Barbecue Ribs in the Oven
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Ribs in the oven are easy to make and come out perfectly tender every single time. These barbecue ribs have been dubbed the “best ribs ever” by my friends and family every time I make them.
I start by cooking seasoned baby back ribs in the oven at a low temperature and then flash grill them with either salt & pepper or my fave quick barbecue sauce below. We serve these with corn on the cob and of course Classic Coleslaw and Crock Pot Baked Beans! Once you try this method, it’ll become your go-to!
How to Make Barbecue Ribs in the Oven
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Perfectly tender finger-lickin’ ribs are actually pretty easy to make! You can whip up a batch of these delicious barbecue ribs, no matter the weather, because no barbecue is actually required! This recipe has been perfected over the years from my Mom (who is literally the best cook on the entire planet!).
I cook these oven ribs often because they are definitely a family favorite! We make them two ways, I love mine all sticky with barbecue sauce… and my husband likes his with salt and pepper! You can do both ways at the same time!
Before grilling, we always cook our ribs slowly to make them tender… often people BOIL their ribs. Boiling ribs will make all their succulent flavor seep out into the water making them flavorless! Try this method below and you will NEVER go back to boiled ribs again!
How to Cook Ribs in the Oven
Baby Back (or Pork Back Ribs) are the best choice, they cook to tender perfection. Although the cost is slightly more, this is one place I feel is worth it. In this recipe, the ribs are roasted low and slow to get the most melt in your mouth tender meat.
- Peel the thin silvery skin off the back before cooking
- Rinse your ribs in cold water and dab dry. (They often have small bone shards).
- Add your rib rub and massage into the meat.
- Place meat down and cover with garlic and onion.
- Seal and bake at a low temperature until tender.
- Grill or broil to finish.
After roasting, if they are not tender, they need MORE time. After a couple of hours, I pull a little piece off to test. If it’s not melt in your mouth tender, add another 20-30 minutes. If they are ready ahead of time, you can turn the oven off and let them sit for up to 1 hour if you don’t open the oven.
How Long to Cook Ribs in the Oven
My preferred method is a low temperature for a longer period of time. I most often cook baby back ribs in the oven at 275°F for about 2-2.5 hours.
- 275°F – 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours
- 300°F – 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours
- 350°F – 1 1/4 hours to 1/1/2 hours
If you’re looking to cook ribs quickly, Instant Pot Ribs are a great option. They come out tender and delicious and cook in about 25 minutes!
Sides to serve with ribs:
- Crock Pot Corn on the Cob – Easy!
- Homemade Mac and Cheese Casserole – BEST EVER!
- Old Fashioned Bean Salad
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Creamy Apple Slaw Recipe – Fresh and crisp!
There is a trick to making perfectly tender melt in your mouth ribs in the oven… time!
- 3 lbs baby back ribs 2 slabs
- 2 onions sliced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ Sauce
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Preheat oven to 275°F. Mix together Rib Rub ingredients.
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Remove the white membrane from the back side of the ribs (the side with less meat). It should pull off easily. Rinse ribs under cold water and blot dry with paper towels
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Massage Rib Rub into ribs. Place ribs on a foil lined tray and cover with sliced onion and garlic. Cover & seal with another piece of foil
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Bake ribs for 2 hours. Carefully open the corner of the sealed foil and make sure they are tender. If not, bake another 20 minutes and check again.
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Meanwhile, combine Rib BBQ Sauce ingredients together.
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Remove ribs and discard juices, onions & garlic. Brush ribs with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper or brush generously with BBQ sauce.
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Grill or broil over medium high heat 5-10 minutes.
Nutritional information does not include sauce and is based on 3lbs baby back ribs.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
REPIN THIS RIBS RECIPE HERE!
Holly
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
These ribs were excellent and so tender and I got rave reviews. So thank you.
I am unable to eat barbecue sauce now so I cooked as directed and then in the last half hour I removed the foil and let the ribs crisp up and brown. I serve warm barbecue sauce on the side for others for dipping. The onions and garlic were delectable and everyone was fighting over them, do not discard!
Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, my husband always goes for the salt and pepper (no bbq sauce) ribs too!
If it is diabetes related, there is a great sugar free bbq sauce with only 2gs of carbs per 2tbsp serving. G.c.hughs i believe.
I believe your ribs taste fabulous. I tried this with buffalo ribs. I ran a little short on time to do it in the oven at 275, so I did have to up the temp and lower the time which likely wasn’t good. However, my most difficult thing to understand was “Peel the thin silvery skin off the back before cooking”. I couldn’t. Unless I would have sawn away at it with a knife. Is there something I don’t know about the difference between the ribs you are cooking and buffalo ribs?
I haven’t made buffalo ribs so I can’t say for sure but pork back ribs often have a thin membrane on the back that I prefer to remove. Once you get ahold of it, it’s easy to peel off.
If I may, if you bought the ribs from somewhere they may have already removed the membrane.
Hi! Is this recipe spicy at all? I have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old so what I cook cannot be spicy at all . Thanks!
While my family doesn’t find this recipe spicy, you can leave out any seasonings and ingredients that your kids find spicy. Enjoy Hailey!
Does this recipe work well with Kurobuta pork ribs? And where you using a convection or conventional oven?
I have only tried this recipe as written. I would think any ribs will work. Let us know if you try Kurobuta ribs Chris! I baked in a conventional oven.
I followed this recipe and my ribs were far from fall off the bone after 2.5 hours at 275 and I have a brand new oven. It ended taking 5 hours at 275 to get the ribs tender. That’s double what this recipe calls for, so allow time. My dinner was to be ready at 530 and wasn’t until 800! They were great and the rub was good too, but it took a lot longer to cook than this recipe states.
Wow, that’s a very long time to cook ribs! I’ve made this recipe countless times and haven’t had that problem. Did you use pork back ribs?
I have never made ribs in my life. I made them with this recipe and they were AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will definitely be making these again.
I’m so glad you loved them as much as we do Erin!
First time cooking ribs in the oven… 5 STARS!
So glad you loved it Chase! Thank you for visiting Spend With Pennies!
OH Goodness …So funny my mom has made them that way for every and A day.. There so GOOD!!
I hope everyone Enjoy them :)
I love this recipe and I have ribs in the freezer so they are going to be cooked tomorrow — looks delicious and easy. I will make a side of boiled potatoes and some broccoli and dinner will be done. Thank you for sharing
My stomach was complaining the whole time reading this! Ribs are a tradition in our family, maybe I’ll have to take them on with this recipe!