Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs Recipe - The Spruce Eats

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Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs Recipe By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process Updated on 05/26/22 Tested by Young Sun Huh Tested by Young Sun Huh Young Sun is a recipe developer, tester, and food stylist with over 15 years of experience in the food industry. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process (51) Save Write a Review Print Close

Prep: 25 mins Cook: 2 hrs 45 mins Rest: 15 mins Total: 3 hrs 25 mins Servings: 4 to 6 servings 51 ratings Write a Review Add a comment SaveRecipe

When you think of ribs, you probably think of firing up the grill or smoker. But the weather doesn't always permit outdoor cooking, and sometimes you're out of charcoal or not in the mood to refill the propane tank. Enter a gadget everyone has at home: the oven. Oven-baked ribs can be made any time of the year and turn out super-tender every time.

This recipe is for pork baby back ribs, which are some of the easier ribs to find at the grocery store. We call for two racks of ribs, but you can adjust the ingredients to make more or less. After removing the membrane, coat the ribs in a flavorful spice rub, cover in aluminum foil, and bake low and slow. Add your favorite sauce before baking uncovered to form a nice, sticky crust.

Serve these oven-baked ribs as a surprisingly easy weekend family meal, on game day, Father's Day, or anytime a craving for ribs strikes. Serve barbecue ribs with classic sides like potato salad, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw.

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"A foolproof oven method for cooking baby back ribs and one that I will use again. My ribs came out perfectly tender and juicy without falling apart. The rub was a little salty on the smaller rack (about 1 1/2 pounds), so use less if you have small racks or are sensitive to salt." —Young Sun Huh

A Note From Our Recipe Tester Keep Screen Awake

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 3 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon paprika, smoked or regular

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2 full racks baby back pork ribs, trimmed of excess fat, membrane removed, patted dry

• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 250 F. Combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, chipotle, thyme, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

3. Place each rack of ribs in the center of its own large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Apply the dry rub to each side of the 2 racks (more so on the meat side).

4. Wrap each rack in foil. Put the 2 foil-wrapped racks on a rimmed baking sheet.

5. Bake for 2 hours until the meat is fully cooked and tender but not falling off the bone.

6. Remove the ribs from the oven. Using tongs, open the foil. Place racks on 1 piece of foil on the baking sheet, meat-side up. Brush barbecue sauce on both sides. Turn up the oven temperature to 350 F.

7. Return ribs to the oven and continue cooking, brushing with more barbecue sauce about every 15 minutes, until the ribs are fork-tender and well-glazed, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

8. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

9. Cut ribs can be tossed in additional sauce if desired.

Tip

For super tender ribs, remove the membrane before cooking. You can ask the butcher to do it for you, but it's also easy to do at home. Position the ribs so that they are bone-side up. Use a butter knife to separate the thin membrane from the meat. Once you have enough pried up, use your fingers to pull it off the rack.

Recipe Variations

• Feel free to use your favorite barbecue rub or spice blend instead.
• Switch up the flavors a bit with different kinds of sauce, like a punchy Thai barbecue sauce.

How to Store

• Leftover ribs should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated. They will keep for about three days.
• To reheat, wrap the ribs in foil and bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Open up the foil and bake until warmed through, adding more barbecue sauce if desired.

15 Delectable Sides for Ribs

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
501	Calories
23g	Fat
47g	Carbs
25g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label ×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	501
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	30%
Saturated Fat 8g	41%
Cholesterol 88mg	29%
Sodium 2889mg	126%
Total Carbohydrate 47g	17%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 39g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 1mg	4%
Calcium 95mg	7%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 510mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

• pork
• baked ribs
• baby back ribs
• entree

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