Making oven-baked ribs takes a few hours, but apart from basting them occasionally, it's pretty much hands-off. When done, the ribs are deeply caramelized and the meat falls off the bones.
These amazing ribs are slowly cooked until the meat is incredibly tender. I love ordering slow-smoked pork ribs at BBQ places, but even without a smoker and using your home oven, this is a surprisingly easy recipe that produces great results. It requires some time commitment but hardly any effort.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
For the Ribs
- Avocado oil spray: Instead of oil, you can brush the ribs with melted butter.
- Pork spare ribs: I get a whole slab at my local supermarket or Whole Foods.
- Smoked salt and black pepper: You can get smoked salt on Amazon. It greatly enhances the flavor of the ribs and gives them that smoky flavor you would typically get when using a smoker.
For the BBQ Sauce
- Tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, smoked salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and maple syrup. The maple syrup can be real or sugar-free. Both work equally well.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Coat the ribs with oil and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Bake them for one hour in a 275°F oven.
After one hour, brush the ribs with a third of the barbecue sauce and return them to the oven for one more hour.
Repeat this step two more times. The last time, for the final hour of cooking, reduce the oven temperature to 250°F. After 4 hours, the ribs will be extremely tender. All the tough tendons have melted, and the meat literally falls off the bones as you cut the slab into individual portions.
These were hands down the best ribs I ever made! Even the boyfriend, who was suspicious about making them in the oven, said they were great.
Kaitlyn
Read more comments
These were hands down the best ribs I ever made! Even the boyfriend, who was suspicious about making them in the oven, said they were great.Variation: Asian-Style Ribs
Sometimes, instead of coating the ribs in BBQ sauce, I coat them in an Asian-style glaze made from soy sauce (3 tablespoons), rice vinegar (1 tablespoon), sesame oil (1 tablespoon), honey (1 tablespoon), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), and red pepper flakes (½ teaspoon).
I follow the usual recipe steps, replacing the BBQ sauce with the Asian glaze (divided into three parts). The delicious result is shown in the photo below.
Recipe Tips
- Pork spare ribs have a thin membrane on the back of the slab. Whether you remove it is a personal choice. I don't. It becomes nicely charred and caramelized after baking, and I enjoy pulling it off the ribs and eating it. However, some people don't like its texture and prefer to remove it. This is easier to do if you pull on its edge with a paper towel.
- The BBQ sauce darkens and caramelizes in the oven. It should be very dark, as shown in the photo below, but not burned. If you think it's darkening too much, loosely cover the ribs with foil during the last one or two hours of baking.
Recipe FAQs
You can use any BBQ sauce you like, homemade or store-bought. My homemade sauce is not very sweet, but it still has a fair amount of sugar from the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. If you prefer a less sugary sauce, try this North Carolina BBQ sauce.
I don't cover them, but I do baste them with BBQ sauce every hour, which keeps them from drying. However, if you notice that the sauce is darkening too much, you can loosely cover the ribs with foil during the final hour of baking.
It's easiest to cut them when you place them on a cutting board bone-side up and use a sharp chef's knife. When they're bone-side up, it's easy to locate the bones and cut in between them. You can cut the slab into one or two rib portions.
Yes. See the photo below. These ribs were made without BBQ sauce and turned out great - tender, browned, and caramelized. I coated them in melted butter mixed with smoked salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, then proceeded to bake them as usual. I used avocado oil spray to coat them in a protective layer of oil every hour. 
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power or uncovered in a 350°F oven. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these ribs with any of the following cauliflower-based side dishes that closely mimic the traditional favorites:
- Cauliflower mac and cheese
- Cauliflower potato salad
- Cauliflower tots (I make them ahead of time since they require a hot oven, and reheat them before serving).
They're also excellent with any of these salads:
Recipe Card
Oven-Baked Ribs
Video
Ingredients
- Avocado oil spray
- 1 slab pork spare ribs - 3 pounds
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Barbecue sauce:
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon smoked salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup - real or sugar-free
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Place the slab of ribs in the pan, bone side down. Spray it with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake the ribs for one hour, uncovered.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the barbecue sauce ingredients: tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, smoked salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and maple syrup. Divide the sauce into three small bowls and set aside.
- After one hour, remove the ribs from the oven and carefully drain the pan juices. Brush the top of the ribs with ⅓ of the BBQ sauce and return them to the oven. Wash the basting brush with warm, soapy water.
- Repeat this after one more hour: Brush the top of the ribs with another ⅓ of the BBQ sauce and return them to the oven. Wash the basting brush with warm, soapy water.
- After one more hour, brush the ribs with the remainder of the sauce. Reduce the oven to 250°F and return the ribs to the oven for one final hour.
- After 4 hours in the oven, the meat will be super tender and fall off the bones. The top will be dark and deliciously caramelized. Remove the slab from the oven, cut it into individual ribs, and serve.
Notes
- The BBQ sauce darkens and caramelizes in the oven. It should be very dark but not burned. If you think it's darkening too much, loosely cover the ribs with foil during the last one or two hours of baking.
- It's easiest to cut the ribs when you place them on a cutting board bone-side up and use a sharp chef's knife. When they're bone-side up, it's easy to locate the bones and cut in between them. You can cut the slab into one or two rib portions.
- Pork spare ribs have a thin membrane on the back of the slab. Whether you remove it is a personal choice. I don't. It becomes nicely charred and caramelized after baking, and I enjoy pulling it off the ribs and eating it. However, some people don't like its texture and prefer to remove it. This is easier to do if you pull on its edge with a paper towel.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power or uncovered in a 350°F oven. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Alexander says
These are great. Tender and flavorful. I make them every Sunday and use the recipe as written. Wife enjoys them, too, and she's not a big meat eater, so how's that for a compliment. 🙂
Vered DeLeeuw says
Haha that IS a compliment, Alexander! Thank you.
Kaitlyn says
These were hands down the best ribs I ever made! Even the boyfriend, who was suspicious about making them in the oven, said they were great.
Vered DeLeeuw says
How wonderful, Kaitlyn! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed these ribs.
Patti Petruzzelli says
I made these and they were to die for. They tasted like they had been barbequed all day! I did use a different sauce though.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the ribs, Patti!
Mikki R says
I won't make them again. The sauce was not good.
Cindy says
These ribs are amazing. They practically fall off the bone and the homemade sauce is sooo delicious. Thank you for another great recipe, Vered!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Cindy! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
chris johnson says
Hi, after taking the membrane off the back I rub with Mustard all over then use a homemade sweet/spicey rub bake 2hrs at 250, BBQ sauce after 2hrs. Then lower heat to 225 for 2 more hours basting every 30min with sauce.