Chili's Quietly Made A Major Change To Baby Back Ribs: Here's The Difference - Tasting Table

Chili's updated its signature “Baby Back Ribs” with larger portions and a reformulated preparation. Rolled out in July 2025, the new ribs provide up to 50% more ribs per order for both full rack and half rack sizes. The ribs are finished with a “caramelized barbecue sauce crust,” creating a more visually appealing, juicy rack with flavorful charring on spices. The improvement is tied to ingredient streamlining, including switching barbecue sauce from an in-house recipe to Sweet Baby Ray's. Customer reactions report thicker, juicier ribs that are tender and “fall off the bone.”

"Rolled out in July 2025, Chili's new ribs have more meat on the bone. In fact, the chain has been providing up to 50% more ribs per order, for both the full rack and half rack sizes. Beyond that, the ribs are now finished with what the chain calls a "caramelized barbecue sauce crust." It all adds up to a more visually appealing and juicy rack of ribs, with some impressive and flavorful charring on the spices."

"Interestingly, this rib improvement comes from Chili's streamlining its ingredients. The chain switched its barbecue sauce from its own in-house recipe to simple Sweet Baby Ray's. After all, the popular barbecue sauce is the best selling in the country, so it must be good enough for Chili's."

""I got ribs from Chili's over the weekend, and I was very impressed with how much better they were than the last time I remember getting them," one Reddit user said. "The ribs I got Sunday were thick, juicy, and fall off the bone tender.""

Read at Tasting Table