My oven-baked ribs couldn’t be easier! Baby back ribs are seasoned and cooked slowly in the oven until fall-off-the-bone tender, and finished with my tangy homemade barbecue sauce that’s a slightly healthier dupe for one of my favorite bottled sauces.
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Fall off the bone and so easy!
I’ve been smoking ribs for decades now and as much as I love the flavor, I have to say that I prefer my oven-baked barbecue ribs because they are far easier to make. And since no grill is required, they’re more accessible, and can be made year-round, even in a snowstorm!
I pair my oven ribs with a tangy homemade barbecue sauce that very closely resembles Open Pit barbecue sauce. Open Pit is the sauce that was used in all the delis I worked in and is truly one of my favorite bottled sauces. It can be hard to find sometimes, and does contain some less desirable ingredients, such as food dye and high-fructose corn syrup, so this is my attempt to make a slightly healthier version.
These oven-baked baby back ribs with barbecue sauce are excellent with a side of coleslaw, potato salad, or baked mac and cheese.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Ribs. Pork baby back ribs are my go-to rib for these oven-baked ribs with barbecue sauce as well as my oven-baked Tuscan glazed ribs. They’re small and when cooked slowly, become super tender. You can use spare ribs as well. They will take a bit longer to get tender due to the size difference.
- Seasoning. I’m using a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, kosher salt, and paprika to season the ribs prior to baking. You can slather on a couple of tablespoons of yellow mustard before adding the spice rub to help it stick better, but it’s not required.
- Barbecue sauce. For my homemade tangy barbecue sauce, I combine ketchup, distilled white vinegar, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, pepper, and cayenne. While I do recommend making my sauce (because it’s awesome!), you can 100% use a bottled barbecue sauce to make things even easier. If you do make my sauce, the ingredients yield about 3 cups which is more than what’s needed for the ribs and it stores well in the fridge for up to a month so you can definitely use it on other things, like grilled chicken thighs.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make oven baked ribs
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Dry off the ribs with paper towels, and if the membrane has not been removed, slide a butternut knife under the membrane and use a paper towel to grab and pull it off.
- Continue to peel the membrane off in its entirety. Note: You can leave the membrane on, if desired.
- In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika. Rub the spice powder evenly onto both sides of the ribs.
- Wrap the ribs in foil and place them on top of a foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the spices to penetrate the ribs.
- While the ribs refrigerate, make the barbecue sauce by combining the ketchup, distilled white vinegar, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a saucepot. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently with a spoon or whisk, then taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and set the rack to the middle level. Bake the ribs for 2 1/2 hours, then check for tenderness with a knife. If the ribs aren’t tender, close the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, and check again. Once the ribs are tender, remove them from the oven. Note: If you prefer the meat to cling a bit to the rib, remove them once tender. If you want them to literally fall off the bone, cook them for a bit longer.
- Turn on the broiler and set the rack to the second-highest level. Unwrap the ribs and place them on top of the foil-lined baking sheet. Pat the ribs dry of any accumulated juices and baste them with the bbq sauce on both sides.
- Broil the ribs for 1-3 minutes per side, watching carefully to prevent burning. If desired, you can do a second glaze on the top of the ribs and broil again. Remove from the oven and slice. Glaze the sides of the ribs with more barbecue sauce and serve with extra sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The ribs. As mentioned above, removing the membrane or silver skin is preferred, but not required. You can remove it yourself, or if you’re buying ribs from a butcher, ask them to remove it for you.
- BBQ sauce consistency. If you want the sauce to be motor oil thick like a commercial sauce, simply add a cornstarch slurry while simmering the sauce. Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and an ounce of water. Let it thicken and if it’s not where you want it, add a bit more until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Broiling. Since there is a fair amount of sugar in the barbecue sauce, it’s very important to watch the oven-baked ribs during the broiling process as the sauce will caramelize quickly and can burn if left unattended.
- Make ahead. These ribs are great when made ahead. Simply bake them a day in advance until tender, then either finish in the oven with the barbecue sauce, or you can even finish on the grill.
More pork recipes
If you loved these oven-baked ribs, I think you’ll enjoy these other pork recipes.
If you’ve enjoyed this Oven Baked Ribs with Homemade Tangy Barbecue Sauce recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Oven Baked Ribs and Tangy BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
For the ribs
- 2 racks baby back ribs about 4 pounds (1.8kg)
- 4 teaspoons (13g) Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
For the bbq sauce
- 1 1/2 cups (360g) ketchup
- 1 3/4 cups (420ml) distilled white vinegar
- 3/4 packed cup (150g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
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Instructions
- Dry off the ribs with paper towels. If the membrane has not already been removed, use a paper towel to grab and pull it off.
- Mix the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika together to make the spice rub. Rub the spice powder evenly on both sides of the ribs. Wrap the ribs in foil and place them on top of a foil lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 250°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours then check for tenderness. If the ribs aren't tender, closeup the foil and bake for another 30 minutes and check again. Once the ribs are tender remove them from the oven.
- Meanwhile, add the bbq sauce ingredients to a saucepot and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to combine. Taste test and season with salt and pepper as required. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
- Turn on the broiler and set the rack to the second highest level.
- Unwrap the ribs and place them on top to the foil-lined baking sheet. Pat the ribs dry of any accumulated juices then baste with the bbq sauce on both sides. Broil for 1-3 minutes per side, watching carefully for burning! Remove from the oven and slice. Glaze the sides of the ribs with more bbq sauce then serve with extra sauce at the table Enjoy!
Notes
- To remove the membrane. Position the ribs, bone side up on a cutting board and starting at one side of the rack use a butter knife to slide under the silverskin and loosen it. With paper towels, grab the loosened silver skin and pull off the membrane across the whole rack.
- Tenderness. If the ribs are not fork tender after 2 1/2 hours of baking, simply rewrap and cook for another 30 minutes and check again.
- Broiling. Be very careful when broiling the ribs. They will get caramelized very quickly and can burn easily.
- BBQ sauce. This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of bbq sauce which is more than is needed. The sauce is vinegar based and will last in the fridge for up to a month. Store in an airtight container. For a thicker sauce simply whisk in a cornstarch slurry (start with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water) while simmering the sauce until your desired consistency is achieved.
- Make ahead. The ribs can be baked the day ahead and finished in the oven or on the grill with the bbq sauce.
- Leftovers. Oven BBQ Ribs can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I cannot wait to try these!! Jim’s recipes are one better than the next. We have tried many of them. Many of them are done similar to our Sicilian home cooking. Thank you to Jim and Tara😋
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes, Noreen!