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Home Blog Course Main Course

Whole30 Ribs (Grilled, Paleo, and From a Memphian!)

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 08/17/17 Updated: 03/18/20
4.67
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DF Dairy Free GF Gluten Free P Paleo 30 Whole30

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Grilled whole30 ribs with whole30 BBQ sauce.

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they’re delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!

I’m a terrible Memphian. Or maybe I’m the best?

Up until recently, I’d never made ribs myself. Why would I? With dozens, maybe hundreds, of fantastic BBQ joints in town, fitted with veritable pitmasters, why would I take that on? It’s like opting to stay in and boil a box of bucatini when you’re vacationing in Rome. Yeah, don’t.

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!

Like I mentioned in my Whole30 BBQ sauce recipe post, I’ve always opted for ribs when BBQ’s on the table. Pulled pork sandwiches are underwhelming at best to me, likely due to the sheer ubiquity of the dish here. But ribs are a different story: rich and spicy and heavily seasoned, they’re perfect with or without the extra sauce ornamenting your BBQ shop table, sandwiched between the ironically thin diner-style napkins and the three-year-old bottles of peppers in vinegar.

Ribs are so primal and satisfying, real food at its finest. It made sense that I’d crave them on a Whole30.

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us! These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!

But thing is… of course, almost all BBQ rubs and BBQ sauces contain sugar, among other non-compliant ingredients. Translation? It’s on me to satisfy that rib craving on a Whole30 or paleo diet.

I was inspired when I saw pork ribs on sale at Sprouts, stacking my plastic-wrapped slabs three high on the conveyor belt. The woman next to me was doing the same, and we took turns darting back to the meat department for more, egging each other one to take full advantage of the deal.

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us! These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!

Without a smoker at home (or hours of my life to spare), I entrusted O with grilling our dinner. To prep the rack, I started by whisking together a bold blend of spices, leaving out the omnipresent sugar and making up for the lack of smoke flavor from the grill by including a generous helping of chipotle chili powder. After smothering the ribs in my spice blend, I layered the rack halves on top of each other and wrapped them up in a foil package. Onto the grill they went, and an hour of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (and a batch of my Whole30 BBQ sauce) later, tada! Whole30 ribs with Whole30 BBQ sauce ready to be devoured.

These Whole30 ribs are a great late summer and early fall Whole30 dinner, especially now that football season is almost upon us. Of course, they go perfectly with my Whole30 BBQ sauce, but you could use a compliant brand like Tessemae’s, as well.

To make these Whole30 ribs, I used…

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!
4.67 from 3 votes

Whole30 Ribs (Grilled)

Prep:10 minutes minutes
Cook:1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total:1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!
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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork baby back ribs cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon Whole30 BBQ rub see recipe below
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce Whole30 BBQ sauce

Whole30 BBQ Rub

  • ½ tablespoon cumin powder
  • ½ tablespoon paprika powder
  • ½ tablespoon garlic powder
  • ½ tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 pinch - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you use 1/4 teaspoon it will be very spicy!)
  • ½ teaspoon pepper black
  • ½ teaspoon pepper white
  • 4 teaspoons salt kosher
  • 1 teaspoon oil olive

Instructions 

  • Preheat a gas grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grate.
  • In a small bowl, combine cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, and salt.
  • Trim the membrane sheath from the back of each rack. Run a small, sharp knife between the membrane and each rib, and snip off the membrane as much as possible.
  • Sprinkle the rub evenly over both sides of ribs until totally coated; do not rub in. Stack one half of the ribs on top of the other and place on a large piece of foil. Fold up foil and seal, then place on top rack of grill. Reduce heat to low, close lid, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour. Do not lift the lid!
  • After an hour, open foil and place rib rack halves directly on grill. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve as a half rack or cut ribs in between bones to serve individually. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

Notes

Serve as a half rack or cut ribs in between bones to serve individually. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 4g, Calories: 639kcal, Protein: 43g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 151mg, Sodium: 3252mg, Potassium: 729mg, Total Carbs: 32g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g, Net Carbs: 30g, Vitamin A: 742IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 3mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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These Whole30 ribs are easy and cooked on the grill, making them a great Whole30 dinner! Smoky, spicy, and full of flavor, they're delicious with my Whole30 BBQ sauce. Definitely the perfect Whole30 ribs or Whole30 dinner now that football season is upon us!
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

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  1. Julia alexander says

    Posted on 3/3/21 at 4:26 am

    Hi, Amazing article. Look like you are an expert chef and the recipe looks so delicious. I will definitely try it.

    Reply
    • Liz G says

      Posted on 7/1/23 at 3:53 pm

      Really good! A little too salty for our likings so next time I’ll cut the amount of salt in half. Looking forward to keeping this recipe in our rotation!4 stars

      Reply
      • Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says

        Posted on 7/12/23 at 3:24 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it, Liz! 😊

  2. Debra says

    Posted on 5/21/20 at 4:11 pm

    Hi,
    Can you please give specific temps for the grill? When we heated the grill on high it went to almost 600 degrees. Now on low it is staying at 400 degrees. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 11/12/20 at 10:21 am

      Hi! We suggest setting the grill to about 220-230° F. 🙂5 stars

      Reply
  3. Kylee says

    Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:57 pm

    I don’t have a grill. I know, I know…but I can do ribs in the Instantpot. Do you recommend this recipe for the Instantpot? If not, do you have any Instantpot rib recipes?

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 3/19/21 at 12:16 pm

      You might like these recipes! 🙂
      https://40aprons.com/instant-pot-baby-back-ribs/ & https://40aprons.com/instant-pot-country-style-ribs/5 stars

      Reply

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