Tender and sticky bbq ribs, cooked right in your oven! Perfect for when the weather is bad, or if you don’t have a grill or smoker, but you still crave some fall off the bone deliciousness!
This is one of my Pork recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
While nothing beats a juicy and tender rack of ribs that’s been smoked low and low with that sticky bbq sauce slathered all over it, sometimes the weather just does NOT cooperate and smoking meats isn’t really an option.
That’s where this recipe comes in handy. All that great flavor and fall off the bone texture, but the ribs are made in the oven.
Plus, I like to create and share recipes that don’t require fancy equipment, and not everyone owns a smoker or grill. But most people have an oven 🙂
This recipe uses a simple yet delicious spice rub, and a “doctored up” store-bought bbq sauce, but of course you’re free to use a different rub or a homemade sauce.
After all, these are your ribs!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Easy – there’s no grill to light, smoker to keep at the correct temperature, etc… just your regular oven and a baking sheet.
- Tender – these ribs are seriously fall-off-the-bone tender, despite only cooking in the oven.
- Great for bad weather – if you LOVE to grill and smoke meats, but it’s a torrential downpour outside, you can still have amazing ribs!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Ribs – this recipe was tested with baby back pork ribs, but St. Louis style ribs, or really any variety of pork ribs will work.
- Spice rub – instead of using a canned spice rub mix, I mixed my own by combining light brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and dried mustard.
- Bbq sauce – to save a bit of time and work, I use bottled bbq sauce for this recipe. My favorite is Kinders or Head Country (any variety of either), but please use your favorite.
- Honey – this obviously adds sweetness, but also contributes to the glorious stickiness of the ribs.
How to make oven-baked bbq ribs:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Prep ribs. Removing the membrane is essential for the best flavor and texture.
- Make spice rub. To get an even coating, I like to combine the spices in a small bowl first.
- Season. I prefer to rub the seasonings in with my hands, to really make sure the ribs are well coated.
- Bake. Baking them wrapped allows for even and moist cooking.
- Make bbq sauce. Nothing crazy, just combining store-bought bbq sauce and honey.
- Baste. The last 20 minutes of baking, the bbq sauce is slathered onto the ribs and repeated every 5 minutes.
Helpful Tip!
Make sure you don’t skip the step of removing the membrane. It may be a bit tedious and hard to grab onto, (using a paper towel usually helps), but it’s essential for allowing the spice rub to penetrate the meat and keeping the meat from being tough and chewy.
Variations of this recipe
- Types of ribs – as mentioned above, I usually use baby back pork ribs for this recipe, but any variety of pork ribs will work well. I haven’t done any testing on beef ribs, so I can’t say for certain if any changes would need to be made. When choosing ribs, try to pick a rack that’s meaty, rather than overly bone-y.
- Spice rub – if you’d rather not make your own rub, feel free to pick up a cannister of your favorite meat spice rub and use an equal amount (a little less than 1/2 cup). Conversely, if you want to make your own, but would like different ratios or even different spices, by all means, play around and find one that works for you.
- BBQ sauce – if you’d prefer to make your own bbq sauce, the bourbon bbq sauce in this chicken wing recipe is a great one, or I also have a balsamic bbq sauce recipe as well.
- Alternate cooking methods – this recipe hasn’t been tested in a pressure cooker or slow cooker, so I can’t speak to how well it would work. If you’d prefer to grill or smoke your ribs, I have another recipe that can be found by clicking the following link (smoked ribs recipe).
FAQ’s
Wrapping the meat with foil for the first part of baking allows the meat to get nice and tender, as well as ensuring the meat is cooked through evenly. Then the foil is removed for the last part of the cooking process, which allows the bbq sauce on the ribs to get nice and sticky.
Making bbq ribs ahead of time
I find ribs taste best when made fresh, so I don’t advise making these ribs ahead of time.
However, you can definitely prep ahead!
- Spices – all the spices can be combined and kept in an airtight container.
- BBQ sauce – the sauce and honey can be combined and kept refrigerated in an airtight container.
Storage
Leftover ribs should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 2-3 days.
My Favorite Baking Sheet!
I really love the texture on the bottom of these baking sheets, as it really distributes the heat well. They’re also super easy to clean up, heavy-duty, yet lightweight!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Spice rub
- 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
Ribs
- 3 – 4 lb. baby back pork ribs
Bbq sauce
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce your favorite type
- 1/4 cup honey
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 325°F and set out a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
- Remove membrane from 3 – 4 lb. baby back pork ribs by sliding a butter knife into the bone-side of the rack and make a small slit. Grab the membrane and pull it off. Use a paper towel to get a better grip on it. Set aside.
Season ribs
- Once the membrane is removed, combine all spice rub ingredients (3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar, 2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp dried mustard) in a small bowl.
- Season both sides of the ribs with the spice rub, using your hands to really massage it into the meat.
Bake
- Wrap the seasoned ribs in foil, then place on baking sheet and bake for 2 hours, or until tender and the internal temperature reaches 195°F with a meat thermometer.
Make bbq sauce
- When ribs are getting close to the 2 hour mark, in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup bbq sauce with 1/4 cup honey, whisking well until smooth.
Baste
- Remove the foil from the rack of ribs, then use another sheet of foil to line the baking sheet. Add the ribs directly onto the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Use a pastry brush to brush on a layer of bbq sauce.
- Return the ribs to the oven and bake another 20 minutes or so, basting with bbq sauce every 5 minutes. You're looking for the sauce to darken and get sticky.
Serve
- Serve hot with desired sides. Any remaining bbq sauce can be served alongside the ribs.
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Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe serves about 4, but feel free to divide the ribs up into as many servings as you’d like.
- If you like your ribs more mild, you can reduce the amount of cayenne pepper.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Mary says
Easy and so delicious. I doubled the recipe for my large family and they still wanted more. This recipe is a keeper.
Marie Fox says
Would this recipe work using boneless pork chops?
The Chunky Chef says
This method would WAY over cook pork chops, but the spice rub might work on them… you’d just need a different cooking method.