Root Beer Ribs

The Best Pork Rib Marinade

These Root Beer Ribs are quite possibly the most raved-about recipe we make. Every time we make them, people sing the praises of how good they are, and honestly, that feels pretty darn good!

Root beer is a natural flavor pairing for baby back ribs, and we think it’s because the combination is so perfect that people rave so much. The ribs are fatty and rich the way ribs should be, and the root beer is tangy and sweet in all the ways everybody loves.

This recipe gets a double dose of root beer – first in a marinade, and then in a quick and sticky homemade sauce – so this recipe is a double dose of awesome.

We adapted this from a Dr. Pepper ribs recipe from a random copy of Men’s Health magazine about 15 years ago. We knew if Dr. Pepper would work for that recipe, so would root beer. The secret ingredient can be any type of cola. Coca Cola or even Cherry Coke are also great for this recipe!

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• baby back ribs – the star of the show!
• root beer – acts as a tenderizer for the ribs, and adds sweetness. Any type of regular (not diet) cola will work – Coca-Cola, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. We’ve tested them with just about everything, and they all work great!
• kosher salt – seasons the ribs and sauce. You’ll be using 2 full tablespoons of salt for the ribs to marinate. It seems like a lot of salt, but it’s necessary for flavorful and juicy ribs. And you won’t be eating ALL of that salt in the end product, don’t worry.
• olive oil – for sautéing the garlic and onion as the base for the sauce.
• garlic – adds a robust flavor to the sauce.
• onion – adds sweetness and depth of flavor to the sauce.
• ketchup – the base of the sauce.
• apple cider vinegar – adds acidity to the sauce to help balance the sweetness. White vinegar is also fine.
• Worcestershire sauce – adds savory umami flavor. Sub soy sauce if you don’t have Worcestershire.
• light brown sugar – enhances the sweetness of the sauce. Dark brown sugar is good if that’s what you have. Maple syrup works in a pinch, too.
• thyme – adds a fresh herbal note to the sauce. Skip it if you don’t have it.
• ground black pepper – adds mild heat.
• chili powder- adds a smoky depth of flavor to the sauce.
• cayenne pepper – gives the sauce a subtle heat. Substitute paprika for a milder sauce.

What Ribs For Root Beer Marinade?

When buying ribs, you’re likely to come across a few different options. Spareribs, country style ribs, baby back, St. Louis-style, oh my!

Bon Appetit has a nice tutorial that will teach you how to buy the right kind of pork ribs. For the root beer ribs recipe below, we’ve chosen baby back ribs. We like them because they’re really meaty and they don’t take super long to cook.

Feel free to use spareribs (which will likely take longer to cook) or St. Louis-style (which will likely take shorter to cook). Beef ribs are a whole different animal (literally), and there I prefer Instant Pot Short Ribs.

Adjust the baking time accordingly, and cook until the ribs are tender but not totally falling off the bone before transferring them to a grill or broiler (more on that later).

How To Make Root Beer BBQ Ribs

1. MARINATE. Place the ribs in a single layer in a very large baking dish or roasting pan, cutting the racks to fit into the pan easier, if necessary. Sprinkle salt over ribs, then pour root beer over them. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. BAKE. Remove the ribs from the marinade and pat them dry. Throw away the root beer that’s left in the pan – you don’t need it anymore. Place the ribs back in the pan and add 1 cup of water. Cover the pan with foil and cook until the meat is nearly falling off the bone.

3. SAUCE. While the ribs are baking, make the sauce. Cook the garlic and onion in oil until the onion is soft, then add the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, thyme, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne, and remaining salt and root beer. Simmer until until you’ve achieved the perfect barbecue sauce consistency. Perfect is what YOU like. Some people like really thick and sticky sauces, others (like us) prefer a root beer bbq sauce that is a little thinner and glazy-er.

4. FINISH. If desired, finish the ribs on the grill or under the broiler (more on this below), and serve with any remaining sauce.

Optional: Finish The Root Beer Ribs With The Grill Or Broiler

You don’t HAVE to finish the root beer ribs on the grill or under the broiler, but we highly recommend it! The grill or broiler chars them in spots and really gives the ribs some smokiness and crusty bits that are so yummy.

To grill them, just before ribs hit the 2 hour mark in the oven, preheat your grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. Because the ribs are already fully cooked from their time in the oven, you don’t need to actually cook them any longer on the grill. So, we’ll be using indirect heat to char the ribs.

Preheat one side of the grill, while leaving the other side off. Transfer the ribs to the “off” side and brush with a little bit of the root beer bbq sauce.

Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until crusty in some spots. Flip, brush with the root beer rib sauce again, and cook 10 more minutes or until the other side if lightly charred as well.

To broil them, just before ribs hit the 2 hour mark in the oven, preheat your broiler to high. Pop the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes, watching them very carefully. Move them around as they broil so they evenly char a little bit.

How To Make Crockpot Root Beer Ribs

Instead of baking, you can cook these ribs in the crock pot, if you want! You’ll have to make the root beer barbecue sauce before the slow cook, rather than making it while the ribs are cooking (like for the oven directions), but it’s worth it. For slow cooker ribs with root beer:

1. Make the root beer barbecue sauce according to the instruction in the recipe card.
2. Remove the ribs from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel, then brush the ribs all over with 3/4 cup of the root beer barbecue sauce. Refrigerate any remaining sauce.
3. Place 5 garlic cloves, 1 white or yellow onion (peeled and quartered) and 1 cup apple juice in your slow cooker bowl.
4. Place the ribs on top of the garlic and onion. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Grill or broil to finish as desired, brushing with remaining barbecue sauce.

How To Store

If you have leftovers, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or on a grill until warmed through.

Pork Rib Marinade Recipe FAQs