Mains

Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

Labor Day is just around the corner. Do you know what you’re serving up? Oven Baked BBQ Ribs are an easy and delicious way to celebrate the last days of summer.

Get out the stack of napkins and the Plum Barbecue Sauce. The fall off the bone tender ribs will wow your friends and family make you the star of your next barbecue, but with minimal effort.

Ingredients

With just a few spices you probably already have in your pantry, these ribs give you that all day low and slow cooked flavor. The homemade rub gives you that balanced sweet, savory, and earthy flavor that will have you reaching for another.

Ribs – Use your favorite. Both baby back ribs and St. Louis style ribs will work for this recipe.
Salt – This amplifies all of the spices while permeating and seasoning the ribs.
Black Pepper – Adds a savory back note of spice.
Brown Sugar – This not only adds a little sweetness, it helps the ribs caramelize and gives them a beautiful crust.
Chili Powder – Warm and earthy, this adds a mellow spice. Use your favorite such as ancho or guajillo.
Garlic Powder – Aromatic and savory, garlic powder balances the sweetness.
Cumin – Earthy with a hint of citrus, cumin adds depth to the rub.
Dried Oregano – Herbaceous and bright, dried oregano adds freshness to the rub.
Dry Mustard – Tangy and a little sharp, this brings all of the savory flavor.
Paprika – Paprika not only adds a natural sweetness and earthiness, it also adds beautiful color to these ribs as they bake.

How to Make Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

Is there anything better than tender, juicy pork hugged in spices, cooked low and slow, falling off the bone? These easy and delicious pork ribs are sure to become a new favorite with both your family and friends.

Time needed: 3 hours

You will never have to worry about dry ribs again with this flavorful and uncomplicated recipe!

Prep
Mix together the ingredients for your rub. Remove the membrane for the back of your ribs and pat them dry. Generously spread the rub on both sides of the ribs and allow them to sit out for 30 minutes.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Wrap your rested ribs in aluminum foil. Allow them to bake for 2 hours, or until the meat is beginning to fall off the bone.
Baste
Unwrap your ribs and baste them with your favorite barbecue sauce. Allow them to cook for 10 minutes more until the sauce is set.
Serve
Allow your ribs to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Don’t forget that stack of napkins!

Variations

Grilled – This same recipe can be prepared on a grill. For a gas or charcoal grill, you will use a 2-zone cooking method. Preheat your grill to 250 degrees. For charcoal push your charcoal to one size of the grill leaving a cool zone. Place the ribs on the cool zone. For a gas grill place your wrapped ribs on the unheated grates. The cooking time may vary a little for grilled ribs.
Spicy – If you like your ribs to have a little extra kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper into your dry rub. In addition, you can also use a spicy barbecue sauce.

Equipment

Unlike smoked ribs, you don’t need any special smoker or equipment to make these succulent and tender pork ribs. All you need is foil to wrap them in. This will trap in all of their moisture and allow them to steam first, creating that tender, fall off the bone bite.

Storage

The rub for these Oven Baked BBQ Ribs can be made well ahead of time and stored in an airtight container just as a jar in a cool, dry place, such as your pantry. Mix up extra because it’s equally as tasty on grilled pork chops, chicken, or pork tenderloin.

Top Tip for Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

Always allow your ribs to rest with the dry rub before baking. This will give the spices a chance to properly adhere to the meat while also beginning to permeate them with flavor.