Tender, juicy, mouthwatering Oven Baked Ribs. You love ’em, right? Yeah, me too! With this easy recipe, we can make the most delicious, tender ribs, just like the kind we’d get from our favorite BBQ joint or restaurant.
And we don’t need any special equipment or smokers or anything like that — we’ll slow roast them right in the oven and then finish them off under the broiler to perfection. You’re gonna love this recipe!
Why Do I Love This Recipe?
Going out and ordering a rack of ribs has always been a special treat. The tender rib meat bursting with that flavor you know so well, getting your hands all full of sauce and deliciousness – it’s all part of the enjoyment. Even so, ribs are an expensive cut of meat, and it always feels like a gamble ordering them at a restaurant.
Most rib joints go through a whole process for cooking the ribs just right, whether it’s using a special large smoker or other such device for long hours at a time. No doubt, this usually results in the best ribs. But with this pork ribs recipe, we take a simpler, more cost-effective approach with these oven-baked ribs, and the results exceed all expectations.
With a flavorful homemade spice rub and a fraction of the time, our oven will produce a slab of the best BBQ ribs your taste buds can handle. Enjoy ’em for dinner any night of the week. And they’re so easy to make, you won’t even break a sweat!
What You Need to Make These Delicious Ribs
- Standard oven with broiler
- Sheet pan (baking or cookie sheet)
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Wait… that’s it? You bet it is! I told you I wanted to keep things simple. 🙂
Ingredients
This recipe is written for 1 slab of baby back ribs, but feel free to adjust accordingly if making 2 or more slabs.
- Baby back ribs: The average slab of ribs is about 2.5 lbs but can vary slightly. No big deal. Cooking time will be a few minutes more or less.
- Homemade dry rub: This yummy dry rub is made up of brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar is fine!), kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, paprika, ground dry mustard, and the optional cayenne (it’ll make all the other flavors pop!).
- Yellow mustard: Yep, regular yellow mustard. This will be our binder to get the rub to stick to the ribs. The vinegar in the mustard also helps amplify the flavors and tenderize the meat. Mustard is so awesome rubbed on pork this way!
- Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite brand, or make your own homemade BBQ sauce. This goes on at the end when the ribs go into the broiler. The sugars in the sauce will caramelize, creating just the right amount of beautiful, tasty char on the delicious ribs.
Preparation
Start by preheating your oven at 300°F. This temperature will allow us to still get a nice and tender rib without an all-day cooking time of lower temperatures.
You’ve probably heard about the thin membrane on the underside/back of the ribs. If this is your first time cooking ribs, this is something that needs to be removed. Start at the narrow end of the ribs and slide a butter knife under the edge of the membrane, and it will start to lift up.
Work the knife around to get enough of the membrane up so that you can grip it with a paper towel. Then, using the paper towel, gently peel the membrane back off the slab of ribs and discard.
Using a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: salt, brown sugar, pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, paprika, and cayenne.
Make sure you have enough room on your kitchen counter, and lay out two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil on top of each other, forming a double layer. Make it large enough for the slab of ribs.
Next, brush all sides of the ribs with the yellow mustard and apply the seasoning rub. Then wrap the foil around the ribs and place on a rimmed baking sheet (top side of ribs up).
Fall off the bone or not fall off the bone?
Rib enthusiasts have debated forever about which is better: fall-off-the-bone (bone tender) ribs or ribs that require a chew. There’s really no right or wrong answer, but many hardcore rib folks will say that the meat shouldn’t be falling off the bone.
Much of this debate stems from BBQ rib competitions and the presentation of the ribs. If they’re all falling apart, they won’t look too pretty for the judges. And some consider that to be overcooked.
I’ve had ribs done both ways and have favorites each way too. There’s a restaurant right here in the Chicago area that specifically tells you the ribs are not fall-off-the-bone, and I love them. There’s another favorite restaurant in the quaint town of Galena, IL, and their ribs are SO tender and considered fall-off-the-bone, and I love those just as much!
Ultimately, you probably do not want the bones to just slide right out or the slab to completely fall apart to pieces when picked up. But I like them to be tender for sure. So really, it’s a matter of personal preference. For this recipe, we’re gonna aim for a nice middle ground.
Cooking
With our ribs seasoned and wrapped up, it’s into the oven they go!
Depending on the size of the slab of ribs, we’ll be looking at a cooking time in the oven of about 2-2.5 hours. If the slab is closer to 2 lbs, 2 hours should be good. Closer to 3 lbs, and you’re looking at 2.5 hours or more.
How do I know when my oven baked ribs are done cooking?
Check for doneness by using a toothpick and poking it into the meat between the bones. If it goes in easily, like poking into a soft piece of fruit, your ribs are probably done.
If it’s tough to push in, you might need to cook the ribs a bit longer. But if the toothpick goes in super easily without any effort, your ribs might be getting close to being overcooked, so out they go!
Brush and Broil
For the final step of the cooking process, carefully unwrap the ribs and push the foil down so that the ribs are fully exposed. Spoon out any excess liquid if necessary. Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce. Now, place the ribs in the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce carmelizes.
Serving
Your oven baked baby back ribs are now ready to serve! I like to garnish it with some freshly chopped parsley and have some extra barbecue sauce on the side. Don’t forget the extra napkins, too. Personally, I’m crazy about needing lots of napkins!
What Goes Well With Oven Baked Ribs?
One of my absolute favorite sides with ribs is macaroni and cheese. I have a great Instant Pot recipe Mac and Cheese recipe that goes awesome with these ribs. You can make it while the ribs are cooking, and since it’s in the Instant Pot, there are no worries about taking up any more room in the oven or stovetop.
Another favorite is coleslaw! That cool, creamy crunch pairs perfectly with the tender, juicy BBQ pork. Our Country Creamy Coleslaw is a great option for these ribs. You’ll also love this Best Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad with these ribs. It’s easy to make and perfect for summer BBQs.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers are excellent for enjoying another day. Make sure to let the ribs cool completely, then wrap tightly in foil. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat in the oven: Set oven to 250°F, unwrap the ribs, and place in an oven-safe dish. Pour a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth or water (or beer!) over the ribs to help keep them moist. Tightly cover the dish with foil and heat for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
- To reheat on the grill: Set the grill to medium heat and place the ribs directly on the grill for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Turn frequently to avoid burning.
Recipe
Best Damn Oven Baked Ribs
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 slab
Description
Enjoy tender and flavorful oven-baked ribs with this easy recipe! With a simple seasoning rub and a couple of hours in your oven, you can have the most tender, mouthwatering, restaurant-quality ribs ever.
Ingredients
- 1 (2.5 lb) slab of pork baby back ribs
- 2 tbs brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce (your favorite brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs by sliding a butter knife under the membrane and gently lifting it off. Using a paper towel to grip the membrane, peel it from the ribs.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard and cayenne pepper. Brush the top and bottom of the ribs with the yellow mustard. Now rub the spice mixture all over the ribs.
- Wrap the ribs completely with heavy duty aluminum foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake in oven for 2 hours or until desired tenderness when checked with a toothpick or skewer (see notes below). Remove from oven.
- Set oven to broil. Carefully peel back foil and flatten it as best possible on the baking sheet. Discard any liquid. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and place under broiler in oven for about 2-3 minutes or until sauce caramelizes.
Notes
Check for doneness by using a toothpick and poke it into the meat between the bones. If it goes in easily your ribs are probably done. If it’s tough to push in, cook in additional 15-minute increments until desired tenderness.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 120 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Barbara says
These were delicious. Very easy recipe. I made a BBQ sauce by cutting a Trader Joe’s Sriracha sauce with more ketchup to lessen the heat.
Zach says
These ribs were EXTREMELY salty. We used the recipe for 2 lbs of pork ribs, and it seemed like the salt content was wayy too much. I will need to try again with half the amount of salt called for in the recipe. The flavor was fantastic, just too salty. We overcame that by adding more sauce after the broil, and that helped temper the savory part. Also, the texture was sooooo good—not fall-off-the-bone, but certainly tender enough to eat the bone clean.