Table of Contents
Memphis at Home: Dry-Rub Ribs and Barbecue Pork Spaghetti
A rack of dry ribs needs a good crust, a little smoke, and a table where nobody minds a few napkins. Start with these recipes with Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning and build a plate around the pork, not a thick blanket of sauce. Then take the same jar into the kitchen for a pan of barbecue pork spaghetti.
Memphis has room for both. Dry-rub ribs are a familiar part of its barbecue identity, and barbecue spaghetti brings pork and sauce into a different kind of comfort food. These are home versions inspired by that combination, not copies of any restaurant’s recipe.
Paprika, mustard, garlic, onion, cayenne, black pepper, and basil give the blend a warm savory character. It contains no added salt or sugar, so the salt is measured separately below. The first recipe uses it as a surface coating; the second seasons a slow-cooked shoulder and the sauce that catches in the noodles.
Dry bark outside, barbecue comfort inside
Let the ribs carry their cooked-in seasoning without an extra dusting at the table. In the spaghetti, give a small portion of rub a brief turn in the sauce before adding the pork. The pasta should be tossed through that sauce rather than sitting under a decorative scoop of meat.
Classic use · build a dry rib crust
Memphis-Style Smoked Dry Ribs
These baby back ribs stay unglazed so the seasoning remains the point of the recipe. A light apple-cider mist helps dry-looking spots during the cook without turning the surface into a sauce layer.
Memphis-Style Smoked Dry Ribs
Featuring: Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
Equipment: Smoker or covered grill, thermometer, food-safe spray bottle, skewer
The starting ratio: 3 tablespoons salt-free rub plus 1¼ teaspoons fine salt for a 3-pound rack.
Ingredients
For the ribs
- 1 rack pork baby back ribs, about 3 pounds
- 3 tablespoons Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
- 1¼ teaspoons fine salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the smoker. Set up a smoker or covered grill for steady indirect cooking at 250°F. Use smoking wood according to your equipment’s instructions. Remove the rib membrane if present and trim loose fatty flaps.
- Season the rack. Pat the ribs dry. Brush with oil, then coat all sides with the measured fine salt and rub. Place meat-side up in the smoker, away from direct flame.
- Keep the cook steady. Smoke for about 4–5 hours. Combine the apple juice and vinegar in a clean food-safe spray bottle. After the first 2 hours, lightly mist dry-looking areas about once an hour, using only as much liquid as needed. Do not repeatedly soak the crust.
- Test for tenderness. Begin checking near 4 hours. A skewer should enter easily between the bones, the rack should bend when lifted with tongs, and the surface should show small cracks. The meat commonly reaches about 195–203°F between bones at this stage. Continue in 20–30-minute increments if still firm.
- Rest and cut. Rest for 10 minutes. Turn the rack bone-side up to see the spaces and slice into individual ribs. Serve dry, without a finishing dusting of raw seasoning.
A dry rib is still juicy inside. Look for tenderness and a set crust rather than trying to dry the meat out. Keep the lid closed between checks to maintain even heat.
Recipe notes
Fine salt is specified so the measured volume is consistent; coarse kosher salts have different densities. This is a flexible smoker schedule, not a promise that every rack finishes at the same hour. Wind, equipment, and rib thickness can change the timing.
Serve it with
Serve with tangy slaw, pickles, and baked beans. If someone wants sauce, offer it at the table rather than coating the whole rack.
Second use · braised pork and a seasoned sauce
Memphis-Inspired Barbecue Pork Spaghetti
A home oven stands in for the pit here. The shoulder is slowly braised until it shreds, then tossed with spaghetti and a tomato-barbecue sauce. This is a full recipe from raw pork, not an instruction to find leftovers.
Memphis-Inspired Barbecue Pork Spaghetti
Featuring: Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
Equipment: Dutch oven, wide saute pan, pasta pot, meat thermometer
The starting ratio: 2 tablespoons rub total: 1½ on 2 pounds pork shoulder and ½ in the sauce for 12 ounces spaghetti.
Ingredients
For the pork
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 large pieces
- 1½ tablespoons Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
For the spaghetti
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti
- ½ tablespoon Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 14–15 ounces
- ½ cup tomato-based barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Reserved pork cooking liquid and pasta water, as needed
Instructions
- Season and brown. Heat the oven to 300°F. Coat the pork with 1½ tablespoons rub and 1 teaspoon fine salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven and brown the pieces over medium-high heat for about 8–10 minutes total.
- Braise until it shreds. Pour in the broth, scraping up browned bits. Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 3–4 hours, until a fork separates the meat easily; it will commonly be near 195–205°F. Keep some liquid in the pot, adding hot water if needed.
- Prepare the sauce. During the final 20 minutes of braising, soften the onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a wide saute pan for 5 minutes. Stir in ½ tablespoon rub for 30 seconds, then tomatoes, barbecue sauce, and vinegar. Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes.
- Rest and pull the pork. Rest the tender pork for 15 minutes. Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid and reserve it. Pull the pork into irregular shreds and smaller chunks, discarding large fatty pieces.
- Toss and serve. Cook the spaghetti according to its package directions, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add pork and about ¼ cup skimmed cooking liquid to the sauce. Toss with drained spaghetti, adding small splashes of pasta water until the sauce coats the noodles. Heat through for a few minutes and serve from the pan. Sauce and pasta work overlap with the braising and resting time.
Use pork shoulder rather than tenderloin. The longer cook needs a cut that turns tender instead of simply drying out.
Recipe notes
Barbecue sauce varies in salt and sweetness. Taste the finished sauce before adding anything more. This oven-braised version has the blend’s barbecue flavor without claiming the smoke of a pit-cooked shoulder.
Serve it with
Put the pan in the center of the table with pickles and a crunchy cabbage salad alongside. A little sauce on the serving spoon is part of the meal.
Make room for another Memphis supper
Keep the napkins near the ribs and a serving spoon in the spaghetti pan. This bottle can earn its place outdoors and indoors, giving you two very different meals without asking either one to look like a restaurant tasting plate.
Explore Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning
Regional inspiration: Memphis Travel: barbecue traditions and barbecue spaghetti.
Memphis Style Ribs - Dry Rub Seasoning
$10.25
Some ribs want sauce. Memphis ribs want a good rub and a little confidence. Memphis Style Ribs, Dry Rub Seasoning brings paprika, mustard, garlic, onion, cayenne, black pepper, and basil together for a warm, savory barbecue flavor with just enough smoke… read more
FAQs
Why isn't there any sugar or salt in this blend—did you guys forget to add them?
We left them out on purpose because your meat doesn't need to taste like candy, and we think you're smart enough to handle your own salting. This jar is strictly dedicated to delivering unfiltered, savory fire and serious backyard backbone.
The label says "Memphis Style Ribs," so will I get fined by the barbecue police if I use it on something else?
Don't worry, you won't be breaking any laws if you decide to shake this Southern kick over roasted corn, hush puppies, or even smoked turkey. We highly encourage you to live dangerously and throw a little backyard character at whatever crosses your grill grate.
What on earth is "Memphis-style spaghetti," and should I be scared to put this rub in it?
You absolutely shouldn't be scared because stirring this blend into a bowl of pulled pork pasta is a legendary Tennessee tradition. It adds the perfect hit of paprika, mustard, and cayenne to turn a simple noodle night into a full-blown smokehouse experience.
