Oven BBQ Ribs
Time
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 3 hr 15 min
- Total: 3 hr 30 min (3 hr 5 min inactive)
Servings: 4
Serving: ¼ rack / 3-4 ribs (250 g / ~9 oz)
Ingredients
Ribs & Rub
- Baby Back Ribs: 1 rack (~2.75 lb)
- Yellow mustard: 1 tbsp
- Apple juice: 2 tbsp — or water; for foil packet
Rub
- Light brown sugar: 2 tbsp
- Kosher salt: 2 tsp
- Paprika: 2 tsp — sweet or smoked
- Black pepper: 1 tsp
- Garlic powder: 1 tsp
- Onion powder: ½ tsp
- Chili powder: ½ tsp
- Cayenne pepper: pinch — optional
Glaze
- BBQ sauce: ½ cup
- Honey: 1 tbsp
- Apple cider vinegar: 1 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce: 1 tsp
Instructions
1. Prepare oven and pan
- Preheat oven to 275°F / 135°C.
- Line a sheet pan with foil.
2. BBQ Rub
- Remove membrane from bone side of 1 rack (~2.75 lb) baby back ribs; pat dry.
- Rub lightly with 1 tbsp yellow mustard.
- Mix rub ingredients in a bowl:
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- Coat ribs evenly with BBQ rub.
- Rub ribs up to 24 hours ahead for deeper flavor.
- For smoky depth, use smoked paprika or add ¼ tsp liquid smoke to the glaze.
3. Bake ribs
- (optional) Firm exterior, but still tender: Bake ribs uncovered for 30–45 min at 275°F / 135°C to dry and set the rub.
- Use a wire rack on the sheet pan.
- Wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil, meat side up.
- Double wrap and put the seams up so juice doesn't leak.
- Wrap tightly to ensure the meat gets tender.
- Pour 2 tbsp apple juice/water into packet. Place on pan.
- Bake wrapped (no rack) until very tender. Subtract 15-20 minutes if they were optionally baked unwrapped for 30-45 minutes.
- 2½–3 hours for baby backs
- 3–3½ hours for spares
- Ribs are done when:
- Bones peek 1/4 inch
- Skewer slides in with little resistance
- Internal temp near bones is 195–203°F / 95°C.
4. BBQ glaze
- Unwrap and drain liquid.
- Put unwrapped ribs back in oven at 275°F / 135°C for 5-15 min. This helps the glaze adhere to the ribs in the next steps.
- Use a wire rack on the sheet pan.
-
Stir BBQ glaze:
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-
Tip: Use thin layers of glaze. Warm the glaze to thin if needed. Less scorching, better lacquer.
Glaze with oven
- Brush with glaze. Broil on top rack, meat side up until lacquered and lightly charred, 3–5 minutes.
- Brush again and broil 1–2 minutes.
Glaze with grill
Adds smoke flavor, more dry heat for more a tackier (not runny) glaze, better char.
-
Preheat to 450–500°F / 260°C with two zones.
- One burner on high, the other burner off.
-
First coat: Brush a thin layer, put on indirect heat, lid closed, 3–4 min to tack.
- Second coat: Brush a thin layer, put on indirect heat, lid closed, 1–2 min to tack.
- Char: Move to direct heat meat-side 20–45 s, flip bone-side 20–45 s. Pull sooner if color deepens fast.
- Optional: a whisper-thin final coat off heat for shine.
5. Finish
- Rest 10 minutes.
- Slice between bones and serve.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
- Reheat covered at 300°F / 150°C until warmed through.
Troubleshooting
- Dry ribs: wrap tighter in foil next time.
- Overly soft ribs: Reduce bake time by 20–30 minutes.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Full Recipe | Per Serving (¼ rack / 3-4 ribs or 250 g / ~9 oz) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 3632 | 908 |
| Protein | 292.8 g | 73.2 g |
| Fat | 219.2 g | 54.8 g |
| Carbs | 108.8 g | 27.2 g |
| Fiber | 4.8 g | 1.2 g |
| Sugars | 90.4 g | 22.6 g |
| Sodium | 4560 mg | 1140 mg |