Oven Baked Ribs Recipe

These oven baked baby back ribs use real barbecue techniques to create tender, juicy ribs with a flavorful bark and sticky glaze (no smoker required). Using a low-and-slow cooking method, spritzing, wrapping, and glazing delivers ribs that taste surprisingly close to traditional barbecue right from your kitchen oven.

Course BBQ, dinner, Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine American, BBQ, Southern

Keyword comfort food, easy, grilled, party food, sticky

Servings Servings

Calories 767kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Ingredients

For the Ribs

2 racks Pork Ribs baby back or spares
3 tbsp Mustard
1/2 cup BBQ Rub

Spritzing

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Water

Wrap

1/2 cup BBQ Sauce divided
4 tbsp Honey or brown sugar
6 tbsp Butter divided

Glaze

Additional BBQ sauce as needed

Instructions

Prepare the ribs

Remove the ribs from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
Flip the ribs over so the bone side is facing up and remove the membrane by sliding a butter knife under one edge and pulling it away using a paper towel for grip.
Coat both sides of the ribs with a light layer of yellow mustard to act as a binder.
Season generously on all sides with your favorite barbecue rub, gently patting the seasoning onto the meat rather than rubbing it in.

Set up for baking

Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. Arrange the seasoned ribs on the wire rack meat side up.
The wire rack allows air circulation around the ribs and helps encourage bark formation during cooking.

Baking and building the bark

Bake the ribs uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Combine the apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle and lightly spritz the ribs every 30-60 minutes during this stage.
You'll know the bark has developed when you lightly rub the surface with your finger and the seasoning remains attached rather than smearing or coming off.

Wrap the ribs

Lay out a large sheet of heavy-duty foil for each rack of ribs.
Spread a thin line of barbecue sauce down the center of the foil approximately the length of the ribs. Add several pats of butter over the sauce and drizzle with honey or sprinkle with brown sugar.
Place the ribs meat side down onto the mixture so the bone side is facing up.
Add a small amount of additional barbecue sauce to the back of the ribs and wrap tightly in the foil to minimize steaming and retain moisture.
Return the wrapped ribs to the wire rack and place back in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
The ribs are ready for the next stage when the bones begin pulling back from the meat and some of the bone tips become visible. The rack should bend easily when lifted but should not break apart.
An internal temperature of 185-195°F is a good indicator that the ribs are ready to unwrap.

Reset the bark

Carefully unwrap the ribs and return them to the wire rack meat side up.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes to allow the bark to firm back up after the wrap.

Glaze and finish

Brush the ribs with an additional layer of barbecue sauce and return them to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce is tacky and set.
The ribs are done when they probe tender between the bones with little resistance and register approximately 195-203°F internally.

Rest and serve

Remove the ribs from the oven and loosely tent with foil.
Allow them to rest for 30-60 minutes before slicing and serving. You can hold them in a warm oven that has been turned off or in an insulated cooler or hot box during this time.
Slice between the bones and serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

Notes

This method works equally well with spare ribs, though they may require an additional 30-45 minutes of cooking time during the wrapped stage.
Avoid boiling ribs or covering them for the entire cook if you want true barbecue texture and bark.
The mustard binder won't leave a mustard flavor behind—it simply helps the seasoning adhere to the meat.
If you prefer less sweet ribs, reduce or omit the honey or brown sugar in the wrap.

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