Oven BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
These BBQ Pork Spare Ribs are baked in the oven, until tender and falling off the bone. This is the easiest way to make ribs, and they’re so delicious!
These oven ribs give grilled ribs and smoked ribs a serious run for their money.
And I say that as someone who LOVES grilling and using the smoker.
This recipe is particularly wonderful because it’s so easy and convenient to make. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is or what the weather is like outside, because it’s all done in the oven, at one temperature.
I originally published this method in 2011, back when I didn’t have a grill or any fancy meat-cooking equipment. Now I do my fair share of grilling and smoking ribs, but I often come back to the ease of these ribs.
As long as you’re using a delicious barbecue sauce (and YES you can use storebought sauce), the ribs will have great flavor, and be nicely tender.
How to Make Pork Spare Ribs in the Oven:
Season two racks of St. Louis Style Spare Ribs with 2 tsp of salt, concentrating most of it to the meaty side of the racks:
Cut the racks into individual ribs by cutting in between the bones:
Place the ribs on a rimmed half sheet pan and drizzle with about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce:
I used to make my own barbecue sauce (and I have the recipe for it below in the recipe card), but honestly I don’t anymore. There are too many great options at the store and I now have two kids under the age of 3, haha.
Toss the ribs in the sauce until evenly coated:
Arrange the ribs on the pan, placing them meaty side up:
Cover the pan *very* tightly with aluminum foil. You really want to create a seal here:
Bake the spare ribs for 1 hour and 45 minutes, then remove the foil. They will look like this:
It is normal for them to look fairly unglazed at this point.
Take half the remaining barbecue sauce and baste the ribs:
Bake the ribs uncovered for 30 minutes, and they will look like this:
They’re starting to get some caramelization on the edges, but they need another basting.
So baste the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce, about 1/3 cup:
Another 20-30 minutes in the oven, and finally, they should have a wonderful glaze to them:
I really like when they’re not wet or too saucy, but more like “sticky” and glazed.
Coleslaw, Corn and Avocado Bean Salad, and Red Potato Salad are all great sides to serve with these ribs.
The spare ribs are now ready to be plated.
Enjoy!
Oven BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
Ingredients
For the Spareribs:
- 4 to 5 lbs st. louis-style pork spare ribs* (2 racks)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 18 oz barbecue sauce** 1.75 cups, either storebought or homemade
Suggested Side Dishes for Pairing:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Season the ribs with the salt, concentrating most of the salt to the meaty side (and not the bony side).
- Slice in between the bones to cut the racks into individual ribs.
- Place the ribs on a rimmed half sheet pan, and pour 2/3 of the barbecue sauce on top (which should be about 1 cup of sauce). Toss the ribs well, until evenly coated with the sauce.
- Cover the ribs very tightly with foil, and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and baste the ribs with half of the remaining barbecue sauce, about 1/3 cup. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes.
- Baste the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce and bake for another 20-30*** minutes, until the barbecue sauce is caramelized. They should no longer be saucy and wet, but sort of sticky and glazed. Enjoy!
Notes
- 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 cup molasses
- 1/2 tsp salt
Nutrition
Post updated in October 2019. Originally published May 2011.
Making these now… and I’ll add some liquid smoke too to cheat that smoky flavor. Do you really simmer the sauce for 45 min? I misread and thought it said 4-5 min, then I saw that it’s 45… it’s not a typo, right? 🙂
Hi Jen, a longer simmering time allows for the flavors to deepen. You might be able to get away with 20-30 minutes, but if you have the time always try to simmer a sauce on the longer side. Hope you enjoy the ribs! I want some for dinner too lol.
Welp. These were a hit tonight! I did get to simmer the sauce for 45 min, and I added some liquid smoke. The ribs were falling off the bone and the flavor was excellent! Thanks so much for sharing!
Fantastic!!! So glad you enjoyed the ribs =)
Thanks for this recipe! It’s my first time to cook ribs in the oven and this is a hit! My husband loves this ribs so much he said to print the recipe, not jut bookmark it 🙂
Like the others, I also added garlic. I looked up liquid smoke and just a warning for those who are using it or is planning on using it, according to the Wikipedia entry “European Food Safety Authority has found that some liquid smoke products contain genotoxic compounds”.
So happy you and your husband enjoyed the ribs so much, Arlene!
Followed instructions and at the three hour mark to my surprise the bottom of the pan was burnt. Burnt maybe an understatement, it was more like charred. What happened? We could only eat the top as the bottom of ribs were so burnt and hard as a rock.
Hi Genevieve, I’m sorry to hear that happened. There are a few possibilities here that come to mind. First, do you have an oven thermometer? I’ve lived in many kitchens and pretty much all can be off by as much as 50 degrees consistently, so I always have one inside to check. They’re only about $5. Second idea, what pan are you using? Is it possible it’s too thin of a material, or was it an enameled dish? And was it covered tightly in foil? My last idea is maybe the sauce was too sweet and was subject to burning, but since the ribs were hard, I feel like that is the least likely. Let me know.
These were amazing! First time I’ve cooked spareribs in the oven (I usually use the crockpot), and I was pleasantly surprised at how tender the meat was. Excellent flavour as well. I added about 3 chopped garlic cloves to the sauce. Thank you for the great recipe!
My go-to recipe for quite a while now. Always a big hit for family parties.