Baked riblets in the oven give you tender riblets with your favorite bbq sauce glazed across the top. I’ll show you exactly how to do it! They’ll be fall off the bone tender with ease.
Recipe Highlights
- How they taste: These oven baked riblets will have a tender bite, spiced perfectly and the sticky barbecue will leave something behind to make them finger-licking good.
- Skill level: Baked riblets in the oven are very easy to make. There are some extra steps that’ll definitely take these to the next level.
- Storing: These oven baked riblets store perfectly. You can keep them in the fridge for days or freeze them for later.
Ingredients tips
- Pork riblets (you could also use spare tips as well): When you find these in the store they can be named tips or riblets. You’ll clearly be able to see the difference between these spare and baby back ribs.
- Seasoning mix (listed below): The seasoning can be homemade that you’ll see below, or store-bought. There are a ton of delicious rubs in stores these days.
- Chicken broth: You chicken broth has more flavor but to save money water will work.
- Liquid smoke: You’ll want this to get a more smokey flavor in the ribs. No, it’s not going to give you an exact smokey flavor but it’ll give a better flavor than not using anything.
- Barbecue sauce: A sauce of your choice, have fun with this!
How To Make Baked Riblets In The Oven
- Remove the riblets from the pack and season with the seasoning mix. Cover them heavy because some seasoning will fall off in the liquid.
- Place the riblets in a 16×9 baking dish with chicken broth and liquid smoke in the bottom. Make sure all the ribs are touching the bottom of the dish. The liquid does not need to fill the entire bottom of the dish.
- Bake for one and a half hour covered. Remove the ribs and place on a line baking sheet.
- Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce well on both sides. Carefully because they will be hot.
- Then, place them back in the oven for 20-30 minutes allowing the barbecue sauce to get sticky and glaze. Allow the ribs to cool a bit before serving.
Helpful tips before starting
- I’ve created sauces like for my chicken wings. But, for this keeping it simple is best. So, any store bought barbecue sauce will get the job done.
- I like to use my own seasoning but there are some great rubs options. Killer Hogs seasoning needs a little help so light salt and pepper go a long way with the flavor but I like it. If you choose to use a rub you’ve never used before and are not sure how salty it is I would skip the salt and add in later if you need it.
Storing
Storing oven baked riblets is easy. Wrap them in foil or slice them up and place them in a covered container. They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-4 days easily.
If you can’t eat them in time they’ll freeze well. Wrap them up and thaw them when ready to eat. Reheat them in the oven, microwave or air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What temperature do you cook pork riblets to?
This will vary but a good rule is 190-200F for pork. That goes for pulled pork and any ribs you cook. That’s the temperature where the meats becomes tender but not mushy.
What’s the difference between pork ribs and riblets?
The pork ribs and the riblets all come from the rib cage of the pig*. If you were to ever go to a butcher you could see how they separate the spare ribs and the baby back ribs. The riblets come from the spare rib portion when you cut them down to St.Louis style which removes the rib tips and riblets.
What are riblets?
The pig has an entire rib cage. The most popular cuts are how the butcher’s separate the entire rib cage giving you spare and baby back ribs. The baby back is the top portion on the back. The spare is the rest of the rib. But, in barbecue to make the spare rib presentable and cook evenly the riblets are separated from that. Not only for presentation but that part of the ribs would cook faster and dry out. But, it’s still good meat so it’s sold as riblets.
What to serve with baked riblets in the oven?
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Baked Riblets In Oven
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds rib tips (or pork riblets)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Barbecue sauce to liking
Seasoning Mix
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275℉.
- Remove the riblets from the pack and season with the seasoning mix. Cover them heavy because some seasoning will fall off in the liquid.
- Place the riblets in a 16×9 baking dish with chicken broth and liquid smoke in the bottom. Make sure all the ribs are touching the bottom of the dish. The liquid does not need to fill the entire bottom of the dish.
- Bake for one and a half hour covered. Remove the ribs and place on a line baking sheet.
- Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce well on both sides. Carefully because they will be hot.
- Then, place them back in the oven for 20-30 minutes allowing the barbecue sauce to get sticky and glaze. Allow the ribs to cool a bit before serving.
Nutrition
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
The photo looks good enough to reach out and touch. I will for sure try this recipe. We love pork and anything sticky.
Really soft fall off the bone good
kids loved them
Spectacular
Your recipes never disappoint.