How to make Sweet Dry Rub for Pork Ribs

This sweet dry rub for pork ribs is the best grilling recipe of the summer. It makes the ribs so delicious and juicy and it’s SIMPLE!

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I was very intimidated about cooking ribs for a long time. I’m not even sure why now because they are so easy. I guess I was worried they would come out super tough and I’d be ripping the meat off with my teeth.

I did some research and after a few tries I got it perfect and now make ribs all the time. It’s one of our family favorites. I LOVE this sweet rib rub recipe because it was super simple AND has a fantastic flavor! It’s nice to have something different than BBQ sauce.

Hint: You can also use this rub on chicken or smoked pork!

Update: This recipe is a few years old and doesn’t have many shares on social media, but wanted to let you know it’s ranked in the top 10 for sweet dry rub recipes on Google. Woohoo!

Sweet Dry Rub for Pork Ribs

Smithfield Ribs are hand trimmed, extra tender and juicy with no added hormones or steroids. So, you see, you don’t have to be an expert chef to make delicious ribs.  It’s my secret weapon!

Should I cook my ribs fast or slow?

I live in Race City, USA (North Carolina) and we grill a lot down here. I’m using Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork St. Louis Style Ribs for this recipe today. I’m #teamslow because my preferred way of grilling my ribs are at a low temperature for a long time. However, there are people that like to cook ribs fast.

Smithfield is partnering up with Pitmaster Tuffy Stone (#TeamSlow) and No.10 race car driver Aric Almirola (#TeamFast) as they compete to show how easy and versatile fresh pork can be on the grill. I love this idea because sometimes you just don’t have the time to cook for a long time, but can still have some delicious grilled meat!  

Are you #teamfast or #teamslow?

Race City, USA

I’m not sure if I have written much about my life before I had kids. I worked at an office, like most people. However, it was in a really cool industry that you may have heard of… NASCAR!

I learned so much about drivers and met so many people in the industry. My son’s kindergarten teacher is even married to a driver!

When I applied for the job, I’m not even sure I knew what kind of place I was applying to. I had always worked in analytics so I was just applying to look at numbers!  I can tell you that people here take this industry VERY seriously. If you aren’t working and traveling with NASCAR, then people are getting together and watching the races and just hanging out.

I don’t know about you, but I’m addicted to ordering my groceries online.  I ordered my Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork St. Louis Style Ribs and other ingredients for dinner tonight. 

If you haven’t ordered from Walmart Grocery,  then you are missing out. I’m out of town for the day so I just made my menu and ordered the groceries online. I scheduled to pick them up on my way back in town. It’s super convenient.  You pull right up and they bring your order out to your car!

Ingredients for sweet dry rib rub recipe

• Smithfield Extra Tender Fresh Pork St. Louis Style Ribs
• Light brown sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Onion powder

Tip- This recipe does NOT have any heat to it. If you would like to make it a little spicier feel free to add some cayenne pepper or chili powder to the mix.

How to make the best rub for pork ribs

Step 1

Preheat grill to 250F.

Step 2

To make the spice mix add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix. Rub the sweet rub all over the front and back to the ribs. Wrap the ribs tightly with foil.

Step 3

Grill for 1 1/2 hours, flip and grill for another 1 1/2 hours.

You can really tell from the photo below how the rub gets cooked on there and makes a great coating.

Kitchen tools to make sweet dry rub for ribs

Grill set– I love this grill set. I’ve had some with wooden handles and they just don’t last as long. This has good tongs and a flipper and I love the brush so you can brush on your sweet bbq sauce!

Stainless steel bowls– I always use stainless steel bowls and love this set. It comes in a variety of sizes and lids and is perfect to mix up your spices.

Great side dish recipes for sweet grilled pork ribs

• Grilled potato salad with bacon vinaigrette
• Tex-Mex coleslaw
• Cucumber salad
• Southern fried apples

Reminder: If you make one of my recipes, it would be GREAT if you could leave any feedback in the comment section and rate it for other readers who are looking for something new to make.