How to Reheat Ribs in an Air Fryer? (+ 8 Fun Recipes for Ribs in the Air Fryer)

There is no doubt that tender ribs are one of the meals anyone else would like to have. You always want the meat to fall off the bone when served. However, there are lots of questions I have been asked or heard from forums. And one of them is how do I reheat ribs in an air fryer? 

The chances are that you have been in a situation when you tried to reheat your ribs, but they got burnt in the process, or even worse, and they did not cook properly. It can be embarrassing when you have invited friends and relatives only for this to happen. 

There are different ways you can reheat your ribs, and I’m going to cover some of them in this post – how to reheat your ribs in an air fryer, oven, and microwave. I will also try and answer most of the common questions I have been asked in the past or seen in most forums. 

How to Reheat Ribs in an Air Fryer?

Air fryers are no doubt one of the best kitchen appliances you’d want to have. If you’re going to enjoy your ribs without struggling to slice pieces of meat from it, the air fryer is going to be your good friend. This cookware is good at making tender ribs so that you don’t end up struggling the entire session trying to slice off pieces of meat. 

What You’ll Need 

To reheat your ribs using an air fryer, you should need an air fryer, ribs, and a guide to walk you through. You should have your ribs and the air fryer, but we will provide you with a guide below: 

Guide

• Cut your ribs so that they can fit your air fryer. It is essential to note that air fryers are different, so you need to consider that. 
• Set it to a temperature of 350 degrees. 
• Place your ribs in the air fryer and allow to cook for at least thirty minutes. 
• Once the cooking is complete, allow to sit for about five minutes before you can serve. 

Pros & Cons – This is a quick method, and rest assured you will get the desired results. The downside, though, is that there is a risk that your food could get burnt. 

Pro Tips – Keep the air fryer closed when reheating your ribs. Doing the contrary will make the air fryer lose some heat and jeopardize the cooking time. 

How Long Does It Take to Reheat Cooked Ribs?

Reheating cooked ribs should take about 30 minutes. To reheat your ribs, you need to wrap your ribs in aluminum foil and then include another aluminum foil to make sure that there’s no liquid escaping during the reheating process. And as I said, you should reheat for about 30 minutes. 

How Long Do Pre-Cooked Ribs Last in the Fridge? 

Pre-cooked ribs should last in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. To preserve your pre-cooked ribs’ quality and nutrients, store them in an airtight container or jar or wrap them properly on aluminum foil or plastic wrap. 

However, you must make sure that you monitor your freezer and fridge temperature frequently. It is recommended that you have a reading of 40F degrees and 0F degrees or below for the fridge and freezer, respectively. And one thing to note is that a freezer or refrigerator’s thermometer is usually convenient and inexpensive. 

In case you are having a power outage or failure in your area, it is advisable that you consistently check your thermometer. In any case, your fridge temp goes below the required 40 degrees F for at least 2 hours; you need to take away any perishable items or leftovers from the fridge. Depending on how full your fridge is, food should just be safe for one to two days. 

How Many Times Can Ribs Be Reheated?

Reheating meat more than once is not hygienic. The more you cool and defeat ribs, the higher the chances of food poisoning. Once meat passes 40-240 F, it becomes more infested with bacteria, some of which cannot be cooked out. Meat is reheated only out of that range and is usually not held long enough to kill most bacteria.

Repeated reheating of meat reduces the nutrients of cooked pork, chicken, beef. The whole process of reheating meat should take no longer than 2 hours. You have to count all the time spent on that range, including the time spent on cooling the meat (probably an hour if you put it directly in the fridge).

It is advisable to reheat meat just once. Rather than taking it out of the fridge and putting it back several times, consider reheating only the portion you will eat. It would save you time, and it will not destroy the quality and nutrients of the meat.

How to Reheat Ribs in the Oven?

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Allow the meat to be reheated to cool off naturally on the counter to room temperature. If you plan to request BBQ ribs in the oven, you can cost them in the barbecue sauce.
• Double wrapping your ribs will prevent the delicious flavor from leaking out. Barbecue sauces have high sugar content, which means that they can get burnt faster during the reheating process. Wrapping the ribs twice in foil paper will prevent burning and retain the juicy flavor.
• Heat the wrapped ribs in the baking pan for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how strong your oven is.
• Turn in your broiler five minutes before the timer is set to go off. This will give it an additional sweetened flavor. 

The higher fat content means they’ll need more time to cook than your average pork ribs. Cooking them now and slowly at 250°F is a way to keep them from drying out. When applying this tip, you may want to keep them for a little longer than 20 to 30 minutes.

Additionally, adding little water or broth when wrapping beef best in foil paper for reheating. It makes sure that the rib returns its nutrients and stays tender.

Follow these steps to reheat baby back ribs the best way: 

• Reduce the oven temperature to about 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use a generous amount of barbecue sauce to cost the ribs.
• Wrap the ribs tightly in double foil paper.
• Allow to heat for about 40 to 45 minutes.

How to Reheat Ribs in the Microwave?

The microwave method is the taste method to reheat cooked ribs. The only disadvantage is that it won’t give you the best results. The microwave method tends to dry out the meat even if you coat it richly in sauce or butter. 

However, if you’re in a hurry to get the job done fast, you can use this method to reheat the cooked ribs, frozen ribs, spare ribs. 

Moisture is the key to preventing dryness from using this method. Ensure you gradually soften them in the refrigerator before attempting to reheat the cooked ribs. This process usually takes up to 6 to 8 hours, so you need to pre-plan. 

Sidoti recommends doing the following if you want to reheat them in the microwave: 

• Use a microwave-safe dish.
• Space each rib in the dish to ensure that each piece will be cooked properly.
• Cast them in barbecue sauce to prevent them from drying out.
• Add wet paper towels to the rib, one above and the other below.
• Put them in the microwave and set the temperature to medium heat.
• Allow to heat for three to five minutes.
• Check if the meat is heated correctly.
• If, after checking, and it isn’t heated to your satisfaction, place it back in the microwave for additional three minutes.

How to Store Leftover Ribs?

Allow leftover brisket, ribs, chicken, pork, and barbeque to cool at a safe temperature of 40°F or below before refrigerating. Leftover barbeque can last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Your ribs can last up to three months if you store them in a deep freezer. However, it is essential to seal them tightly in vacuum bags. 

Leftover meat and poultry can last up to three years using the vacuum-sealer method. The reason is that the vacuum-sealer removes all the air from the bags and makes it almost longer in the refrigerator. When using this method, do not forget to correctly label the name, date packed, and the best before used date.

How to Use Leftover Barbecue?

• Add chopped barbecue pork or brisket to your baked beans.
• Use the leftover shredded pork barbecue to make a thick Brunswick stew.
• You can add shredded barbecue brisket or pork to a tossed salad.
• Shredded leftover brisket or pork with barbecue sauce goes well with macaroni and cheese casserole.
• Leftover barbecue serves as pizza toppings alongside cheese, thinly sliced pepper, and diced onions.
• Fill taco shells or flour tortillas with barbecue sauce seasoned with cumin and child.
• You can make delicious pork soup with leftover barbecue.
• The leftover barbecue can be added to your baked cheese quesadillas.
• When making a cheese sandwich, you can add leftover shredded pork, beef, or chicken as an extra ingredient.
• Use barbecue sauce to stuff biscuits or egg rolls.
• Make pastries for breakfast by using leftover barbeque for hotdogs and hamburger toppings.
• Make steak fried rice using tasty barbecue sauce as a extra ingredient.
• Barbecue leftovers can be added to make grilled bread salad as a side dish.
• Make Thai-soiced fishcskses with any leftover barbecue and serve with chilled mango salad.

Frequently Asked Questions