Sadly, these Low Sodium Pork Ribs and Sauce never even made it off the roasting pan the first time I made them. It became 3 people standing around having a finger food feast (fight). All while I’m trying to take pictures with BBQ sauce on my hands and trying to keep other people’s hands out of the picture before it was all gone. I will have to do it again when I actually can get some ribs to a plate. I’ll probably have to do it by myself but I won’t complain or tell.
HOW MUCH SODIUM IN PORK RIBS
| Typical sodium amount most recipes | 1700+ mg |
| Sodium per serving for this recipe | 280 mg |
The sodium in the actual ribs themselves is on the lower side as they only contain 70 milligrams in a 4 ounce serving. It is typically the rib dry rub and BBQ sauce that is slathered on the meat that makes the sodium content soar.
Finding the total sodium content for this rib recipe was a little difficult as the nutrition calculator was coming up with over 1000 mg sodium per serving. That was obviously way off for calculating just the meat.
So doing it by hand using the meat nutrition label, the weight of the meat (which was just about 3 ½ lbs. each) and adding in the rub and Low Sodium BBQ Sauce I came up with roughly 280 mg of sodium for your meal – Serving size = 1 lb. or approximately 1/3 rack of ribs. But only when you use my rib dry rub and sauce any additional sodium will be extremely minimal.
Check out most typical recipes online and you will see sodium bombs at over 1700 mg per serving! Pre-packaged samples from the store are close to 500+ mg and who knows how much you’re getting at your local BBQ joint.
Yet with this recipe you’re still getting all the goodness and incredible fall off the bone taste. With my spice dry rub and if you choose to add my Low Sodium Barbecue Sauce, you will be wolfing these down without having to worry about sodium.
HOW MANY RIBS PER PERSON
A full rack of ribs has 12-14 individual rib bones. The two rib racks that I used for this recipe were a little less than 3 ½ lb.’s per rack. Some amount of that total is the weight of the bones too. From my experience I usually eat about 1/3 of the rack per meal when served with sides. When I’ve dealt with caterer’s in the past they used the rule of thumb to allow a about a pound of ribs per person. So a rack of ribs being your main entrée would generally feed about 3 people or servings. You probably could stretch to 4 people if you have some good side items to go along with it.
THE BEST LOW SODIUM BARBECUE SAUCE
The two aspects to make this rack of ribs low sodium is my spice dry rub and my low sodium BBQ sauce that you can see through my link. I make my low sodium BBQ sauce about once a month and use it almost all the time in place of ketchup. If you keep it in an old ketchup bottle it always makes for an easy quick squirt of goodness. With so many things to use it on, I often end up using it even more than where I would use ketchup. Be sure to check it out and use it!
Pork Rib low sodium rub spice ingredients 
Rib-rack rubbed with low sodium spice
REMOVING SILVER SKIN ON PORK RIBS
My dad showed me how to do this a long time ago and I highly recommend doing it. If the silver skin is left on it ends up being a barrier and won’t let any rub permeate that you put on the bottom and when it cooks, it turns into a tuff chewy covering. And it also ends up making it harder to cut through and chew. It really is simple to do and you can see how to remove it in this remove silver skin video. Make sure to use a non-sharp knife! Well worth the extra minute or two, trust me. See my *FIRST* YouTube video here: Removing silver skin.
HOW TO COOK RIBS IN THE OVEN
Remove silver skin as shown above, rinse and then pat ribs dry with a paper towel.
Pat on my low sodium dry rub mixture on both sides (recipe below is for two racks of ribs).
Wrap ribs in foil with a tablespoon of water and a dash or two of liquid smoke. Place foil wrapped ribs on a baking tray. Wrap each rib rack individually if more than one.
Bake at 350°F for 2 1/2 hours.
Then for the last half hour of cooking, slather with my BBQ sauce recipe. Use a brush or spoon to spread it evenly over the tops, leaving foil open and place back in oven for remaining time. I usually do this once more about 15 minutes later.
Broil for an additional 2-5 minutes if you want to get a crispier top and a little charring on the edges. If you can, let the ribs rest for 5-10 minutes
As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I get motivated when I hear from you and am interested to learn about how you liked and served your Low Sodium Pork Ribs. And please leave a comment or rating and share any tips you might have.
[su_box title=”A few great sides dishes to enjoy!” box_color=”#a92224″]
- Low Sodium Barbecue Sauce
- Homemade Low Sodium Coleslaw
- Low Sodium Baked Beans
- Low Sodium Baked Potato Salad
[/su_box]
Low Sodium Pork Ribs
February 5, 2020Ingredients
- 1 rack Loin or Country-Style Pork Ribs
Dry Rub qty is enough for 2 racks of ribs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp black pepper, ground
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp cayenne
Preparation
For the Dry Rub Qty of rub is for 2 racks of ribs
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until combined. Rub generously into ribs or roasts and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Store the rub in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Cooking the meat
- Remove silver skin, rinse and then pat ribs dry with a paper towel.
- Pat on my low sodium dry rub mixture on both sides (recipe below is for two racks of ribs).
- Wrap ribs in foil with a tablespoon of water and a dash or two of liquid smoke. Place foil wrapped ribs on a baking tray. Wrap each rib rack individually if more than one.
- Bake at 350°F for 2 1/2 hours. Then for the last half hour of cooking, slather with my BBQ sauce recipe. Use a brush or spoon to spread it evenly over the tops, leaving foil open and place back in oven for remaining time. I usually do this once more about 15 minutes later.
- Broil for an additional 2-5 minutes if you want to get a crispier top and a little charring on the edges.
Notes
I use, own and recommend these products and ingredients used in this recipe.
Amazon Links (Details>>)Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please understand that not everyone’s sodium and dietary requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you’re allowed.
Details » https://tastyhealthyheartrecipes.com/main-dishes/entrees/low-sodium-pork-ribs-and-sauce/© 2024 Tasty Healthy Heart Recipes
Nutrition Information – The information shown is provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be substituted for a doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice. Please understand that not everyone’s sodium requirements are the same, therefore some recipes may be higher than you’re allowed. Always consult with your doctor for your recommended daily sodium allowance.
another success.Rub and sauce were great. Have not been able to eat ribs for 3 years. Looking forward to these on a regular menu. Thanks
Could I use boneless Country-Style Pork Ribs with this recipe? Any adjustments?
Yes. Cooking time may change slightly as bone in meats generally take a little longer to cook. Be sure to check frequently with a meat thermometer.
I used this for a pork roast and it was outstanding. I brine my pork for a few days before smoking so a rub with salt makes it a bit too salty, IMHO.
Hello! These look delicious. My father in law has recently been out on a low sodium diet. I’m going to be cooking a few meals a week for them, and I happen to have 3 racks of ribs in the freezer so when I saw this I was like DING!! Cant wait to try them.
I might have missed it, but what is the side dish that is pictured? It looks delicious as well! Thank you!!
Hi Barrie, You and father in law will love the ribs. The side dish is just simple No Salt Added canned black beans and N.S.A. canned corn mixed together with some of my favorite spices for a Tex-Mex flavor. Let us know how you liked the meal! Bill
I made this recipe for Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. We recently changed our diet to low sodium. Thank you so much for all the low sodium recipes on your website. I altered your recipe a little. I rubbed down the ribs with your recipe, wrapped them in foil and let them sit in the refrigerator over night. I didn’t add liquid smoke. Instead, I smoked the ribs on the Traeger for 3 hours at 180 degrees then smothered the ribs with your low sodium barbecue sauce and wrapped them in foil and cooked for 2 more hours at 225 degrees. I opened the foil for the last few minutes. They were so tender and delicious! A new family favorite! I can’t wait to try your potato salad recipe!
Making my mouth water. Thanks so much Joy!
I use this recipe quite often. Always comes out Marvelous. I will use 1/2 slab with just dry rub and the other 1/2 with the bbq sauce.
Thanks for the LOW sodium recipe.
Thanks for your comment Jay!
I am making the ribs now. I just saw the part that after the rub is on to sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. I am going to try it with putting the rub on and cooking at the 350 for 2 hours and then start basting. Do you think it will be ok to do it that way? I tasted the rub and the ribs are going to turn out awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Veronica, You should be fine. Thanks for your comment. Enjoy!
I love this. I am new to low sodium so I’m so happy to not only find this but all of your recipes!!! Thank you for doing this!
Thanks LW
I don’t usually comment but this recipe is AMAZING!!! I felt doomed to a life of bland chicken when I was put on a low sodium diet and didn’t think I could ever enjoy ribs again so I was thrilled to find this! I appreciate this more than you know.
Thank you! Finally a low sodium recipe that tastes good. Even my husband (who is not Lodi) remarked how good the sauce was. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thanks Chris!
Bill, do you have any cookbooks available? Your recipes ROCK!
Hi Linda, Not at this time. Thank you
Thanks for this! As a dialysis RD I’m always looking for low salt options and will share the dry rub & sauce, excited. I will try the liquid smoke idea. I cook 2 racks in a 1/2 sheet pan. I season my ribs with a dry rub, cover tightly with foil, cook 4 hours at 300, carefully pour off liquid, uncover, slather with sauce, broil for 3 minutes, slather and broil 3 more minutes.
Thanks Kim!
So do I cook them for 1 hr then put bbq sauce on. Or cook for the 2 and half hrs then put sauce on then cook for one more hr. HELP LOL
Thanks
Marion
I start basting the ribs the last half hour of cooking.
I am new to a low sodium diet, so I was interested in this recipe the minute I saw it for a July 4th celebration. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out PERFECT AND DELICIOUS!!!! My mother in law raved about them and asked for the recipe even though they don’t follow that type of diet. The sauce is amazing and I used it for pulled chicken breast sandwiches too. 5 thumbs up to Bill for this one!!!!
Thank you Ginger
Loved it, loved it, loved it. Well, actually, I made it for my husband, who likes very spicy foods, and he loved it. Easy to make, so tender, great taste. No need to write me back.
ThaNk you for SHARING this RECIPE. My husband was put on a low sodium change of life by his doctor. The 4th of july is tomorrow and he craved ribs. I Didn’t want to make my normal rub because of course it Requires salt. I wanted to try something different. I read your Ingredients and new I had a winner. I grilled the ribs and they came out WONDERFULLY. So well that my husband told me to Save The directions and cook it again.
Thank you Ms. Tanya, I’m so glad you both enjoyed the recipe. It is one of my favorites!