Celery Free Paleo BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Few things hit harder than a rack of ribs with a deep, smoky crust and meat that practically slides off the bone — and this recipe delivers exactly that. The dry rub layers coconut sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, and a kick of cayenne for serious flavor before the ribs even touch the oven. A long, low bake wrapped tightly in foil does the heavy lifting, breaking down the collagen until every bite is fall-apart tender. The homemade BBQ sauce — built from tomato paste, honey, apple cider vinegar, and coconut aminos — is the kind of thing you'll want to put on everything, and it caramelizes beautifully during that final high-heat blast. Store-bought sauces and spice blends can be sneaky about hidden ingredients, so making both the rub and the sauce from scratch here keeps everything clean and straightforward. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free of celery and celery derivatives, so there's no label-scanning stress involved. Whether you're cooking for a crowd or just treating yourself on a weekend, these ribs are an absolute showstopper.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the ribs
- 2 racks baby back ribs (about 4–5 lb total)
For the dry rub
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
For the BBQ sauce
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with two layers of aluminum foil, leaving enough overhang on all sides to wrap the ribs completely.
- 2
Flip each rack of ribs bone-side up. Slide a butter knife under the thin membrane at one end of the rack, grip it with a paper towel, and pull it off in one piece. Removing the membrane allows the rub to penetrate and the ribs to become tender.
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