This Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs recipe makes it easy to have BBQ on the menu any time of the year. A smoky blend of spices and a simple oven method create these tender, flavorful ribs.
Just like my BBQ Country Style Ribs and Oven Baked BBQ Chicken, you don’t need to fire up the grill to enjoy summer!
Barbecuing shouldn’t just be a summer thing for us. Whatever the time of year, we don’t go without perfectly tender ribs with BBQ sauce.
As soon as the sun comes out, I get busy with my collection of barbecue recipes. But when it’s cold and rainy outside, this method of oven baked baby back ribs is a game changer.
Recipe Highlights
- Recipe for the whole season – This recipe works any time of the year. A little rain or snow won’t deny us our ribs!
- Feed a crowd – Get some ribs in the oven while your grill is loaded with classic Beef Burgers or Pineapple Chicken Kabobs.
- hands off – With just a few minutes of prep time, these easy baby back ribs are completely done down to the last basting with BBQ sauce.
- Incredible result – This method produces ribs with a crispy, caramelized exterior and super tender meat.
Notes on ingredients
- ribs – A few racks of pork ribs.
- barbecue sauce – Your favorite BBQ sauce. We love Kinder’s Mild.
- Pork Spice Rub – The smoky, flavorful dry rub is made with smoked paprika, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), onion powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, black pepper and a little cayenne pepper.
pro tip
This recipe makes enough spice rub for up to 3 pounds of ribs. If your ribs weigh more, I recommend doubling the spice rub to ensure there is enough of it.
How do you look for a membrane on the ribs?
A membrane is a silvery or whitish skin over the bony side of your ribs. If you see this on your ribs, you need to remove the membrane as it is chewy and chewy after cooking. You can make it yourself as below or ask the butcher at the store to do it for you.
Some brands of baby back ribs, like the ribs I buy from Costco, come with the membrane removed. Great time saver!
How to make Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
- Combine the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
- Remove the ribs from their packaging and rinse them under cold water. Dry well with paper towels. If the ribs have an intact membrane, insert a knife under it to lift it, grasp it with a paper towel, and peel it off.
season and bake
- Place the ribs in separate sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to enclose them. Sprinkle the spice rub on both sides and rub it all over with your hands.
- Wrap the ribs in the foil.
- Place the foil packets on a foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer the ribs to a preheated 300 degree F oven. Bake for 2 hours or until very tender when pierced with a fork.
Baste and fry
- Remove the ribs from the oven and remove the foil packet containing the ribs from the baking sheet. Open the foil and use tongs to place the ribs, meaty side down, on the empty foil-lined baking sheet.
- Brush the bony side with BBQ sauce, then flip and generously brush the fleshy side with the remaining sauce.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and grill for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the sauce begins to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes. Then place on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice between the bones into individual ribs.
FAQ and Valerie’s tips
It is best to bake ribs for a long time at a low temperature to give the tough connective tissue time to break down. I have found that 300 degrees F is the optimum temperature.
Baby back ribs are perfectly tenderized in about 2 hours in a 300 degree F oven. Low and slow is the name of the game. However, they can get so tender they literally fall off the bone if you overcook them. You want the meat to be tender but still stick to the bone for the best result. Check them towards the end of the baking time and remove them from the oven if they are very soft when pierced with a fork.
Covered! Enclosing the ribs in the aluminum foil creates a moist environment that keeps the juices from escaping and cooking away. This is ideal for flavoring and tenderizing the meat. Don’t worry about how they look after the first baking time. Coating the ribs with BBQ sauce and quickly grilling them before serving will crisp and caramelize the surface.
Yes. You can use SPare ribs, country style or St. Louis style ribs. As long as the total weight is similar, the cooking time should be about the same.
There are usually about 12 ribs in a rack of baby back ribs. Expect half a rack or 6 ribs per person if ribs are the only appetizer. If you’re serving ribs as part of a large meal with other entrees, you can cut this down to 2 or 3 ribs per person.
What to serve with ribs
The list is endless, but here are some of my absolute favorite BBQ side dishes.
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Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
This Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs recipe makes it easy to have BBQ on the menu any time of the year. A smoky blend of spices and a simple oven method create these tender, flavorful ribs.
Ingredients
Pork Spice Rub
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
For the ribs
- 2 racks Baby back pork ribs, 2.5 to 3 pounds total weight
- ½ Cup barbecue sauce, or as needed, I love Kinder’s Mild
instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. with an oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Combine the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.
-
Remove the ribs from their packaging and rinse them under cold water. Dry well with paper towels. If the ribs have an intact membrane, insert a knife under it to lift it, grasp it with a paper towel, and peel it off.
-
Place the ribs, meaty side down, on a sheet of heavy-duty foil large enough to enclose them. Sprinkle about a third of the seasoning mixture onto the bony side of the ribs and rub together with your hands. Flip the ribs and sprinkle the fleshy side with the remaining spices, spreading them over the ribs with your hands. Wrap the ribs in the foil and place the foil packet on the foil-lined baking sheet. If using two racks, divide the spices between the two racks and wrap in separate pieces of foil. Transfer the ribs to the oven.
-
Bake for 2 hours or until very tender when pierced with a fork.
-
Remove the ribs from the oven and set the oven to BROIL with the rack still in the center of the oven. Lift the foil package with the ribs off the baking sheet. Open the foil and use tongs to place the ribs, meaty side down, on the foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the bony side with BBQ sauce, then flip and generously coat the fleshy side. Return the baking sheet to the oven and grill for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the sauce begins to caramelize.
-
Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice into individual ribs.
Remarks
portions
Two racks of ribs should yield approximately 24 ribs (12 ribs per rack). Two racks should comfortably feed 4 or more people when part of a large meal with other main course options.
Nourishment
Portion: 6 ribs · Calories: 559 kcal · Carbohydrates: 18 G · Protein: 42 G · Fat: 36 G · Saturated Fatty Acids: 12 G · Polyunsaturated fat: 6 G · Monounsaturated fatty acids: 15 G · Trans fats: 0.3 G · Cholesterol: 148 mg · Sodium: 1140 mg · Potassium: 689 mg · Fiber: 1 G · Sugar: 13 G · Vitamin A: 1049 ie · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 93 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients and is an estimate, not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.