Easy Baby Back Ribs in Oven
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These tender fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs are baked in the oven in a delicious barbecue sauce. Add your favorite sides for the perfect Southern supper.
I’ve always loved ribs but growing up my dad was the one who made them. He’d spend hours outside around a hot grill or smoker, basting and fussing with them until perfection was reached. They sure were good. But I’m on my own now and daddy lives an hour away. When a rib craving hits I’m not about to stand over a hot grill for hours on end. Instead, I make them the easy way and am just as happy with the results.
Now there are countless ways to make juicy ribs and there is never a shortage of folks to tell you that their way is the only right way to do things. But the way I see it, your kitchen = your rules. So today I’m gonna show you how to cheat at ribs. No grill and no sweat needed, but you’ll still end up with fall-off-the-bone juicy results.
Intrigued? Let me tell you, tender baby back ribs in the oven are a game changer. All you need is a rack of ribs, some barbecue sauce, and a little bit of time. This is such an easy baby back ribs recipe to make and the results speak for themselves. Add your favorite Southern side dishes (I’ve included lots of options below) and you have the perfect supper, at least in my books!
Recipe Ingredients
- Ribs
- Bbq sauce (I’m using my homemade bbq sauce recipe)
How to Make Baby Back Ribs in Oven
Now the trick is to remove that white membrane on the back of the ribs because that will help them be all nice and tender when they cook and when eatin’ time comes.
The way I do this is to slice into it with a sharp knife and then grab it and pull it off as best I can.
This is me removing a good bit of it.
There is still some left but at least I got the main layer off. Sometimes I have better luck than others but as long as you get the majority of it you’ll be fine.
Just think: cavemen made ribs. They can’t be that complex to prepare.
Now you’ll notice that I have the rack of ribs laying on a baking sheet I’ve lined with aluminum foil. This is important because we are fixing to baste them and seal them up all nice and tight.
Baste both sides of them using half of your bbq sauce. We’ll use the other half after they cook for a while.
There we go, all ready for the oven!
Now seal that up really well. Don’t be skimpy on the tin foil here!
Bake in a 300-degree oven for 2 hours.
Remove from oven and open foil.
Baste generously with the rest of your sauce on just the top.
Return to oven, leaving the foil opened like this, for another hour or until that sauce is nice and thick.
Oh goodness, this smells so good. Gotta love some sticky pork ribs.
Enjoy!
My husband, who normally does not care for ribs, ate three helpings of these!
Storage
- Store leftover pork ribs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300-degree oven or air fryer until heated through. You might want to add some extra sauce.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
Some recipes include a before the for added flavor. If you want to add one, here’s an easy homemade dry rub recipe, but you’ll need ingredients like , smoked or regular paprika, , salt, (or cayenne pepper), , and .
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with oven-baked baby back ribs?
Here are some great side dishes to serve with your easy oven-baked ribs:
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Oven-Baked Mac and Cheese
- Velveeta Bowtie Pasta Salad
- 3 Bean Salad
- Baked Beans
- Creamed Corn
- Cornbread
- Homemade Biscuits
What kind of ribs do I use?
Look for ribs that say “back” in them, either baby back or pork loin back or something of the like. This is referring to where they come from and means they will have a lot more meat on them and less bone. Spare ribs have more bone and less meat.
What’s the best temperature for baking baby back ribs in the oven?
A low temperature makes for truly tender bbq ribs, which is why we bake them in a 300-degree oven for 2 to 3 hours.
You may also like these recipes:
Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket in the Oven
Slow-Cooked Pork Roast in Crock Pot
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe, Southern-Style
North Alabama Style Pulled Chicken BBQ
Crock Pot Beef Ribs (Tender and Delicious)
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork back ribs
- 1 jar BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Using a knife, slice into the membrane on the back of the ribs (the white part) and use your hand to pull it off.1 rack pork back ribs
- Place the entire rack of ribs in the center of the foil and brush it with bbq sauce on both sides. Wrap well in foil to seal and place on a baking sheet.1 jar BBQ sauce, 1 rack pork back ribs
- Bake in a 300-degree oven for two hours. Remove from oven and open foil. Baste top with remaining bbq sauce and place back in the oven, with the foil still open, for an hour, or until the sauce is nice and thick.
Nutrition
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Submitted by Louise. Submit your quote or read hundreds more by clicking here.
I was VERY doubtful that this recipe was going to turn out well since no seasonings were used. However, the ribs came out………….GREAT!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe how tender and flavorful they were. I was convinced after 1 1/2 went and the smell of the BBQ sauce radiated throughout the house. I will definitely use this recipe onward. The only small change I will make in the future is purchasing a really good brand of BBQ sauce instead of the low cost kind. Thank you. thank you, thank you <3
🙂 Glad to hear that you liked them Dianna!
Worst recipe by far. I was so disappointed when I saw the final results. Will not be using again.
You did something wrong then, it was absolutely deliciosious!!!!
Yes, because I have used this recipe many times, and it turns out great! I follow the recipe exactly.
One thing I read a while ago to help remove the membrane and have used this technique every time now is a paper towel. Use one to grab ahold of it. Doesn’t sip out of your hand.
Hey again Christy,
The ribs turned out great! They were gone that night, but they were looking for more the next night too. Awesome!, thanks again!!!
I am so glad to hear that you liked them Jeri!!!
Hey Christy, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your page. You are so funny I think you could do stand up lol!!! I am going to try your recipe this evening, but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your humor and personal touch in your page. You remind me of a friend of mine from SC and I hear your voice with a Southern drawl to it and it makes me feel at home and comfortable. Thank you for sharing. Good luck with all those Tornados, I’m know they are long gone, but I also know there will be more. Be safe, I know the ribs will be amazing, I will try to remember to check back in to let you know, but no promises. I’m a one armed paper hanger around here when the kids are home, lol. Thank you again!!
Hey Christy, Thank you so much for sharing your information on cooking baby back ribs. Im not experienced in cooking on the grill and I have been wanting to try to cook ribs in the oven. I have them in the oven right now and Im excited to see how they turn out. Thanks again, Pat B
I can’t wait to hear how they turned out Pat!! Hope you enjoy!!
Such an easy and wonderful method. I’ve always preferred a dry rub over BBQ sauce, so I tweaked the instructions a bit and it came out absolutely delightful.
Same as above, but first coat with olive oil, add as much dry rub as you can get to stick. Wrap in saran-wrap and refrigerate overnight. Same temp and times, and I did add some BBQ sauce 2 hours in, on top of the rub, then left the foil open for the last hour.
The dry rub really permeates the meat without making them too soft, which I found was the case when cooking them the first two hours in BBQ sauce. This leaves them a little firmer and drier, yet the meat still falls off the bone. Please try it and let me know what you think.
Thanks again, your method made better-than-restaraunt quality ribs achievable in just a few short hours.
Forgot one quick tip! Let then rest for 10 minutes when they’re done, then toss them on a hot grill for about 90 seconds each side. Caramelizes the sauce, makes them look great too. Good luck!
I found your extra tip of putting the oven-baked ribs on the grill for a brief period to caramelize the bbq sauce and give the ribs a nice glaze to be right on. I followed the recipe pretty much as given, except that I put the ribs on the grill for a few minutes on each side, and the glaze was nice.
I do take exception that pork back ribs and baby back ribs can be cooked using this same recipe. Baby back rib racks generally are much lighter, around 2 lbs, and can be grilled directly over coals and will be cooked through evenly without burning the outside of the ribs. Pork back ribs are a heavier cut generally, the rack I just cooked was 3.63 lbs., so baking them in the oven for 3 hours was totally appropriate. I would hate to think how overcooked a true rack of baby back ribs would be from being in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Conversely, if you tried to “grill” a nearly 4 lb. rack of pork back ribs directly over a hot bed of coals, you’d have undercooked pork with a burned exterior. If I were just using a grill/smoker, and no oven, I’d use indirect heat (charcoal w/hardwood chunks of your choice) at 250 degrees to cook true pork back ribs for about 3-3 1/2 hours, depending on the weight of the rib rack.
Sounds like you should have a blog of your own. I’m going to use you recipe as I like it better than cooking in b b q sauce. Nice!