Oven baked baby back ribs are tender, sweet ribs straight from the oven. With this fool-proof recipe you’ll have perfect ribs every time.
If you’re a rib lover, you know there’s nothing more disappointing than sinking your teeth into dry, tough meat. But fear not! I will show you the foolproof way to achieve fall-off-the-bone tender oven baked baby back ribs every single time.
Forget about boiling the ribs or using complicated cooking techniques. With just a few simple steps, you can impress your friends and family with perfectly tender and flavorful ribs that will have them begging for more. Mainly, you’ll need two things: Aluminum foil and a sheet pan with the grate on top.
I’ll walk you through the process of preparing the ribs, creating an irresistible dry rub, and baking them to perfection. We’ll share our secret tips and tricks to ensure that your ribs turn out juicy, tender, and bursting with mouthwatering flavor.
Whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or a seasoned barbecue aficionado, this recipe is for you. So grab your apron and fire up your oven!
How To Make Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients needed
- Baby back ribs (full rack)
- Barbecue sauce
- Spice rub (listed below)
- Butter
- Aluminum foil
- Sheet pan with a wire rack
Helpful tips before starting the recipe
- If you do not have a wire rack you can still make the ribs. There is something the rack does with allowing air flow around the ribs that makes them cook a little better. You see the same thing on the grill and the smoker. That isn’t backed by science only experience.
- Normal aluminum isn’t wide enough to cover a rack of ribs. So, layer the foil then make sure there is a pan to catch the drippings in the oven. That will keep you from having to buy a new roll only for one recipe. But, there will be a bit more clean up without the right foil.
Making the oven baked baby back ribs
- To start, take the ribs out for about an hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 275F.
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the rib spice rub. Then, remove the ribs from the package and pat them dry. Generously cover the ribs with the rub and pat it onto the rack.
- Now, if you have a wire rack pan use that but if not you can use a sheet pan. Place the ribs on the pan and bake for 2 hours.
- At 2 hours, remove the ribs from the oven. Lay out aluminum foil large enough to wrap the ribs in. In the middle add butter and a line of bbq sauce the length the the ribs. Lay the ribs meat side down. Then, spread a line of sauce on the bone area of the rib rack. Carefully wrap the ribs and seal them into the aluminum foil.
- Place the ribs back in the oven and bake for another 2 hours.
- Next, when the time is up remove the ribs from the oven. Carefully drain any of the juices from the aluminum foil or you can remove the ribs and place on a clean sheet pan.
- Brush the underside of the ribs with bbq sauce. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Next, flip the ribs to the meat side up and brush with barbecue sauce. Place back in the oven and bake for a final 20 minutes.
- Allow the ribs to rest a bit before serving and slicing. Serve and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long for baby back ribs in the oven?
In total about 4.5 hours. You want to cook them low and slow because too fast and the meat will tighten up. They can still get tender after but there’s a very noticeable rough pull to the meat.
Should I bake ribs at 250-275?
You want 275F because you want to render the fat down. Yes, low and slow is good but there is a thing where the temperature is just too low.
Do I need to wrap the ribs in the oven?
From my experience you do not have to wrap the ribs. With a temperature of 275F-300F the ribs will cook hot enough to the point where they are fall-off-the-bone tender. But that is a bit more advance when cooking baby backs and wrapping them makes a fool proof recipe that’s difficult to mess up. Plus the way that I suggest making oven baked baby back ribs the butter and the sauce baste the ribs in the process for an amazing flavor.
What to serve with oven baked baby back ribs?
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Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
Equipment
- Oven Wire Rack
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back
- Barbecue sauce to taste
Spice rub
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- To start, take the ribs out for about an hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 275℉
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the rib spice rub. Then, remove the ribs from the package and pat them dry. Generously cover the ribs with the rub and pat it onto the rack.
- Now, if you have a wire rack pan use that but if not you can use a sheet pan. Place the ribs on the pan and bake for 2 hours.
- At 2 hours, remove the ribs from the oven. Lay out aluminum foil large enough to wrap the ribs in. In the middle add butter and a line of bbq sauce the length the the ribs. Lay the ribs meat side down. Then, spread a line of sauce on the bone area of the rib rack. Carefully wrap the ribs and seal them into the aluminum foil.
- Place the ribs back in the oven and bake for another 2 hours.
- Next, when the time is up remove the ribs from the oven. Carefully drain any of the juices from the aluminum foil or you can remove the ribs and place on a clean sheet pan.
- Brush the underside of the ribs with bbq sauce with how much sauce you want. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Next, flip the ribs to the meat side up and brush with barbecue sauce. Place back in the oven and bake for a final 20 minutes.
- Allow the ribs to rest a bit before serving and slicing.
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.
Don’t forget to take the silver skin off the back of the ribs!
very easy to make, I followed the recipe and it turned out great I will make this again. I served it with roasted green beans and potatoes