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There is nothing better than tender juicy rib meat and sticky BBQ sauce. Yes, it gets all over your hands and face but it’s worth every bite. My oven-baked BBQ ribs are rubbed in a sweet and smokey dry rub and finished with your favorite BBQ sauce. Making delicious ribs at home without fancy equipment has never been easier!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The secret to cooking ribs in the oven is slowly cooking them at moderate heat wrapped in aluminum foil for about 2 hours. This provides indirect heat and keeps the moisture in, preventing the meat from drying out.
The long cooking process renders meat that falls right off the bone. As a final step, I finish the ribs on the grill or broil for a nice charred exterior and the ultimate caramelized texture.
This recipe works equally well with both baby back ribs and spare ribs, most commonly referred to as St. Louis-style spare ribs. You can follow the recipe with the same prep and cook times with awesome results.
Ingredients
- Baby back pork ribs: you can also use spare ribs (St. Louis-style ribs). Look for a meaty rack that is about 3-4 pounds.
- BBQ sauce of your choice: I like Sweet Baby Ray’s original.
- Brown sugar: dark or light works, whichever you have on hand.
- Spices: the spices deliver a medley of smokey flavors. This helps to make up for the lack of smokiness from smoked ribs.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
What to Serve with Pork Ribs
These ribs pair nicely with a variety of summer sides such as roasted red potatoes, lemon butter couscous pesto pasta salad, and bacon brussels sprouts! If you’re looking for something hardier, try my buffalo chicken mac and cheese and maple bourbon cornbread.
Removing the Silverskin
The most important part of rib prep is removing the thin white membrane called the silver skin. The silver skin is on the underside of the ribs where the bones are most defined. Some butchers will remove it before packaging however it’s not very common.
Silver skin keeps the seasonings from penetrating the meat and it cooks into an unpleasant leathery skin that won’t break down or soften while cooking. To remove the silver skin, use the back of a knife and slide it under a section of the skin on the back of the ribs. Use a paper towel to grip the skin and peel it away. It usually pulls away very easily in a single large piece. Here is a really helpful video.
How to Cook Ribs in the Oven
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Step 2.
For the dry rub, combine all spices in a small bowl and mix. Set aside.
Step 3.
Remove ribs from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the silver skin from the back of the rack if it’s still on.
Step 4.
Place the rib rack in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Be sure foil sheets extend 8 inches longer than the rack length. If using a dry rub, rub the entire rack (top and bottom) until completely coated (you will likely not use all of the rub). Fold over the short sides first followed by the longer sides. Seal tightly and wrap with one more sheet of foil, covering the top seam. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 2 hours.
Step 5.
To finish ribs on the grill (which is my preferred method), preheat the grill with the cover down for about 10 minutes. Bring to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Remove ribs from the foil and cover them with a thin coating of BBQ sauce. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the exterior is grilled to your liking.
Step 6.
To finish the ribs with the oven’s broiler, uncover the ribs from the foil and either discard or flatten it. Coat ribs fully (both sides) with additional BBQ sauce. Turn the broiler on high and ensure the ribs are 5-6 inches from the heat source. Broil for 1-3 minutes per side or until ribs reach the desired seared exterior. Note, the broiler will cook very fast so be sure to monitor very closely.
Step 7.
Brush ribs with additional BBQ sauce before serving if desired. Serve cut into individual ribs or 3-4 rib sections.
Expert Tips
- This method works for preparing several racks of ribs. You can comfortably span 4 racks of ribs in an oven, two on the bottom and two on the top.
- I highly encourage you to place the ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet. Fat and juices will drip and make a mess of your oven.
- I like to brush the ribs with BBQ sauce before and after grilling. The sauce will caramelize on the grill and add a nice texture.
Dry Rub for Ribs
The dry rub is what sets this recipe apart and adds tremendous flavor. sweet and smokey spice rub to your ribs for additional flavor and texture. This will help give your ribs more of a bark-like exterior. The dry rub should be applied to the naked ribs before baking in the oven. Furthermore, you can baste BBQ sauce over the dry rub if desired before sealing the ribs up with foil and baking. This is usually my preferred method.
More Pork Recipes
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back or spare pork ribs, roughly 3-4 lbs
- BBQ sauce of your choice, I like Sweet Baby Ray’s
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Aluminum foil for wrapping
Rib Dry Rub
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- For the dry rub, combine all spices in a small bowl and mix. Set aside.
- Remove ribs from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the silver skin from the back of the rack if it’s still on.
- Place the rib rack in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil. Be sure foil sheets extend 8 inches longer than the rack length. If using a dry rub, rub the entire rack (top and bottom) until completely coated. You won’t need all of the rub). Fold over the short sides first followed by the longer sides. Seal tightly and wrap with one more sheet of foil, covering the top seam. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 2 hours.
- To finish ribs on the grill (which is my preferred method), preheat the grill with the cover down for about 10 minutes. Bring to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Remove ribs from the foil and cover with an additional coating of BBQ sauce. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side, or until the exterior is grilled to your liking.
- To finish the ribs with the oven’s broiler, uncover the ribs from the foil and either discard or flatten. Coat ribs fully (both sides) with additional BBQ sauce. Turn the broiler on high and ensure the ribs are 5-6 inches from the heat source. Broil for 1-3 minutes per side or until ribs reach desired seared exterior. Note, the broiler will cook very fast so be sure to monitor very closely.
- Brush ribs with additional BBQ sauce before serving if desired. Serve cut into individual ribs or 3-4 rib sections.
Notes
1. Stack two identical sheets of foil (8 inches longer than a rack of ribs) on top of each other on the counter. Take the left edges of the long side of each foil sheet and fold over together in a 1/2 inch wide strip. Flatten/crease tightly and fold over one more time, pressing down firmly on the folds.
2. Open the top sheet of foil like a book and press down on the new middle seam to lock in and flatten. You now have a double-wide sheet of aluminum foil. Here’s a video of what I mean.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Who said you need a smoker to get great ribs? These are delicious! I highly recommend! Easy! Pass the napkins please!
I don’t see what temperature I’m supposed to cook these at…… ???
Very good. Perfect heat for me, it was a little spicy for the kids.
Used a vinegar based BBQ sauce to baste.
I can highly recommend this recipe
Thanks Mike!