Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Rub

If you love baby back ribs but don’t love standing outside in the heat for several hours cooking them or don’t have a grill, this easy recipe for the Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs is for you! These baked baby back ribs are mouthwateringly juicy, fall off the bone tender and when slathered with tangy barbecue sauce, just plain finger-lickin’ good!

Folks in the South take their barbecue very seriously, and there are countless articles and reviews of different barbecue restaurants and barbecue contests to decide which barbecue is the best, but ultimately any selection is a highly personal and subjective matter.

In other words, what is a killer barbecue sauce, baby back ribs rub, or baby back ribs recipe for one person is not necessarily another person’s favorite and the debate about the merits of wet vs dry baby back ribs goes on and on.

Barbecue aficionados live, eat and breathe the stuff. There is even a Florida BBQ Association whose mission is to promote, through education, family-friendly fellowship, and competition the uniquely American tradition of barbequing meat over natural wood or charcoal-fired heat and smoke.

I’m not going to tell you that these oven cooked baby back ribs will rival baby back ribs which are smoked low and slow for hours on a grill, but what I will tell you is that my son who is a barbecue snob pronounced them delicious and proceeded to devour a rack in one sitting.

And, if you are one of those folks like him, well, you will just have to try this recipe to become a believer. The convenience of being able to cook baby back ribs in the oven instead of standing over a hot grill on a hot summer day wins every time in my book!

Unfortunately, one thing that you don’t get with this baby back ribs recipe is the smokey barbecue flavor, but these oven baby back ribs are succulent and delicious in their own way.

If you really can’t live without the smoky taste, you can always just add a small amount of liquid smoke, smoked paprika or smoked salt to the barbecue sauce or purchase barbecue sauce with a hickory smoke flavor.

One other thing that sets this delicious oven cooked baby back ribs recipe apart is the tantalizing and spicy dry rub for baby back ribs or dry rub for ribs in the oven! This special baby back ribs dry rub lends just the right balance of sweet and spicy flavor and makes them ever so flavorful.

What are baby back ribs?

In case you are wondering, baby back ribs do not come from baby pigs! They are only called baby back ribs because they are shorter in comparison to regular spareribs and St Louis style ribs.

I think baby back pork ribs are the best ribs for grilling, but again everyone has their own preference.

What to serve with baby back ribs?

Looking for sides to serve with your Baby Back Ribs? Check out these delicious options: Southern Potato Salad, Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese and Southern Fried Green Tomato. Need even more ideas, click here to see all of my side dish recipes.

How to Make the Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub!

The ingredients you will need to make the Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs and Dry Rub includes, baby back ribs, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper and whatever commercially prepared barbecue sauce you like.

When you are ready to prepare the oven cooked baby back ribs, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Remove the membrane from the back of the rack of baby back ribs by using a small paring knife to pry up a corner of the membrane. Then grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it off down the length of the ribs. You can also ask your butcher to do this step for you.

How to make baby back ribs dry rub.

To make the baby back ribs dry rub, combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the baby back ribs dry rub liberally all over the front and back of the ribs and gently rub it in.

For the best flavor, let the ribs sit with the baby back ribs dry rub on them for at least 30 minutes, or you can refrigerate them and let them sit for up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook the baby back ribs in the oven, wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet with a rim. Place them in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat starts pulling away from the bone and is tender.

When the ribs are done, open the foil packet completely and brush on your favorite barbecue sauce. Turn up the heat to 350 degrees and let the ribs cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Serve immediately with plenty of napkins!

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Print Recipe

The Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs Recipe

These easy Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs are succulent, fall off the bone tender and when slathered with tangy barbecue sauce, just plain finger-lickin' good! A special baby back ribs dry rub enhances the flavor even more and these oven cooked baby back ribs are every bit as good as those cooked on the grill!

Votes: 28
Rating: 4.04
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Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Southern

Keyword

easy dinner idea, main dish

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours

Passive Time

30 minutes

Servings

4 servings MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Oven-Cooked Baby Back Rib Ingredients:

• 2 racks baby back ribs about 1 1/2 lb each
• 2 cups barbecue sauce we like Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Baby Back Ribs Dry Rub Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Course Main Dish Cuisine American, Southern Keyword easy dinner idea, main dish Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 2 hours Passive Time 30 minutes Servings 4 servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Oven-Cooked Baby Back Rib Ingredients: 2 racks baby back ribs about 1 1/2 lb each 2 cups barbecue sauce we like Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce Baby Back Ribs Dry Rub Ingredients 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Votes: 28 Rating: 4.04 You: Rate this recipe! Add to Shopping List This recipe is in your Shopping List

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs by using a small paring knife to pry up a corner of the membrane. Then grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it off down the length of the ribs.
3. Combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the dry rub liberally over the front and back of the ribs and gently rub it in.
4. For the best flavor, let the ribs sit with the rub on them for at least 30 minutes, or you can refrigerate them and let them sit for up to 24 hours.
5. When ready to cook the ribs, wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet with a rim. Place them in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat starts pulling away from the bone and is tender.
6. When the ribs are done, open the foil packet completely and brush on your favorite barbecue sauce. Turn up the heat to 350 degrees and let the ribs cook for an additional 30 minutes.
7. Serve immediately with plenty of napkins!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts

The Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 310 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10g 15%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 28mg 9%

Sodium 331mg 14%

Potassium 320mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 47g 16%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 35g

Protein 11g 22%

Vitamin A 2%

Vitamin C 15%

Calcium 7%

Iron 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.