Baking low and slow is the secret to these fall-off-the-bone oven baked ribs. Jump to the Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs Recipe. Or watch our quick recipe video showing you how we make them.
Some might have the impression that ribs are one of those dishes that should be left to the “pit masters” — it’s just not true. Baking ribs in the oven is seriously easy. All you need is time — 95% of the recipe time is sitting back and relaxing waiting while the ribs bake.
Secrets for Making Tender Ribs in the Oven
We learned how to make oven baked ribs from Steamy Kitchen and have never looked back! So we suggest you prep the ribs, pick out a favorite movie, open a beer and relax until done.
These baked ribs are so easy — all you need is a little time. We bake the ribs before adding any sauce, once baked you can brush on your favorite barbecue sauce or make ours.
For the most tender ribs, we like to remove the thin membrane covering the rack. It can be a bit tough when cooked and since we really love ribs that literally fall of the bone, the membrane has to go. To remove it, use a knife to gently slide under the membrane then using your fingers pull the membrane away from the bones. If slippery or difficult to remove, use a kitchen towel to take hold of it and pull. Then season both sides with salt and pepper and cover with aluminum foil. The ribs bake at a low temperature for 3 to 4 hours.
By the way, you might actually find that the butcher or shop you bought your ribs from has already removed the membrane. Less work for you!
Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce
You could use any bbq sauce you like, but for us, we like to cook up this quick sauce — it only takes a few minutes. We’ve shared how to make it in the recipe.
You could always make a double batch of the sauce and serve with chicken, on a burger or as a dip for fries. In fact, we make a similar sauce to coat our Brown Sugar Barbecue Wings Recipe. Another option is our Homemade Bacon Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Recipe (it’s decadent and delicious!)
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: These ribs were so popular, we made another version. Our Tender Bacon Bourbon Oven Baked Ribs are baked in the oven just like these sweet and spicy ribs, but we swap the sauce for our homemade bacon-bourbon barbecue sauce.
Back in the day we were contributors for Betty Crocker. We shared a similar version of this recipe with them. We loved it so much we had to share an adapted version with you.
Recipe updated, originally posted September 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Easy, Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs Recipe
- PREP
Low and slow cooking make these oven baked ribs fall off the bone tender. Once baked, we like to add our sweet and spicy barbecue sauce to the ribs, but use whatever you love. For the most tender ribs, we remove the thin membrane covering the back of the rack. Depending on where you have purchased ribs, this may already be done for you. If not, instructions are in the notes section below.
You Will Need
Ribs2 to 2 1/2 pounds baby back pork ribs
Salt and black pepper
Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup ketchup, try our homemade ketchup recipe
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (suggestion Sriracha)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Prepare Ribs
- Make Barbecue Sauce
- To Finish
Heat oven to 275 degrees F.
If the ribs still have the thin membrane covering the back of the rack, remove it. See how in the notes section below. Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper then place, meat-side up, into a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. (It may be necessary to cut the ribs in half in order for them to fit into the pan). Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and then bake until the meat falls easily from the bones, 3 to 4 hours.
While the ribs bake, make the barbecue sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the cumin and stir. Next, add the ketchup, hot chili sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine, season with salt then cook for 2 minutes. Set aside in preparation for the ribs to finish roasting.
Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the aluminum foil and generously brush both sides with barbecue sauce.
Move an oven rack near to the top of the oven. Turn broiler to high and broil the ribs for 3-4 minutes, just until the barbecue sauce begins to caramelize.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Removing the Membrane: Place the ribs meat-side-down on a cutting board. Locate the thin membrane covering the rack. This membrane can be tough when cooked. To remove, use a knife to gently slide under the membrane then using your fingers, pull the membrane away from the bones. If slippery or difficult to remove, use a kitchen towel to take hold of it and pull.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. We assumed 3 servings. The information below does include the barbecue sauce.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Made this tonight…and finally I know how to cook ribs right! Awesome recipe thank u. I used sweet baby ray sauce as I was pressed for time and I didn’t have time to take off the membrane when prepping. Didn’t matter these were great!
Best time to remove skin is while ribs are slightly frozen! EASY job then!
The whole family loved these! So easy and the meat was incredibly tender and fell off the bone. Loved that this recipe didn’t involve a ton of sauce or salt. The ribs didn’t really need anything else.
I cannot wait to try this recipe by the end of the week, Adam and Joanne! What I am more excited about is trying to remove the membrane on the ribs by myself by following your notes and suggestions. And since I am curious as to how the exact recipe would turn out, I plan on not altering an ingredient. Wish me luck!
THANK YOU for taking the time to provide the nutritional info
this is wonderful recipe i like to cook. when they are d mouth watering greatness, you can add any kind of sauce that suits you…go for it
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it always turns out great. I actually have some ribs cooking right now! I just use regular bottled barbecue sauce because I don’t like spicy stuff. Here’s my spice rub: 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Amazing every time!