekend! I am also very interested in Severin vacuum sealer mentioned in your article. I’m used to using a model of another brand, but it’s still interesting to know: what are your impressions of Severin model? Have you had any problems with it?
Truth be told, the Severin vacuum sealer packed in only after a few uses, so I’m not in a position to comment on the efficacy of the sous vide. I ended up giving it away to a friend.
I see. Thank you for the answer, Elizabeth.
Good luck! I really like your blog.
Wow the ribs look yummy I’m getting hungry looking at them 🙂
Oh these look heavenly, I am a big fan of sous vide ribs. I use my sous vide a lot. I am loving the look of that induction hob -so helpful!
I might be a vegetarian but even I can appreciate how good these ribs look, this would make a delicious meal for my bezzie!
Your photography is amazing! Sounds like a great recipe too x
These look delicious. I really need to give these a try. My family would love them.
Thanks for sharing your food photography secrets! Been meaning to source some wood for yonks! I am so intrigued by SousVides – Your ribs are some of the nicest food I’ve seen produced from one.
Those ribs look like they would melt in your mouth!!! I’d love to try them
Beautiful photos as always. Food looks yummy. Making me hungry.
These photos made me SO hungry. I have never seen this way to cook them before.
This looks tough for someone like me who doesn’t cook often, but it looks worth it! Thanks for sharing!
The glaze sounds absolutely incredible! I wonder what else I could slather that on…
I’ve never cooked ribs like this before. They look amazing! Experimenting with that method of cooking will be a lot of fun.
I’ve read quite a few reviews of the sous vide machine and I’ve been intrigued. It’s a shame the meat ended up dry and the sauce not so tasty, though. New equipment sometimes requires tweaking and trial and error, but I like the cleanliness of this type of cooking (I’m such a messy cook!).
Oh wow those ribs look just delicious – I can just imagine taking a bite! Delicious. x
OMG my mouth is watering after reading this it looks really good!
omg im so pleased youve shared this i love this snack and wanted a nice recipe , defintiely trying this oen thankyou
That looks absolutely amazing! I know my husband would love them.. could they be made in a slow cooker?
My husband would love this! I’m not a big fan of ribs but her loves them! H x
Those ribs look amazing. I like the idea of the induction hob, looks great for holiday periods when you have lots of guests but also good for camping when you have the luxury of qn electrical hook up to the tent! Elizabeth, was that you on Radio 4 food programme?
Yes, that was me! 😀
These sound amazing, my husband loves cooking and would love to try a Sous-Vide cooker x
What great timing that you got the flooring samples, and the ribs sound amazing x
This does look really delicious! My partner would love this as it’s his kind of food
Those photos are making me sooooooo hungry! They look and sound delicious! I must give these a try!