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Oven-roasted barbecue ribs on a platter

Oven-Roasted Ribs With Barbecue Sauce

Have you ever wanted home made barbecue ribs but you don’t own a barbecue? Well this is the recipe for you! Meat falling off the bone, fingers covered with barbecue sauce. Yum! By cooking at a low heat for a long time this will help ensure you have a tasty rib dinner.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 full racks spare ribs about 6 lbs. total — or 2 lbs of country style ribs
  • 1/2–2/3 cup dry rub for barbecue
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce of your choosing approximately
Dry Rub Mixture (makes about ½ cup)
  • 1/8 cup sweet or smoked paprika powder
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar plus 1 teaspoon
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
  • 1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

Method
 

  1. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs. Start by loosening part of it with a knife at one corner, then grab it with your hand and pull it off. If the membrane is slippery, use a paper towel to help grip it. Removing the membrane helps the spices penetrate the meat from the rib side and keeps the meat tender — the membrane can be quite tough when cooked.
    Removing the membrane from the back of the ribs
  2. Place the ribs in a plastic bag and add the dry rub — approximately 1/2 cup for country ribs (3/4 cup for full racks). Let stand one to three hours at room temperature. Or, for stronger flavor, let it sit in the refrigerator for up to one day.
  3. Heat the oven to 275°F. Place the ribs meaty side down, wrapped in aluminum foil, on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 2 hours.
  4. Open up the aluminum foil and turn the ribs meaty side up. Brush with your favorite barbecue sauce and cook for another hour, or until the bones have separated from the meat.
    Ribs brushed with barbecue sauce
  5. Remove the ribs from the oven, turn them meaty side down and wrap completely in foil to seal. Let the foil-wrapped ribs rest at room temperature for 15–30 minutes. Unwrap, cut between the bones, and serve with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.
    Foil-wrapped ribs resting

Notes

Variations

If you don’t have a dry rub you can just use salt and pepper as a dry rub.
Second variation: Use dry rub and roast only. Skip adding your barbecue sauce in step 5. In step 3, change the cooking time to 3 hours.

Tips

  • Keeping the meat side down when roasting keeps the juices in the meat.
  • Resting the meat after cooking helps the juices re-enter the meat, keeping everything nice and juicy.
  • Using a shallow rimmed baking sheet keeps the meat juices (which might leak through) in the pan and off the oven floor.
  • You can remove the rib juices and use them to make a gravy for your mashed potatoes.
  • If you refrigerate overnight, pull the meat out and let it rest at room temperature for an hour before placing the ribs in the oven. The oven temp is low and this helps shorten the cooking time.

Equipment Needed

  • Teaspoon/Tablespoon measuring set
  • Measuring cups
  • Small bowl for spices
  • Knife
  • Paper towels
  • Cutting board
  • Aluminum foil
  • Large shallow baking tray (approximately 11 x 15 inches)
Prep/marinate time is 1–3 hours (up to 1 day in the refrigerator for stronger flavor). Cook time is 3–3.5 hours.