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If you aren’t trying to fire up the grill, but want good ribs without the hassle, these oven baked ribs deliver every time. After a slow bake in the oven the ribs are brushed with BBQ sauce and then broiled. That final char on top? Chef’s kiss. You end up with ribs so good people will swear you smoked them. They’re sticky, smoky, and fall off the bone perfect with no grill required.
Key Ingredients for oven baked ribs
- Ribs – Choose pork ribs for this recipe. They get ultra tender when slow roasted.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper – A simple base to enhance every other spice in the rub.
- Smoked Paprika – Adds depth and a hint of smokiness without needing a smoker.
- Cumin – Brings warmth and bold BBQ flavor.
- Onion & Garlic Powder – Essential for building that savory, southern-style rub.
- Ground Mustard Powder – Cuts through the sweetness and adds sharpness.
- Brown Sugar – Helps the rub caramelize and gives a hint of molasses sweetness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds acidity and keeps the ribs tender while baking.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite kind to glaze at the end—something smoky, spicy, or sweet works great.
The full recipe with measurements is below on the recipe card.
Oven Baked Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack of baby back Ribs, 1 rack serves 2-3 people, this recipe can easily be doubled to serve more, use the 2x or 3x above next to ingredients
- 1 tsp kosher Salt
- ½ tsp black Pepper
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground mustard powder
- ¼ c Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl combine all of the seasonings along with the brown sugar. This will be our bbq rub but you can also use any bbq rub you may have and mix it with the brown sugar.
- Take the ribs and remove the membrane on the back with a knife or your hands.
- Season the ribs all over with the dry rub. Place the ribs on foil and begin wrapping, add the apple cider vinegar too before finishing wrapping the ribs. Make sure the ribs are wrapped tightly, this way steam is created inside and they become tender and juicy and won’t dry out.
- Place the foil wrapped ribs onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 2 ½ hours. Remove and see if the ribs are tender, they should be but if not, wrap again and bake for another 15-30 minutes.
- Turn the oven to broil. Slather the ribs with bbq sauce and place back in the oven for about 3 minutes until the sauce is sticky and caramelized to the ribs. Every oven is different so be very careful with this step so they won’t burn. If your broiler isn’t inside the oven, just slather with the sauce and let cook for about 5 minutes in the oven on 400 degrees.
- Serve the ribs with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, just mix it with a little brown sugar.
You don’t have to, but removing it makes the ribs more tender and easier to eat.
Use your favorite! I like something smoky with a little tang, but sweet or spicy both work.
More summer recipe staples
The summer isn’t complete without some of these favorites. Don’t come empty handed to the cookout!
I just made these ribs for dinner and they were so good and very tender. I made them alongside your baked mac and cheese and both were absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making these again!
Thank you =)