I kept hearing these ribs mentioned but never knew what they were. So, I decided to do some research to find out what are Kansas City ribs, and what makes them different from other ribs. Kansas City is known for some great barbecue, so I know that whatever these ribs are they must be pretty good.
Kansas City ribs are more of a style of barbecue than a type of rib. These ribs would be rubbed with spices, and slow smoked with a variety of woods. What really sets these ribs apart from others is the use of a thick, tomato-based barbecue sauce. The majority of the sauces used tend to be more sweet and spicy. You will see a lot of the sauces made with molasses to give it that sweetness.
It was interesting to find out that these aren’t a type of rib, but just a style of BBQ. Kansas City makes some great BBQ, so it opens up a world of possibilities to what you could make. I like making all different types of ribs whether it be baby back or even country style ribs, so what I person can do is just make them Kansas City-style with a bit of spicy, sweet BBQ sauce. I’m getting hungry thinking of it.
What Type of Ribs do I Use for Kansas City Ribs?
So, you are thinking of picking up some ribs to make some KC barbecue. What do you get? You can use whatever type of rib you like since Kansas City isn’t a type of rib, but a style of BBQ that is based on the spice rub and sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce.
That being said, it is most common to see spare ribs used, but also baby back ribs to an extent. These ribs are just slow smoked and slathered with the spicy, sweet barbecue sauce. If you wanted, you could even make beef ribs to this style. It is basically all about the sauce. So, get a couple racks of your favorite ribs and cook them up KC style.
What Rub do I Use for Kansas City Ribs?
A good rub is important to any type of ribs you make whether you are making baby back ribs, or Kansas City-style. However, rubs can make a world of difference in the flavor of your BBQ. A traditional Kansas City rib rub will be a combination of sweet and spicy. It will have a bunch of brown sugar, paprika, and of course some chili powder and cayenne pepper for the spiciness.
You may be able to find some commercial rubs, but here is a basic rub recipe that should yield you about a cup. That should be enough for 2 to 3 racks of ribs.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
You will want to generously coat both sides of your racks of ribs. At that point I like to wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator overnight. That way the spices get a chance to really get into the meat.
Which Barbecue Sauce do I use?
Since the basis for Kansas City-style barbecue is the sauce, it is important to get it right. Like mentioned above the barbecue sauce is usually a sweet tomato-based sauce, however you can find some varieties that are more spicy and tangy.
Some of the most popular Kansas City-style barbecue sauces you can buy are Arthur Bryant’s, Gates, and KC Masterpiece. The Original Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque Sauce which made them famous is more vinegary than sweet, which makes it a bit different from the more spicy sweet sauces for the style.
Gates Original Classic barbecue sauce is a bit more sweet but does not contain molasses as you see in a lot of Kansas City-style BBQ sauces. The first two are more traditional to the style, whereas KC Masterpiece is a bit thicker and sweeter than most traditional sauces.
If you want to try making your own, you will want something that has some ketchup and molasses to give it that sweetness. Here is a Kansas City BBQ sauce recipe to get you started:
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
4 tsp hickory-flavored liquid smoke
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Using a large saucepan mix together all of the ingredients and heat to medium. Once well combined, reduce to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce simmer for a bit longer.
You would brush on the sauce during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking time.
Which Wood is Best for Kansas City Ribs?
There are so many difference type of woods that can be used for smoking, how does a person know what to use? A great choice in wood for smoking Kansas City ribs, or any style of pork ribs for that matter, would be hickory or oak. I’m also a big fan of apple wood for my ribs. It is a bit more milder. I like to also blend hickory and apple.
As far as how much wood to use, start of with a couple chunks, or a handful if you are using chips. You don’t want to over smoke your ribs, so this will give you a good starting point. Plus it gives you an excuse to make ribs again to test out your smoking level.
How do I cook Kansas City Ribs?
If you want to make your own KC Style ribs it isn’t very difficult at all, you just need some good rub and the right sauce. If you read what I said about about the rub and the BBQ sauce, it will be easy. Low and slow is the way to go when making Kansas City ribs. Traditionally you would want to cook these using a smoker, but you can get away with using your gas or charcoal grill too. You will just want to smoke these ribs at about 250F, so whatever grill or smoker you are using dial in that for a temperature.
As mentioned above, get your racks of ribs and coat the with the rib rub. Let them sit with the rub on preferably overnight. Once on the smoker add your favorite smoking wood, as I mentioned, I like a combo of hickory and apple wood. Place the racks on the smoker or grill and cook for about 4 to 5 hours at 225 to 250F. The meat will start to pull away from the bone about a half inch when they are done. During the last half hour of smoking, take some of your barbecue sauce and brush the rib racks with them.
Once they are done, serve with the remaining BBQ sauce. You are going to love these ribs.
Can You Make Kansas City Ribs in the Oven?
I know some people don’t have a smoker, or it might be the middle of winter and they just want to cook indoors. Slow smoked is the traditional way to make these ribs, but if you don’t have that option, go ahead and make them in the oven. You won’t get that same smoky flavor as you would from slow smoking, but they should turn out pretty good. Do everything pretty much the same as you would if you were using a smoker, but set your oven to 350F. They will need to cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
During the last half hour of cooking you will want to baste the ribs with your barbecue sauce. If you wanted to get some smoky flavor in them when you are cooking them in the oven, you could add a bit of liquid smoke to your BBQ sauce.
Want to Try the Real Thing?
Well, if you want real authentic Kansas City ribs, it is time to make a trip there. If you are in to BBQ like I am, you really can’t go wrong with a trip to KC. There are so many great barbecue joints there, that your head will be spinning.
If you do make the trip, make sure to try several. There are so many places to try you can’t even name them all. Some places to get you started are Arthur Bryant’s, Gates, Joes Kansas City Bar-B-Que, Q39, Jack Stack, Slap’sBBQ, and the list could go on and on. Get out there and try some great KC BBQ.