Oven BBQ Ribs Recipe (2024)

By Millie Peartree

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Oven BBQ Ribs Recipe (1)

Total Time
3¼ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours 10 minutes
Rating
4(509)
Notes
Read community notes

Oven-baked ribs are a great way to enjoy barbecue flavor without stepping outside. This is a foolproof, supersimple recipe, using seasonings you probably already have in your pantry, plus store-bought barbecue sauce that caramelizes into a sticky-sweet, smoky finish. Instead of using traditional pork ribs, this recipe uses beef back ribs, which are juicier. If you can only find them in chunks, rather than a whole rack, that’s more than OK: Wrap the pieces in aluminum foil, which creates a moist environment that yields fall-off-the-bone meat, and start checking them early. When they start to shrink down and the meat pulls away from the bone with the gentlest tug of a fork, they’re ready.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1tablespoon onion powder
  • 2teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1tablespoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 2teaspoons black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 4pounds beef back ribs or 4 pounds beef short rib rack
  • 1teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil
  • ½cup barbecue sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

1034 calories; 85 grams fat; 35 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 37 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 50 grams protein; 769 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Oven BBQ Ribs Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil.

  2. In a bowl, mix together garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper until spice rub is well combined.

  3. Step

    3

    Place the ribs on the pan in a single layer. Add oil to the ribs and coat with spice rub. Arrange the ribs meaty side up. Wrap the foil around the ribs and seal.

  4. Step

    4

    Bake until the meat starts to pull away from the bone, about 3 hours (or see Tip for grilling instructions). (Beef short rib racks may take an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour to cook. Start checking at 3 hours, and continue cooking until meat starts to pull away.)

  5. Step

    5

    Take the ribs out of the oven and remove the top layer of foil. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Brush on the barbecue sauce. Return the ribs to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

Tip

  • To cook these on the grill, prepare the grill for indirect cooking (preferably at 275 degrees). Place the ribs, meaty side up, directly on the grill grate. Cook for 2½ hours, maintaining a steady temperature. Flip the ribs and cook for 30 minutes.Next to the grill, place 2 long sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Transfer the ribs to the foil, meaty side up. Wrap the ribs, sealing the package tightly. Place the foil-wrapped ribs on the grill for 1 hour. (Wrapping the ribs in foil is essential to get them tender, so don't omit this step.) Move the foil-wrapped ribs to a platter once their internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.Carefully remove the ribs from the foil, place them on the grill grate, and brush with the barbecue sauce. Grill for another 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how charred you like your ribs.Flip the ribs, brush with the sauce again, and cook for 5 to 15 minutes more.Place the ribs on a platter and serve with additional barbecue sauce, preferably warm, on the side.

Ratings

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509

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Bill

Unless you have access to a first class butcher, skip using beef back ribs and go for the short ribs. I have yet to see a rack of beef back ribs in a "supermarket" that wasn't absent virtually all meat--aka "shiners" cuz nothing bone shows. Better yet, go for pork ribs--spares or baby backs. Beef back ribs do work well for making beef stock, assuming they are priced at less than $2/pound.

Johnny Ventura

I have tried every known method to cook ribs, the rub here looks great, but the easy way is toget an aluminum pan ($ tree 1.25) lay the ribs meat side down, pour BBQ sauce over the top, cover the pan tightly with foil, cook at 350 for 1 hour, the meat will fall off the bone!

CherylM

I always make pork ribs using this method. 300 degrees for about 2 hours, maybe 2.5 if you have St Louis cut spare ribs. The trick is to dry rub and wrap them tightly in foil. When you remove them from the oven, leave them wrapped and rest for at least an hour before unwrapping. They will hold their juices this way. You can even refrigerate them for the next day. Unwrap, brush with BBQ sauce and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

polly

I’ve found St Louis cut pork ribs to be the meatiest and the tastiest of the pork ribs. They are often available at Costco and Trader Joe’s. Baby backs usually don’t have enough meat on the bone and they aren’t as tasty IMHO.

LarryAt27N

I remember the year when Carson's, a fabled Chicago restaurant, won a national cook-off to win the accolade of best ribs in the U.S. Visit their web site and you will learn that their ribs (and mine) are "NOT “fall-off-the-bone”.They are tender and juicy, but not so overcooked that the bones become surplus. For the real beef or pork rib eaters amongst us, the bones remain as God intended -- handles.

Jim R

No need to oil the ribs before the rub. Dry rub should be dry and better to do the rub several hours or overnight before baking. Can finish with sauce in the oven as stated or on a direct heat grill if you like a bit of char.

Alan

You can't beat pork ribs, baby back or St. Louis spare style, available at Costco. Rub heavily with dry rub (I use Butt Rub--yes, that's the name). Wrap in foil, bake for 3 hours at 275 for 2 racks (slightly less for 1, slightly more for 3). 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, pour off fat, open top of the foil and place on grill at medium low heat. Slather with your favorite barbecue sauce, leave on for 15-20 minutes until the sauce carmelizes. Foolproof.

Scargod

I'm a Texan and I despise "falling off the bone" comments. It means that I despise mushy ribs.

Willy

No one who knows barbecuing or competes in barbecue challenges would ever cook ribs until the meat is separating from the bone. Those are over-cooked ribs.

JoeB

Great recipe and works as well in a smoker. To make them ahead of time cook them until done and they can stay in foil for a couple of hours or in the fridge if longer. When ready to serve use the broiler or grill to heat them up with the BBQ sauce in only a few minutes. Like a brisket beef ribs can take much longer than pork ribs to cook. 200 internal degrees may not be enough. You have to feel or probe the meat until its completely tender.

dimmerswitch

"Make sure to watch Millie in action. She's a delight." So says Melissa Clark in the NYT Cooking NL today re the video for this recipe. I say "Ain't it the truth." I discovered Millie a year or so ago via a NYT Cooking video. Fun to watch making good down-home food. (Check out her macaroni salad as one.) We don't eat beef but this video makes me wish we did. I'll use the rub on other things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Qa6r5I-0E

Kathy

I do them all. Good quality beef ribs are the very best, I use Bullseye sauceBaby backs are most people’s favorites. I use Jack Stack sauce from KC. I like St. Louis spares but they’re not that meaty. Key for all is the rub you use. Make it to your own liking or use a commercial one you love. I make my own but there are many I really like. Don’t make them falling off the bone. Get a good bark with good tooth. You’ll lose any competition if yours fall off the bone.

maggie

I cook my ribs this exact way and my friends and family love them. Ribs in the pan, place foil over and seal well to the edge of the pan. The goal is to seal in all the juices. When removing the pan from the oven be careful not to tip the pan until you are over the sink, then carefully pry the foil at one corner avoiding the cloud of steam that will be released. Then pour the juices out of the pan. Now you're ready for your sauce.

Karen

I made this recipe using drumsticks and chicken thighs. The chicken was so tender, so delicious, and so easy to make for a crowd. This is going to be a go to for me from now on.

Johnny

Tried it but maybe I just don't like baby backs bc they came out as if they were cooked on a steam table.

kh nyc

Made the recipe as written (pork, 3 hours @ 300) and had a wonderful meal! I did not find the ribs mushy, as other commenters have prognosticated and/or pontificated, but tender and toothsome. Ignore the judges, and dig in.

Mark B

What a great recipe with beef ribs! Followed her recipe closely since it was my first time with beef ribs, finished them out on the grill. Everyone loved them!

Laureen

I just cooked in oven and then slathered them with barbecue sauce and served them. They were fabulous.

GreatVancouverX

Fantastic recipe with timing and temperature for slow bbq spot on so that all the fat melted right out. Everyone in the family wanted it again.

Sophie

Short rib been in four hours and still tough!

Jeannie B

I have used Millie's recipe twice now the grocery store short ribs come out perfect. For the rub I substitute Trader Joes Garlic Citrus in place of straight garlic powder. Wrapping them in foil seals all the flavors and moisture. The last half hour I unwrap them and brush on G Phillips sugar free sweet and spicy sauce. They're fall off the bone tender and not one bit dry-way better than restaurants too.

Susan

We couldn't get beef ribs so we made these as instructed with St. Louis ribs, finished on the grill. Absolutely delicious, guests agreed! I LOVE Millie Peartree!

Barbara

We live in an apartment without access to a grill, and this was a terrific way to enjoy delicious ribs. Great recipe.

Woodson

Good, but three hours was too long. Next time I'd start checking after two hours or so.

Jan Carpenter

In this recipe and others: I don't understand the use of garlic powder and onion powder. Why use powders instead of real garlic, real onion---minced or grated? To me the powders taste artificial, quite different from the real thing. Please explain.

Chuck

In this and other recipes that require an overnight rub, powdered or granulated garlic and onion are used because they create more surface adhesion than the minced fresh versions.

Josh H.

Use less rub add more sauce

Helene

I have made ribs only twice before. Once they were good & the second time they were awful. But when I saw this recipe in the newsletter I decided to try one more time & boy am I glad I did. I followed the recipe to a T except I didn't use any oil. I mixed up the dry-rub ingredients, slathered it on the ribs, let it sit in the fridge for several hours then cooked for 3hrs @ 300 & they were amazingly tender yet not "fall off the bone right away" tender. I then basted w/bbq sauce & cooked @350.

Diana

I use only baby back or St. Louis ribs. Always do in the oven (we don't have a grill). Have cooked the ribs both wrapped and unwrapped in foil. Don't see the need for dry rubs. Used flavor-intensive ones, but the dry rubs taste never comes through. I usually bake 3-4 lbs. of ribs (unwrapped) at 275°F for 2.5 hours, turning the pan every 1/2 hour. Turn the oven to broil, sauce the ribs, broil for 2 minutes, sauce again, broil for 2 more minutes. Never had a problem with taste or tenderness.

Robin

Used Millie's low & slow baking method for Father's Day with St Louis-style pork spare ribs (finished them on the grill) and all agreed they were some of the most flavorful, most tender ribs we've ever made. This will be our go-to rib prep method from now on.

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Oven BBQ Ribs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long do you cook ribs in the oven at 350? ›

Shoot for around 2 hours at 350 degrees if the ribs are uncovered, as in our Barbecued Pork Ribs. If wrapped in foil, the ribs can go for up to 3 hours at 300°F degrees, or crank the oven up to 400 degrees for a briefer baking time—1.5 to 2 hours.

Do you bake ribs covered or uncovered? ›

Do you bake ribs covered or uncovered? You can cook ribs either covered with foil or uncovered. Foil is used to stop the meat from drying out but is not essential. If cooking uncovered and you notice the meat is drying out or browning too quickly, you can cover with foil for the remaining cook time.

What is the best binder for oven baked ribs? ›

Yellow mustard.

This will be our binder to get the rub to stick to the ribs. The vinegar in the mustard also helps amplify the flavors as well as tenderize the meat. Mustard is so awesome rubbed on pork this way!

How long should ribs be cooked at 375? ›

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place each rack of ribs on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to completely wrap the ribs (see Note). Brush ribs with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, covering completely, then wrap tightly in foil. Place on rimmed baking sheets and bake 1 hour, or until fork-tender.

What is the best temperature and time to cook ribs? ›

You'll want to let your ribs grill at 275 for four to five hours. Ideally, the internal temperature of the ribs should be between 190 and 200 degrees when you're finished. If you don't already have a meat thermometer, go ahead and invest in one.

Do you flip ribs when baking in oven? ›

For example, I bake a 3-1/2lb rack of ribs for 4 hours. If you are cooking more than one rack of ribs, separate each rack on it's on baking sheet then rotate the ribs halfway through baking time.

How long to cook ribs at 325? ›

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl combine all ingredients except ribs to make a sauce; season with salt and pepper. On a rack set in a roasting pan season ribs with salt and pepper and brush with a thick layer of sauce. Roast ribs, basting every 30 minutes, until tender and falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 hours.

Do you put water in the pan when baking ribs? ›

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees. Use a 2 piece broiler pan, the lower half filled with very hot water, then layer racks of rib on the top. Ribs can be left whole in racks and layered, I have done 6 at a time, they still come out great.

Do ribs cook faster in foil? ›

Wrapping the meat in foil will limit the amount of smoke on the surface of the meat thus yielding a better color and flavor on the final product. It also adds moisture and speeds up cooking time. Wrapping should be done about half way through the cooking process or when internal meat temp is 150-160 degrees.

Do you cook ribs in foil meat side up or down? ›

Place the ribs meat side down on the foil and wrap tightly. 7 – Put the ribs wrapped in foil back on the grill and increase the grill temperature to 250 degrees for 1 hour. 8 – The wrapped ribs go meat side down onto the grill. 9 – After 1 hour, gently pick up one end of the ribs.

How do you keep ribs moist when baking? ›

Moist, gentle heat and a wet vinegary sauce can save dry ribs. Here's what to do: Make a 50/50 mixture of your favorite BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar and coat the ribs in this mixture. Then wrap the ribs tightly in foil and put them in a low oven (say 300°F) for about an hour.

Should I wrap my ribs in aluminum foil in the oven? ›

Yes! The best way is to wrap the ribs in foil while they cook to trap in the moisture and prevent the outsides from burning. Once they are cooked through, you can remove the foil before broiling so the outside can get nice and crispy.

Why are my oven ribs tough? ›

If you don't remove the rib membrane before cooking, it can make the ribs tough and chewy. The membrane doesn't break down during cooking, so it can be difficult to chew and can ruin the texture of the meat.

Can you overcook ribs in oven? ›

Generally, the ribs will be browned before the meat is done, which is where the balancing act comes in. Overcooked ribs will be tender, but mushy.

Why do ribs take so long to cook in the oven? ›

Ribs generally cook for several hours because they store a lot of fat and collagen in the meat. But they also cook at vastly reduced temperatures. Like 200–250 degrees, which give the meat time to break down and redistribute all that delicious fat and flavor.

How long to cook ribs in oven at 300? ›

Set the oven to 300°F. Move the ribs to an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours for spareribs or 1 1/2 to 2 hours for baby back ribs. Halfway through cooking, cover the ribs with aluminum foil to protect them from drying out.

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