These have been dubbed the “best ribs ever” by almost everyone who has tried them.
Making baked ribs in the oven ensures they are fall-off-the-bone tender and literally, perfect every single time.
Below is my mom’s step-by-step method that our family has used for years.
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These are the best oven ribs because…
- They come out super tender every time (check out the reviews!).
- They are actually easy to make – the prep takes less than 10 minutes.
- The rub is made from scratch, it’s packed with flavor and not just salt.
- Slow-roasting ribs in the oven (instead of boiling) ensures they have lots of flavor.
- No smoker or grill is required; since they’re made in the oven, they’re perfect all year.
Ingredients for Oven Ribs
Ribs: I always use Baby Back (or Pork Back Ribs) because they’re the most tender. They do cost a bit more but, in my opinion, it is worth the extra money if it is in your budget. You can use side ribs in this recipe, but you may need to add a little more cooking time.
Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic are added to flavor the meat during roasting.
Seasonings: I use a homemade dry rub as I like to control the amount of salt in these ribs. You can change it up with other spices (try cumin, cayenne pepper, or dry mustard). Swap the homemade seasoning for salt & pepper or a prepared rub (this is our favorite pre-made rub).
Barbecue Sauce (or not!): Use your favorite bottled barbecue sauce, make your own, or opt out completely! My husband loves salt and pepper ribs, while I love barbecue sauce mixed with chili sauce for zesty and delicious sticky ribs.
How to Remove the Membrane from Ribs
The membrane does not have to be removed from the ribs, but I prefer the texture. On the back of a rack of ribs, there is a very thin layer of the membrane (photo above). If you don’t see it, it is sometimes it has already been removed at the store.
To remove the membrane, slip a knife under the edge of the thin skin on the back of the ribs on one end. Grip the edge of the membrane (use a paper towel if it’s slippery) and gently pull it away from the meat. Discard the membrane.
How to Make Ribs in the Oven
- Prep Ribs: Remove the membrane if present and season the ribs (recipe below).
- Bake: Place the ribs, meat side down, on a baking sheet, smother with onion and garlic, and seal with aluminum foil.
- Bake (optional): Bake the ribs until tender and then grill or broil to brown a little bit if you’d like.
Our favorite side dishes with ribs are corn on the cob and of course classic coleslaw and beans!
Holly’s Top Tips
- Use baby backs and ensure the pan is well sealed so the ribs steam with the onions. This will make them tender and add flavor.
- Cook them low and slow in the oven until they become really tender.
- These can be made with any sauce (my fave is below) or even just salt & pepper.
- Once the meat is tender, broil or grill to get a little bit char.
How To Check if Ribs Are Done
Oven baked ribs will need at least 2 hours. After 2 hours, check the ribs by opening a corner of the foil (be careful; steam will escape) and pulling off a little bit of meat.
If the meat is not tender, it needs MORE time. Seal them back up, bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, and check again.
If the ribs are tender, they are ready to enjoy. You can either serve them immediately or turn the oven off and let them sit for up to 1 hour – don’t open the oven.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
What to Serve with Ribs
Did you love these BBQ Ribs in the Oven? Be sure to leave a rating or a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
Ribs
- 3 pounds baby back ribs 2 slabs
- 2 yellow onions sliced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
Spice Rub (optional)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
BBQ Sauce
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup chili sauce *see note, or additional BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F. In a small bowl, combine the spice mix and set aside. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- If present, remove the white membrane from the back side of the ribs (see notes). Pat the ribs dry and check for little bone shards or pieces. Cut into 4 to 6 rib pieces.
- Gently massage the seasoning mix (or salt and pepper) into both sides of the ribs.
- Place the ribs on the prepared baking pan, meaty side down. Cover the ribs with onion and garlic.
- Cover & seal with another piece of foil.
- Bake the ribs for 2 hours. Carefully open the corner of the sealed foil and pull a small piece of meat off to ensure the ribs are tender. If they are not tender, bake for another 20-30 minutes and check again.
- Meanwhile, combine BBQ Rib Sauce ingredients together.
- Remove the ribs from the oven and discard the juices, onions, and garlic. Brush ribs with olive oil and brush generously with BBQ sauce.
- Grill or broil over medium high heat 5-10 minutes or until charred.
Notes
- Rub: A homemade rub can be substituted for a purchased rub, or salt and pepper can be used instead of a rub.
- Sauce: Chili sauce is not spicy it tastes like zesty ketchup and is found with ketchup in the store. If you’d prefer, use all bbq sauce in this recipe.
- Membrane: Some racks of ribs come with the membrane removed. It is on the side of the ribs with less meat. To remove the membrane, slip a knife under the edge of the thin skin on the back of the ribs. Grip the edge of the membrane (use a paper towel if it’s slippery) and gently pull it away from the meat. Discard the membrane.
- Cutting the ribs into pieces (about 4-6 ribs) makes them easier to grill and serve.
- 275°F – 2 hours to 2 ½ hours *preferred method
- 300°F – 1 ½ hours to 2 hours
- 350°F – 1 ¼ hours to 1 ½ hoursAfter cooking, if the ribs are not tender, they need MORE time. Seal them up and cook an additional 20-30 minutes if needed.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Entree, Main Course, Pork
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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!
LOOKS GOOO
Thanks Paula! Enjoy!
Can I use gourmet spare ribs instead?
I have only made this as written Monica, but I think you could!
Hooooooly crap! These ribs were to die for! I absolutely loved the rub recipe! I ended up using sweet baby rays bbq sauce on them in the end and it went beautifully with the rub! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe. They fell off the bone right into my mouth!!!
So glad you loved them Wes! Sweet Baby Ray’s is my go-to as well. So glad they turned out!
AMAZING ribs!!! Even my awesome cook husband said, best ribs ever! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I am so glad your family enjoyed the ribs Cheryl!
you have my vote for rinsing the ribs (any store cut meat is bound to have bone shards) and my undying love for removing the membrane and telling folks not to boil (people who boil ribs are a pox on humanity). while baby backs aren’t my preference (i like spare ribs and love the tips, it’s a chicago/mississippi thing), they’re good when done right. having said that, i always rub my ribs the night before. i also never cook ribs in the oven over 250, especially baby backs since they have less fat than spare ribs. 300 and above and you’re looking at rib jerky at the end. i’m also not a fan of enclosing the ribs in foil, which steams the meat rather than baking it. bake them on a baking sheet lined with foil and finish them by brushing with bbq sauce for the last 20 minutes.
ribs are easy to make but also easy to mess up. low and slow with no shortcuts will always give you the tasty ribs you want.
Has anyone tried the oven slow baked ribs with spare ribs instead? I have done the baby back ribs and we loved them but I’m planning on trying with spare ribs tomorrow. Do I need to cook them quite a bit longer since they are closer to 5 pounds each (baking 2 racks spare ribs)? Any advice appreciated!! :)
Boiled ribs are best for me as oven ribs tend to make me fart a lot. Sorry for that info but boiled for me
I made this twice in one week, my family loved it so much that they
Requested it again. I follow the recipe, when it came to the rub and it said to add the Heinz chili sauce, I didn’t have any so I actually made my own and add it to the rub. It was awesome. The meat was as it said nice and tender and delicious
Happy to hear how much your family loved the ribs Carmen!
It came out wonderful!! Kids loved the flavor and it was so easy to make. Definitely going to save this.
Thank you for sharing: )
Hi Greg, I am so glad you loved them!
I would love to be able to post my before and after pics!! Loved this recipe
So glad you loved it Abril, I wish I had a way for you to upload photos too!
Tried recipe today and my husband was ecstatic! Said they were the best ribs he’s tried. I followed your recipe to the t and the meat came right off the bone when eating! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you loved these ribs Mayra! We love them too.
I could not get the silvery stuff of the back of the ribs. Tried everything. I made them anyway and they were outrageous.
I’m so glad you loved them!
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!