The Best Way To Reheat Leftover Ribs In Your Air Fryer

Whether you prefer them dripping with barbecue sauce or seasoned with a super spicy dry rub, a rack of ribs is only as good as its texture. Ideally, ribs should be juicy and tender on the inside and have a slightly firm, charred bite on the outside. It's hard to beat the texture of ribs straight from the grill, but you can get pretty close when reheating your leftovers as long as you use the right equipment; in this case, an air fryer. Microwaves are quick, but they can reheat the ribs unevenly and leave them unpleasantly chewy. And while leftover ribs can be warmed up in the oven, this method is more time consuming. Air fryers use the same technology as convection ovens, but work much faster so you can start chowing down sooner.

If you're ready for a second serving of the smoky sweet barbecue beef short ribs you made last night, first preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, take the ribs out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter so they start to warm up. Once the air fryer is ready, put a layer of ribs in the basket, making sure not to overcrowd them. It's generally a good idea to flip them halfway through; depending on their size, it can take a total of anywhere from three to seven minutes for the ribs to heat up, so keep an eye on them.

Once a few minutes have passed, coat the ribs with a bit of sauce. As the ribs finish cooking, the sauce will ensure they turn out nice and juicy. After a couple more minutes, the ribs should be ready, but you can keep them in the air fryer if needed. Should you choose to cook the ribs for longer than 10 minutes, you may want to turn the temperature down so the outsides don't get too singed.

To make clean-up easier, begin the process by lining your air fryer basket with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silicone liner. A liner is just one of many incredible air fryer hacks, and it will limit any sauce or juice from falling into the basket thereby keeping scrubbing to a minimum. It's also a good idea to clean your air fryer right after it cools down since any remaining grease will become harder to scrub off if left too long. This goes for heating up leftover ribs, as well as any of the other unexpected foods you can put in an air fryer.