Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs Recipe

By
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
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Updated on 05/26/22
Tested by
Young Sun Huh
Young Sun Huh
Tested by Young Sun Huh
Young Sun is a recipe developer, tester, and food stylist with over 15 years of experience in the food industry.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Oven-baked barbecue ribs

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 45 mins
Rest: 15 mins
Total: 3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

When you think of ribs, you probably think of firing up the grill or smoker. But the weather doesn't always permit outdoor cooking, and sometimes you're out of charcoal or not in the mood to refill the propane tank. Enter a gadget everyone has at home: the oven. Oven-baked ribs can be made any time of the year and turn out super-tender every time.

This recipe is for pork baby back ribs, which are some of the easier ribs to find at the grocery store. We call for two racks of ribs, but you can adjust the ingredients to make more or less. After removing the membrane, coat the ribs in a flavorful spice rub, cover in aluminum foil, and bake low and slow. Add your favorite sauce before baking uncovered to form a nice, sticky crust.

Serve these oven-baked ribs as a surprisingly easy weekend family meal, on game day, Father's Day, or anytime a craving for ribs strikes. Serve barbecue ribs with classic sides like potato salad, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw.

"A foolproof oven method for cooking baby back ribs and one that I will use again. My ribs came out perfectly tender and juicy without falling apart. The rub was a little salty on the smaller rack (about 1 1/2 pounds), so use less if you have small racks or are sensitive to salt." —Young Sun Huh

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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon paprika, smoked or regular

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 full racks baby back pork ribs, trimmed of excess fat, membrane removed, patted dry

  • 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make oven-baked barbecue ribs

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 250 F. Combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, chipotle, thyme, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

    A small bowl with brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, chipotle, thyme, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Place each rack of ribs in the center of its own large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Apply the dry rub to each side of the 2 racks (more so on the meat side).

    Rack of ribs on foil, covered with dry rub

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. Wrap each rack in foil. Put the 2 foil-wrapped racks on a rimmed baking sheet.

    Two racks of ribs wrapped in foil on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. Bake for 2 hours until the meat is fully cooked and tender but not falling off the bone.

    Baked ribs in foil

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. Remove the ribs from the oven. Using tongs, open the foil. Place racks on 1 piece of foil on the baking sheet, meat-side up. Brush barbecue sauce on both sides. Turn up the oven temperature to 350 F.

    Two rack of ribs covered in barbecue sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  7. Return ribs to the oven and continue cooking, brushing with more barbecue sauce about every 15 minutes, until the ribs are fork-tender and well-glazed, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

    Brushing barbecue on baked ribs

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  8. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

    Fully baked barbecue ribs on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  9. Cut ribs can be tossed in additional sauce if desired.

    Cut ribs tossed in extra sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Tip

For super tender ribs, remove the membrane before cooking. You can ask the butcher to do it for you, but it's also easy to do at home. Position the ribs so that they are bone-side up. Use a butter knife to separate the thin membrane from the meat. Once you have enough pried up, use your fingers to pull it off the rack.

Recipe Variations

How to Store

  • Leftover ribs should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated. They will keep for about three days.
  • To reheat, wrap the ribs in foil and bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Open up the foil and bake until warmed through, adding more barbecue sauce if desired.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
501 Calories
23g Fat
47g Carbs
25g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 501
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 8g 41%
Cholesterol 88mg 29%
Sodium 2889mg 126%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 39g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 95mg 7%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 510mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)