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    Home » Recipes » Sous Vide » Sous Vide Beef » Fall off the Bone Sous Vide Beef Spare Ribs with BBQ Sauce

    Fall off the Bone Sous Vide Beef Spare Ribs with BBQ Sauce

    Published: Sep 30, 2021 · Modified: Aug 3, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    sous vide beef bbq spare ribs beef ribs

    Sous vide beef back ribs – aka spare ribs – turn out remarkably tender and fall-off-the-bone with this 24 hour recipe. Since it’s impossible to overcook these bbq sous vide ribs (the sous vide machine cooks them to a precise temperature without drying them out), they’re very juicy and flavorful. In the winter, we slather on bbq sauce and finish sous vide ribs in the oven. Let’s get to cooking!

    sous vide beef spare ribs

    During warmer months, we finish sous vide beef ribs on the grill. Oh, and one of my husband’s favorite tricks is to use the leftover beef juice from the bag they cook in to make a bbq sauce. I’ll teach you how to cook the sous vide beef ribs and make the sauce in this post. 

    Table of Contents

    • How are sous vide ribs different from traditionally cooked ribs?
    • Beef back ribs VS. spare ribs
    • Beef back ribs VS. beef short ribs
    • Beef back ribs VS. baby back ribs
    • Time and Temperature
    • Sous vide beef ribs meal prep ideas
    • How to cook frozen sous vide beef ribs
    • Seasonings and Sauces 
    • Finishing sous vide beef ribs in the oven
    • Finishing sous vide ribs on the grill
    • Smoking ribs before sous vide cooking
    • What to serve with sous vide spare ribs
    • Plating Tips 
    • Cocktails Pairings
    • How to refrigerate ribs
    • What’s the right texture for sous vide ribs?
    • What if my ribs are chewy?
    • Tasty Tips and Notes
    • What to do with leftovers?
    • Sous Vide Beef Ribs – AKA BBQ Spare Ribs Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

    How are sous vide ribs different from traditionally cooked ribs?

    Sous vide is a type of slow cooking where the food is cooked in a bag, under hot water. A sous vide machine, like the one I use in this recipe from Anova, keeps the water at a very specific temperature. 

    Cooking irresistible, juicy, fall-off-the-bone spare ribs is ridiculously easy with a sous vide machine. Unlike ribs that are cooked in an oven or on the grill, these ribs are prepped and then don’t need to be touched again until they are done cooking. That means no basting the ribs or checking them along the way. For the most part, they are hands-off! 

    How long do you sous vide beef back ribs? The time takes a bit longer than traditional ways to cook spare ribs. Sous vide beef ribs sous vide in a bag submerged in water for 24 hours. 

    Sous vide beef ribs are super juicy and tender. Cooking ribs in a plastic bag means all the juices stay right there, with the beef ribs. 

    These ribs don’t dry out. The sous vide machine cooks them to a specific degree. It’s literally impossible to overcook ribs sous vide style. That’s why they never dry out. 

    For oven cooking ribs, see this beef back ribs recipe…

    sous vide beef spare ribs with bbq sauce broiled in the oven

    Beef back ribs VS. spare ribs

    Don’t be confused!! When purchasing beef ribs, you’ll find there are a few options for beef ribs. Don’t be thrown off by the various names. Depending on where you live and the butcher you purchase your ribs from, beef spare ribs might be called beef back ribs. These are the same cut. They are what most people consider to be standard beef ribs, taken from the mid section of the beef. The meat is very tender, although in this section of the ribs, there is less meat than in the beef short ribs section.

    Beef back ribs VS. beef short ribs

    Short ribs are a bit different than spare ribs. They are cut by the shoulder. There is more meat on short ribs, but the meat is tougher. See my delicious recipe for cooking sous vide short ribs with a red wine sauce. 

    Beef back ribs VS. baby back ribs

    Baby back ribs are pork. This recipe can be adapted to make sous vide baby back ribs as well. See this recipe for smoked 321 ribs.

    sous vide beef spare ribs seasoning time and temperature
    This is what raw beef ribs look like

    Time and Temperature

    Sous vide spare ribs cook at 155 degrees for 24 hours. See the recipe at the bottom of this post for specific tips.

    sous vide beef spare ribs vac sealed with a dry rub
    About one standard rack of beef ribs fits in a typical sous vide bag. Use multiple vacuum sealed bags for bigger portions.

    Sous vide beef ribs meal prep ideas

    This is a regular bulk-prep main dish in my house. Beef spare ribs are inexpensive and great to pick up in bulk. I like to grab a large slab of beef ribs at Costco to break down into smaller portions. Within a day or two I season, vacuum seal, and freeze them in batches to sous vide later.

    I’ll buy a large pack of 2 or 4 sets of ribs and break them down into smaller portions to sous vide when we’re in the mood for ribs. Sometimes I’ll season them differently, but I love these with BBQ seasonings, so that’s a very popular choice in my house! Frozen sous vide spare ribs last a few months in the freezer.

    How to cook frozen sous vide beef ribs

    Save time by defrosting the spare ribs for 12+ hours before popping them in the sous vide bath. Cooking ribs from frozen is one of my favorite ways to utilize the convenience of sous vide cooking. This means you can purchase meat in bulk, vacuum freeze it with the seasonings, then sous vide bbq beef ribs it from frozen. To sous vide frozen ribs, add 1 hour to the total cook time.

    fall apart sous vide beef spare ribs
    These finger lickin’ tasty sous vide beef ribs fall right apart!

    Love beef ribs? See how to make my smoked flanken ribs.

    Seasonings and Sauces 

    Salt is your friend when seasoning sous vide meat recipes, especially before the meat is added to the vacuum seal bag. There are ways to add flavor before, during, and after cooking sous vide beef ribs. In this recipe, I walk you through how to sous vide beef ribs step by step. Here’s an overview…

    • Preseason sous vide ribs with a simple salt pepper seasoning before vacuum sealing, or use any dry BBQ rub
    • Finish sous vide beef ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce in the broiler. I like this sampler with Smoked Applewood Molasses BBQ Sauce from local Portland, OR sauce company, Red Duck Sauce. 
    • Serve with a sauce made from juice leftover from the sous vide cooking process. Reduced the juice in a pan on the stove and add butter and BBQ sauce to thicken it. See the recipe for specifics.
    spare ribs aka sous vide beef ribs finished in the oven broiler
    I slather on a generous portion of bbq sauce on sous vide ribs that are finished in the oven or on the grill

    Finishing sous vide beef ribs in the oven

    Living in the Pacific Northwest, outdoor cooking is basically off-limits during the rainy and cold winter months. So that means finishing sous vide ribs in the oven.

    The BBQ sauce is added to these spare ribs after the sous vide bath. Once the ribs are done in the sous vide bath, pat them dry with a paper towel, slather on BBQ sauce and pop them in the broiler on high for 3-5 minutes, until the BBQ sauce sets. 

    Finishing sous vide ribs on the grill

    In the summer, I prefer to finish sous vide ribs in a grill. It just takes a few minutes on high heat to get a nice crust on the BBQ sous vide ribs.

    Smoking ribs before sous vide cooking

    To add a smokey taste, either use a smoked salt, or smoke ribs before sous vide cooking them for 1-2 hours. 

    serving sous vide beef ribs aka spare ribs

    What to serve with sous vide spare ribs

    • Collard greens
    • Roasted garlic dill carrots
    • Corn fritters
    • Mashed potatoes
    • Sous vide brussels sprouts
    • Honey cake – Robin’s recipe from Always Delicious

    Plating Tips 

    If you have a wood serving board (or even just a tasteful wood cutting board), put your sous vide beef spare ribs with BBQ sauce on it for people to take as they’d like. Don’t forget to include a little extra cup of BBQ sauce, or individual ramekins. I love these white sauce cups. 

    Cocktails Pairings

    BBQ sauce and bourbon is a legendary combo, so serving your sous vide BBQ ribs with bourbon is an obvious choice.

    How to refrigerate ribs

    Store leftover sous vide ribs in a shallow container covered with plastic wrap or tin foil for 3-4 days.

    What’s the right texture for sous vide ribs?

    You want your ribs to be tender, almost falling off the bone and moist, not dry or tough.

    What if my ribs are chewy?

    Cooking longer will make beef ribs fall off the bone. When people ask me how long to sous vide beef ribs, I tell them 24 hours is a sufficient, but 36 or 48 hours will make them even more fall-apart. 

    Tasty Tips and Notes

    • Cook sous vide ribs in a flat layer in the bag. Vacuum seal multiple bags if cooking a large batch of ribs.
    • Refrigerate leftover sous vide ribs in plastic wrap or tin foil for 3-4 days. 
    • Serve ribs with a bourbon cocktail to complement them.
    • Change up the flavors by using different BBQ sauces. Try one of my favorites from Red Duck, a Portland, OR company: Smoked Applewood Molasses BBQ Sauce.

    Readers also love these sous vide recipes

    • Sous Vide T Bone Steak
    • Sous Vide Wings
    • Sous Vide Turkey Legs
    • Sous Vide Turkey Breast
    • Sous Vide Pulled Pork
    • Sous Vide Short Ribs
    • Sous Vide Onions in Beer
    • Sous Vide Cookbooks for Beginners
    • Sous Vide Pork Chops
    • Sous vide beef kebabs
    • Sous Vide Tri Tip

    What to do with leftovers?

    There are so many tasty ways to use them up. See my cook with me style video for quesadillas with leftover bbq pork ribs – swap out these beef sous vide ribs and you’ll have a tasty second day meal. The sous vide beef ribs reheat right in the quesadilla so you don’t have to re-sous vide them.

    See how to smoke St Louis ribs…

    Let me know when you make this sous vide beef ribs recipe. Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe. It means so much to hear from Sip Bite Go readers and I love seeing photos of your food! Don’t forget to tag me @sipbitego on Instagram so I can see how the recipe turned out. And sign up for the Sip Bite Go newsletter.

    sous vide beef ribs on a plate

    Sous Vide Beef Ribs – AKA BBQ Spare Ribs Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

    Sous vide beef ribs – aka bbq spare ribs – turn out remarkably tender and fall-off-the-bone with ease. Since it’s impossible to overcook sous vide ribs (the sous vide machine cooks them to a precise temperature), they're very juicy and flavorful. In the winter, we slather on bbq sauce and finish sous vide ribs in the oven.
    5 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: BBQ
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 day day 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 day day 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 52kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Ingredients

    • 20 pieces beef ribs (about 2 racks)
    • 1 tbsp BBQ seasoning dry
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp pepper
    • ¼ cup BBQ sauce

    Instructions

    • Program sous vide machine to 155ºF.
    • Season the beef ribs with barbecue seasoning, salt, and pepper.
    • Vacuum-seal ribs in a flat layer and drop the bag in the sous vide bath at 155ºF for 24 hours. When done, remove spare ribs from the hot water and shock the bag in an ice bath for two minutes. Remove ribs from the bag and pat dry.
    • Preheat oven broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush BBQ sauce on ribs and broil on high for 5 to 10 minutes, until barbecue sauce sets. Serve hot.

    Video

    Notes

    • Cook sous vide ribs in a flat layer in the bag. Vacuum seal multiple bags if cooking a large batch of ribs. 
    • Refrigerate leftover sous vide ribs in plastic wrap or tin foil for 3-4 days. 
    • Serve ribs with a bourbon cocktail to complement them. 
    • Change up the flavors by using different BBQ sauces. Try one of my favorites from Red Duck, a Portland, OR company: Smoked Applewood Molasses BBQ Sauce.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Renee R says

      July 25, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      Made these during the week. Super easy needed since I am working looong hours. Finished on the grill over some applewood chips for a smokey touch. Amazing! No time to make sides, accompanied by grilled veggies from the garden I started at beginning of this. Thanks for all the suggestions for next time!

      Reply
      • Olga says

        February 22, 2022 at 7:41 am

        Not sure I know why but these recipe sites attract people who feel compelled to offer an opinion on a recipe when they haven’t even tried it. Please get a life and at least try a recipe before offering your opinion on it. Waste of time and totally meaningless.

        Reply
        • Jenna Passaro says

          February 22, 2022 at 5:13 pm

          hahaha, you and me both! You should see what people comment on, on Youtube. debates on whether or not my eyes are fake. have a good one!

    2. Rosemary says

      October 19, 2019 at 7:42 am

      I’m just salivating reading your post. Yum, the ribs look amazing. By the way, I appreciate you sharing the differences between the different types of ribs. I always get confused. I don’t have a sous vide machine, but it sounds like something worth considering. Yum!

      Reply
    3. Amber S Battishill says

      October 18, 2019 at 11:32 am

      These look delicious! I’m really curious about trying sous vide, but not sure if I’d use it enough to make it worthwhile!

      Reply
    4. Rachel says

      October 17, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      I love this cooking method for sous vide ribs. The meat is very tender. Gret recipe.5 stars

      Reply
    5. Aria says

      June 02, 2019 at 1:49 am

      i was craving for spare ribs and want to try them with my new sous vide machine. This is just so timely… so hungry..5 stars

      Reply
    6. Ewuzie Kingsley says

      May 31, 2019 at 3:28 am

      Nice recipe for barbecue sous vide ribs. I love the juicy nature of the beef cooked this way. It is tasty and always appetizing when we’re feeding guests.5 stars

      Reply
    7. Ivan Jose says

      May 30, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      Delicious! This is a prefect recipe for this weekend. Sunday barbecue, perhaps?5 stars

      Reply
    8. Ana says

      May 29, 2019 at 9:49 pm

      These ribs look so juicy! They taste divine. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!5 stars

      Reply
    9. Marjie Mare says

      May 29, 2019 at 9:15 pm

      That will be perfect for this coming weekend to sho w sous vide to my guests. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    10. Nadia says

      May 29, 2019 at 7:52 am

      This is delicious! My husband is a huge fan of ribs. I haven’t been able to make them quite how he likes them. Always dry-burnt. Now that we have a sous vide machine, I gave it another try. He loved them with all the BBQ sauce. We finished in the broiler because we don’t have a grill.5 stars

      Reply
    11. Anagha says

      May 28, 2019 at 9:10 pm

      I haven’t heard or read anything similar to this. It looks new thing to try out. I will suggest this to my friend who loves having beef.

      Reply
    12. Julie Lause says

      May 28, 2019 at 8:17 am

      This is incredible! I’ve never really thought about sous vide ribs– so cool!

      Reply
    13. Kristine Nicole Alessandra says

      May 27, 2019 at 11:44 pm

      I had never tried that method of cooking sous vide ribs. I tried to look it up and it is like slow cooking in a water bath. It does look like an interesting way to cook ribs!5 stars

      Reply
    14. Dannii says

      February 01, 2019 at 12:35 am

      These ribs look SO good. I have never tried them this way, but definitely going to give it a go.5 stars

      Reply
    15. Sara says

      January 31, 2019 at 10:54 pm

      I’ve never had sous vide ribs, but clearly I’m missing out because these look fabulous!5 stars

      Reply
    16. Adriana Lopez Martin says

      January 31, 2019 at 10:40 pm

      The sous vide technique is perfect for cooking meats, drooling on this ribs look so good!5 stars

      Reply
    17. Tisha says

      January 31, 2019 at 9:44 pm

      These ribs look fantastic!!! Fall off the bone delicious!5 stars

      Reply
    18. Jillian says

      January 31, 2019 at 7:24 pm

      This looks amazing!!! I cannot wait for my house to smell like this and then get to enjoy it!5 stars

      Reply

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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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