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, 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 bbq sauce:
If you’ve got 20 minutes to spare, my homemade bbq sauce recipe is incredibly flavorful with smoky, sweet, and spicy notes. But sometimes I use store-bought to make prep easier.
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.
Cornbread, 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 bbq sauce 1.75 cups, either storebought or homemade
Suggested Side Dishes for Pairing:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- 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. Then place them all meaty side up.
- 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. Increase the oven temp to 350F and 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
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in October 2019. Originally published May 2011.
30 Comments on “Oven BBQ Pork Spare Ribs”
I am new to your site, it all looks awesome spiced with Love. So, as I bounce around, I will try the chicken wings recipe because I love crisp. Could you use the same par boil treatment with the ribs to get a crisp on them?
I made these ribs and followed the recipe exactly. It came our perfect and there wasn’t one rib left after I served them. Absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
This is the best rep recipe yet. My family loved it, they were not fatty very tender and delicious.
Just discovered you. Love you! Easy Breezie! I never tried your technique before but took your advice and sliced the ribs individually – this allowed for a full drench coating on all sides of the ribs. Smart idea! The caramelization is complete this way ( I will NOW no longer keep the slab whole )May I ADD – to your fabulousness … I did do my usual 2 minute ” FLASH BOIL” – where I place the entire raw, unseasoned slab into boiling water ( Add a touch of salt) This softens the meat making it extra tender. Remove – pat dry with paper towels – then season and start your routine. WATCH IT ! Two minutes MAX!