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Delicious Air Fryer Country Style Ribs (Easy Recipe)

Air fryer country style ribs are delicious, easy to make, and they don’t take long at all to make. For those reasons, they’re the perfect weeknight family dinner.

barbecued air fryer country style rib on a plate

I highly recommend reading this entire post before you begin preparing the recipe. However, if all you want is the list of ingredients with full directions, please either click on the jump-to-recipe button above or scroll to the bottom of this post.

You only need a few ingredients and an air fryer to make this delicious main dish. This is my first time to use this particular recipe, and I’ll definitely do it again. 

In fact, it came out even better than I’d hoped, and it’s one of my new favorite ways to cook ribs!

Air frying is such an efficient way to cook anything, especially bbq ribs … or bbq anything!

I was sent a starter set of Cook with Jax spice rubs in exchange for mentioning the product on this blog and giving my honest opinion. 

Boneless Country Ribs

When you want an easy recipe for juicy, tender ribs, pull out your air fryer and let it do the work for you. Air fryer country style ribs are so delicious you may decide not to make them any other way.

country style rib, loaded potato casserole, and coleslaw on a plate

You can finish them off with your favorite bbq sauce or follow this Chinese style country style pork ribs recipe. 

I like to brush my homemade barbecue sauce over the ribs for the final stint in the air fryer. It caramelizes so beautifully, adds a layer of rich flavor, and tastes amazing when it’s done!

These are boneless ribs. But you can also use the same recipe for baby back ribs, beef ribs, a rack of ribs, or spare ribs. In fact, this recipe works for all different types of ribs.

Also keep in mind that country-style ribs come in a variety of thicknesses. So be sure to pull out your meat thermometer and be prepared to use it.

Ingredients

I love the fact that this pork ribs recipe doesn’t require many ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

package of ribs
  • Ribs (of course) 
  • Cooking oil (olive oil, avocado oil, or whatever oil you happen to have)
  • Jax Rub You Right Spice Rub (see link below)
  • Brown sugar
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Barbecue sauce (homemade or bottled)
bottle of olive oil
Jax Rub You Right spice rub
cayenne pepper and brown sugar
bowl and spoon of barbecue sauce

For exact measurements of each ingredient and full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by using the “print” button.

Other ingredients you might want to add are garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, or chili powder. Play around with the ingredients and come up with your own personal favorite rib rub.

The Jax Rub You Right Spice Rub is made by a friend of my son-in-law Ryan. Sean started this company to provide delicious flavor blends for beef, pork, chicken, fish, and whatever else you want to put this on. You can purchase it here: Cook with Jax.

Sean sent me a starter set of the rubs so I could try some of the different flavors and share my findings with my blog readers. Of course, I had to try all of them, and they’re all delicious!

starter set of Jax spice blend rubs

This recipe was made with one of the blends. But I think any of them would work just fine.

How to Prepare Delicious Air Fryer Country Pork Ribs

This is an easy process because all you need to do is marinate the meat and then put it in the air fryer a couple of hours later. You can cut the marinating time, or you can do it the night before.

First, place the ribs on a plate and drizzle olive oil over them. Make sure all of the ribs are covered in oil. Set them aside.

drizzling olive oil over the country style ribs

In a small bowl, combine the spice rub, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. 

Stir them well so all of the flavors are the same throughout the seasoning mixture.

Sprinkle the mixture over the oil coated ribs.

Turn them over and sprinkle it on the other side.

sprinkling the spice rub on the ribs

Carefully place the coated ribs in a plastic bag.

Press the air out of the bag and seal it.

seasoned ribs in a plastic bag

To attain the richest flavor, gently massage the mixture into the ribs.

Now place the bag of ribs in the refrigerator and leave it for a few hours.

How to Air Fry the Ribs

When you’re ready to cook the ribs, preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Arrange the ribs in a single layer inside the air fryer basket. Make sure the sides of the ribs aren’t touching each other.

seasoned country style ribs in air fryer basket

When I cook messy foods, I use a silicone air fryer liner to make cleanup easier.

Cook ribs for 10 minutes, flipping them once halfway through the the cycle.

ribs cooked with spice rub

Remove the basket of ribs and brush with barbecue sauce. Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook an additional 5 minutes. This gives you a total of 15 minutes cook time.

brushing barbecue sauce over country style ribs in the air fryer

The ribs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Use a meat thermometer to check since the cooking time can vary from one air fryer to another.

Remove the ribs from the air fryer and enjoy with your favorite side dishes. You might also want to put some additional bbq sauce on the table for those who like extra.

air fryer country style rib on a plate with loaded baked potato casserole and coleslaw

In the Oven

You can also cook these ribs in your oven if you don’t have an air fryer. 

Place the ribs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup afterward.

Increase the temperature to 400˚ and bake for 30 minutes total.

More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes

Looking for an easy and delicious dish to make in your air fryer? After you try these air fryer country style ribs, try some of these yummy foods:

Air Fryer Blueberry Muffins – Make these in a small muffin tin or just use silicone muffin liners without the tin. They’re quick, easy, and so delicious!

Barbecued Chicken Drumsticks – The hot air that circulates around the inside of the air fryer basket seals in the flavor while providing the crispy outer layer that makes them so good.

Air Fryer Butternut Squash – Here’s a wonderfully flavorful and fast side dish that goes with so many other foods! 

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwich – If you’ve never tried air frying your grilled cheese sandwiches, you’re really missing out! It’s wonderful!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños – Add some spice to your snack table with these tasty tidbits.

Air Fryer Ranch Chickpeas – Crunchy, delicious, and absolutely addicting, these chickpeas are the perfect movie or game night snack.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders – Serve these as an appetizer, snack, or main dish. Make sure to have enough for everyone to have seconds.

Tilapia in an Air Fryer – Take tilapia directly from the freezer to the air fryer, and dinner will be ready in minutes. So easy and so delicious!

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs – After you cut into one of these deliciously crispy chicken thighs, you’ll probably never want to cook them any other way. 

Air Fryer Frozen Waffle Fries – Sometimes you just want something quick, easy, and delicious! Dump the amount you want into the basket, and let the air fryer do all the work!

country style barbecued ribs on a plate and in an air fryer

Air Fryer Cooking

I’ve discovered that almost anything that you can cook in the oven does even better in an air fryer. If you’d like to experiment with some of your favorite baked foods, text them out in small batches.

Once you start looking, you’ll discover a good number of different air fryers on the market. My recommendation is to get the biggest one you have room for on your kitchen countertop. 

A smaller air fryer is fine for one or maybe even two people. But I’ve discovered that I can cook an entire meal for my husband and me in the 6 quart air fryer that we have.

Our is the Instant Vortex made by the same company that has the Instant Pot. It’s a good one that I can recommend from personal experience.

Whether you’re making air fryer pork ribs or air frying frozen waffle fries, you’ll be happy with the results because it’s such an easy way to get healthy meals on the table quickly.

fork with a bite of air fryer rib

Air Fryer Country Style Ribs Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Make delicious country style ribs the easy way--in your air fryer!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of country style boneless pork ribs
  • 1 heaping teaspoon of Jax Rub You Right Spice Rub
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (use more or less according to your heat preference)
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Instructions

  1. Coat the ribs with olive oil and set them aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the spice rub, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
  3. Sprinkle the mixture over the oiled ribs until they are completely coated.
  4. Gently place the ribs in a plastic bag and press the air out of the bag. Gently massage the ribs through the bag.
  5. Place the bag of seasoned ribs in your refrigerator for a couple of hours so the flavors can sink down into the meat.
  6. When it’s time to cook the ribs, preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F.
  7. Place the ribs in a single layer in the air fryer basket with at least 1/2 inch of space between them for air flow.
  8. Cook in air fryer for 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
  9. Brush your favorite barbecue sauce over the ribs and cook for an additional 5 minutes for a total of 15 minutes cook time, or until the internal temperature reaches 145˚ F.
  10. Remove from air fryer and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 542Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 119mgSodium 629mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 26gProtein 24g

The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.

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