These Greek Ribs are one of my husband's recipes that he's been making for years. They are an absolute favorite in our house and words cannot do justice to how good these ribs are! These Greek style Ribs are a scrumptious combination of Mediterranean flavors like lemon, garlic, and oregano on tender baby back ribs, grilled to perfection!
Greek style ribs are great any time of the year but ideally, this recipe should be grilled. You can use either an outdoor or indoor grill. But if you are anything like me and love outdoor grilling so much that you'll shovel a path through the snow to your BBQ all winter long, then outdoor grilling shouldn't be an issue (with the exception of a blizzard).
They make a great main course for dinner and a very tasty appetizer or snack. As a meal, this dish pairs perfectly with Greek Style Potatoes or Greek Rice and salad.
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This particular recipe is a combination of recipes that he picked up along the way from cooking in restaurants in his youth, with a sprinkle of his own personal touch.
🥘Ingredients
For this recipe, you'll need:
- pork baby back ribs
- olive oil
- lemon juice (from concentrate)
- seasoning salt
- Cajun seasoning
- garlic powder
- oregano
- fresh lemons (for garnish)
*See recipe card for quantities
🔪Instructions
How to make Greek ribs
The very first thing you want to do is remove the membrane, as you'll get a much better end product if you take it off. The membrane can be chewy or rubbery and prevents seasonings from penetrating the underside of the ribs. Removing it from your pork ribs is key to preparing great ribs for the BBQ. Luckily, the membrane is easy to remove - you just need to know the trick to it.
How to remove the membrane from back ribs (you can also see the VIDEO below:)
Slide something blunt underneath the membrane (on the underside/concave side of the ribs) to loosen it from the ribs. (Don't use a sharp knife, as it's slippery and you risk cutting yourself. *I use a butter knife)
Once you get it loose, grab it and pull it back.
Then once you have pulled the skin membrane back a little more, use a paper towel to get a better grip on it (and prevent it from slipping out of your fingers). Continue to pull it back.
Continue holding onto it with the paper towel and pull skin all the way back until it comes right off.
Place the racks of ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet, in a baking pan or in a long plastic or glass container (something with a rim so the liquid doesn't slide off)
*I only used a cutting board because it was easier to show directions
Brush the surface of the concave/underside of both racks of ribs with olive oil.
Sprinkle half the garlic powder, seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning and oregano on both racks. Pour on lemon juice.
*Remember to reserve half of olive oil, lemon juice in a small bowl, as well as the spices for the other side of the ribs
Flip the ribs over and repeat.
Pour remaining lemon juice over ribs, then pour marinade remaining on the cookie sheet (if using) onto the ribs. Mix everything together with your hands or a brush, as you would a rub (blending it into the meat.)
Place in the fridge to marinate in large container or extra large Ziplock bag
*Ideally, you'll want to marinate for a few hours or overnight (they are even better if you do this) but you don't have to if you are in a hurry.
*Preheat the grill to 450 degrees F
Place ribs on grill with concave side down and grill for about 7- 10 minutes until they are golden brown, with even a little char. You want to get a nice sear! *But keep a close eye on them, as cooking time on BBQ's can vary and you don't want them to burn.
Flip and grill for another 7-10 minutes on medium until the other side is golden brown, with a little char.
Turn down grill to medium (350 degrees F) and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (see Top Tip) and ribs are no longer pink inside at the thickest part of the ribs.
Garnish: Sprinkle on fresh oregano, if desired, and garnish with fresh lemons, then cut into individual ribs
Serve with halved lemons, if desired
Hint: Let the grill run for 4-5 minutes to burn off any remnants, then clean it. I like to use this bristle free grill brush (affiliate link) for cleaning the grill.
🎥 Video
Click HERE to see video on how to remove the membrane from ribs
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Ribs - They are several different types of ribs, but if you want the best ribs for this recipe, I recommend using pork Baby back ribs. They are tender ribs and leaner than spare ribs. Baby back ribs are the most popular of all pork ribs. You could also substitute beef back ribs.
- Oregano - if you prefer to use fresh herbs, you can use fresh oregano instead of dried oregano. My husband always uses dried in the recipe and I garnish with fresh oregano. Ideally, you will have your own dried herbs from your summer harvest. You can learn how to dehydrate your herbs in your air fryer HERE
- Lemon juice - You can use fresh lemon juice instead of lemon juice from concentrate, but you'll need to double the amount
- Garlic - you could use fresh garlic cloves (minced) instead of garlic powder
- Spicy - add extra Cajun seasoning for a spicier result!
- Add-ins- add some lemon rind (lemon zest) to the marinade to increase the lemon intensity, if desired
🥗 Side Dishes
If you're not sure what to serve with Greek ribs, here are some suggestions:
- Greek pasta salad
- Greek salad
- Greek Style Potatoes (shown below)
- Greek rice
- Easy Healthy Tzatziki Sauce
🍽Equipment
I do these on an outdoor grill (as I grill all year 'round) but they can also be done on an indoor grill. They can also be cooked on a large stovetop grill . You'll also need grill tongs (affiliate links) and a pastry brush.
🌡️Storage
Store these Greek style ribs in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 4 servings (½ rack of ribs each). However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe (as we often do - because we can't get enough of these!) by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. *We usually double or triple this recipe, so there are a lot of leftovers!
💭Top tip
The best way to check for doneness is internal temperature with an instant read thermometer, (affiliate links) then you don't have to cut into the meat to tell if it's done. Pork ribs should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
🦺Food safety
- Cook pork ribs to a minimum temperature of 145 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
Greek ribs pair well with rice, potatoes, pasta salad, pita bread, or salad.
No, you don't need to boil ribs before cooking, if you use pork baby back ribs (as in this recipe), as they are very tender.
If you're looking for more rib recipes, try my Slow Cooker Beer Ribs with BBQ sauce
📋 Greek Ribs (grilled) Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.4 kg pork back ribs *about 5 lbs
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (from concentrate)
- ½ tablespoon seasoning salt
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon oregano
Garnish
- 3 fresh lemons
Instructions
OTE: The instruction images will NOT print by default. If you want them to print, you'll need to check the box beside "images" on the print page
- *Heads up: ideally you'll want to marinate this recipe for a few hours or overnight. However, if you're in a hurry, you don't have to. But they are even better if you marinate. We often don't due to lack of time and it still tastes amazing You'll just want to squeeze additional fresh lemon on it!
- Slide something blunt underneath the membrane (on the underside/concave side of the ribs) to loosen it from the ribs. (Don't use a sharp knife, as it's slippery and you risk cutting yourself. *I use a butter knife)
- Once you get it loose, grab it and pull it back.
- Then once you have it pulled back a little more, use a paper towel to get a better grip on it (and prevent it from slipping out of your fingers). Continue to pull it back.
- Continue holding onto it with the paper towel and pull it all the way back until it comes right off.
- Place the ribs on a large rimmed cookie sheet, in a baking pan or in a long plastic or glass container (something with a rim so the liquid doesn't slide off)*I only used a cutting board because it was easier to show directionsBrush the surface of the concave/underside of both racks of ribs with olive oil.
- Sprinkle on half the garlic powder, seasoning salt, Cajun seasoning and oregano. Pour on lemon juice.
- Flip the ribs over and repeat.Pour remaining lemon juice over ribs, then mix everything together with hands, as you would a rub (blending it into the meat.Place it in the fridge to marinate*Ideally, you'll want to marinate for a few hours or overnight, but you don't have to if you are in a hurry
- *Preheat the grill to 450 degrees FPlace on grill with concave side down and grill for about 7- 10 minutes until they are golden brown, with even a little char. *Keep a close eye on it, as cooking time on BBQ's can vary and you don't want it to burn
- Flip and grill for another 7-10 minutes on medium until the other side is golden brown, with a little char.
- Turn down grill to medium (350 degrees F) and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (see Top Tip) and ribs and no longer pink inside at the thickest part of the ribs.
- With a sharp knife, cut into single ribs by slicing the ribs between the bones.
Garnish
- Garnish: Sprinkle on fresh oregano, if desired and garnish with fresh lemons. And squeeze fresh lemons over ribs.
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