The secret ingredient to this tender, delicious barbecued ribs recipe known as Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs? Coca-Cola soda and some fatherly love! Perfect for your next family party.
My all-time favorite recipe for tender, delicious, perfect every time ribs is this one for Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs, which are just what you think they are.
Juicy ribs marinated in, among other things, a bath of Coca-Cola soda (or Dr. Pepper, if you prefer), which gives them an amazing consistency and an even more amazing taste.
(Oh, and if you want an amazing Slow Cooker Coca-Cola Pot Roast recipe, we’ve got you covered on that too!)
A little easy breezy coleslaw on the side, and you are in for the perfect summer supper!
And while I wish I could take credit for this one, it’s actually all about my dad.
Here are my adorable parents, who are just about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. With all their friends. And all our giant extended family. At my house. Please pray for good weather.
Anyway, my mom has always been an amazing, phenomenal, extraordinary cook.
Fresh-baked bread, Irish corned beef, chocolate Heath Bar cake, marinated mozzarella, the best scones in the entire world, and I could go on and on.
My dad…well, he made some pretty great scrambled eggs over the years, but he was mainly relegated to kitchen clean-up crew along with the rest of us.
However. Over the past few years, I have had more than one great meal at their house, and complimented my mom on whatever it was, and she said these four words that were not usually ever strung together in my childhood home:
“Your father made it.”
Macaroni and cheese. Shredded beef barbecue sandwiches. And lately, these ribs that are the sweet and spicy kind that literally fall off the bones as you eat them.
Dad? Dad, is that you?
So when he made them for dinner over Memorial Day weekend, I thought that’s it, the world must know about this. So here you go!
Ingredients you need
Here’s how you make this recipe
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP 1: Place 4 pounds of bone-in pork ribs to a large glass or ceramic baking dish and pour 2 cups of Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper over them. (Save the third cup of the soda for a sauce to be made later.) Cover the pan securely with plastic wrap and let the ribs marinate in the fridge overnight.
STEP 2: Pour that remaining cup of soda into a blender or food processor and add 3 cups of ketchup, one cup of brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of chili powder, 4 tablespoons of ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons dry mustard, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. (Whew!) Blend until smooth.
STEP 3: Put the ribs in a roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray, brush liberally with part of the sauce, cover the roasting pan with a lid or some foil and roast the ribs in a 225 F oven for about 2 1/2 hours or until very tender.
STEP 4: When you are ready to eat, preheat your grill to high heat and grill the rib, basting with some of the leftover sauce until the outside is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. While the ribs are cooking, simmer the remaining sauce for about 20 minutes until a little thick.
STEP 5: Stand back while the dinner crowd goes crazy for your ribs!
Recipe FAQs
You can, all the way up until the grilling part. You can do the oven portion of the recipe up to a day ahead of time.
You can drink some while you make these ribs, but you need the sugar in the regular Coke to make this recipe as wonderful as it needs to be!
You can! Keep in mind that beef ribs are usually bigger and more dense, and will have a stronger flavor – but if it’s a flavor you like, then go for it!
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs
The secret ingredient to this tender, delicious barbecued ribs recipe? Coca-Cola soda and some fatherly love! Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 150 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Southern
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 lbs bone in pork ribs
- 3 cups Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper
- 3 cups ketchup
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the ribs to a large glass or ceramic baking dish and pour 2 cups of Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper over them. Reserve the third cup of the soda for a sauce to be made later. Cover the pan securely with plastic wrap and let the ribs marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Pour the remaining 1 cup of soda into a blender or food processor and add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, pepper, dry mustard, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
- Put the ribs in a roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray, brush liberally with part of the sauce, cover the pan with a lid or foil and roast in a 225 F oven for about 2 1/2 hours or until very tender. (Can be done the day before. )
- To finish, grill the ribs over high heat, basting with some of the leftover sauce until the outside is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. While the ribs are cooking, simmer the remaining sauce for about 20 minutes until a little thick.
Sajndra says
Can u jusy pour the soda in the pan?
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi there! You can with the first part of the soda – the rest of it needs to be mixed in with the other ingredients so that you have a sauce. Hope this helps!
Susan says
Absolutely delicious, my husband asks for these all the time. Made them with Cherry Coke once and it came out really good too
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Cherry Coke! I love that idea – I will have to try it next time. :)
Mavis says
Can you substitute beef instead of pork ribs?
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi Mavis and yes! You definitely can. :)
Robert L. says
I make this all the time. I add a few more seasonings to bring more depth to the flavor but it comes out just the same. I recommend you try this recipe. You will not be disappointed.
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi Robert, and thanks for these kind words about my dad’s recipe! Happy New Year! :)
Lucy says
has anyone tried this with pepsi instead of coke? how much of a difference do you figure that would actually make, or do they taste pretty similar ? I have both on hand, but was just wondering if it mattered which i used or if anyone could describe to me how either taste compared to the other
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi Lucy! We’ve always used Coke for this recipe, but I can’t imagine it would make too much of a difference, especially if you like the taste of both. Happy grilling! :)
Karen Sarnowski says
These are fantastic!! And easy to make! Have made them multiple times and coming back to print the recipe for potentially this Memorial Day weekend menu; they are a crowd pleaser!! You can’t go wrong serving these! Thanks, Kate’s Dad!!
Caroel says
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Have made it several times and it’s always PERFECT!
THANK YOU!
Kate Morgan Jackson says
My dad would be SO happy to hear this – thank YOU! :)
Martin Wainscott says
Just read that ovens in Canada and the US are calibrated in Fahrenheit whereas the rest of the world has ovens that are Celsius. Given that your recipes are available worldwide, do you think it would have been helpful to say either F or C after you give the temperature?
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi Martin. Given that my recipe are totally free and take lots of work and care, do you think it would have been nicer to email me and make this suggestion in a polite way? I hope you are enjoying my recipes, and that you will think twice before leaving what could have been a constructive comment on someone’s hard work in such an unkind way, on my website or anyone else’s. It takes so little effort to be nice.
Sampo Soilampi says
So , no salt at all ? Seems weird ?
Trying these tomorrow , will marinate overnight today.
Greetings from FINLAND :)
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Nope, no salt! It comes through in the various ingredients. And, hello FINLAND! :) :)