Oven BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
No grill? No smoker? No problem. These oven-baked BBQ pork spare ribs come out fall-off-the-bone tender with rich, smoky flavor—no fancy equipment needed. This is hands down the easiest way to make ribs at home, and the results are absolutely delicious. Serve them with Homemade Cornbread and Coleslaw for the ultimate comfort meal.

These oven-baked BBQ pork spare ribs give grilled and smoked ribs a serious run for their money—and I say that as someone who loves grilling and smoking meat.
I grill meat every day, and have made my share of outdoor recipes like Grilled Ribeye, Chicken Legs Smoked Pork Butt, and Grilled Chicken Breast, but sometimes it’s more convenient to make something in the oven because it doesn’t matter what time of year it is or what the weather is like outside.
Why These Are the Best Oven-Baked Pork Spare Ribs
Perfectly glazed BBQ Sauce – no Burning – We will cook the spareribs partially covered and then partially uncovered so that the meat is perfectly cooked and the sauce firms up just enough without burning.
Fall-off-the-bone tender – These oven-baked spare ribs come out juicy and tender, cooked just enough to hold together but soft enough to fall right off the bone with each bite.
Only 3 Ingredients – All you need are Pork Spare Ribs, Salt, and your favorite barbecue sauce. Use a store-bought version or try this homemade BBQ Sauce from scratch. That’s it—simple, bold, and delicious.
Simply baked in one pan in the oven – These pork ribs are very straightforward to pull off. We will cook them the entire time in a tray in the oven.
No grill or special tools required – This method was born out of necessity—back when I didn’t have a grill or smoker. All you need is an oven and a baking pan to make incredible BBQ ribs at home.
For this recipe, we will be using St. Louis style spare ribs. While you can use other pork ribs (further commentary is at the end of the post), these are the most meaty ribs of all.
They are also the most pleasing to eat, in terms of not having noticeably gristly bits or connective tissue.
Step-by-Step: How to Cook Pork Spare Ribs in the Oven
Quick Over View:
- Season the meat with salt.
- Cut racks into individual ribs.
- Baste ribs with sauce, and bake while covered.
- Baste two more times, and cook uncovered, with a higher temperature for the final hour.
Season the ribs with Salt
- Remove the ribs from the packaging and pat them dry with paper towels. Generously season each rack with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, focusing on the meatier side.
Optional: you can add extra seasoning like black pepper, Sazon Seasoning, or a Pork Rub. Its not necessary – most bbq sauces bring plenty of flavor.
Pro Tip: If using a spice rub, go for one with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or chili powder for a classic BBQ kick.

Cut Meat Into Individual Pieces
2. Cut the racks into individual pieces by cutting in between the bones:

Add Sauce
3. Place the pork spare ribs on a rimmed half sheet pan and drizzle with about 1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce:
If you’ve got 20 minutes, try my homemade BBQ sauce– it’s packed with smoky, sweet, and spicy flavor. But no shame in grabbing a good store-bought bottle if you want to keep things simple.

Coat Well
4. Toss every one of the bone ribs in the sauce until evenly coated:

Bake!
5. Arrange the bbq spare ribs on the rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, placing them meaty side up:

6. Cover the pan with heavy-duty foil, crimping the edges of the foil tightly. You really want to create a seal here:

7. Bake the spare ribs for 1 hour and 45 minutes in an oven set to 300 degrees F, then remove the aluminum foil. The oven-baked ribs will look like this:
*It is normal for them to look fairly unglazed at this point.

Baste with more sauce
8. Take half the remaining barbecue sauce and baste the ribs:

9. Increase the oven temperature to 350F, then continue baking them uncovered for 30 minutes, and they will look like this:

They’re starting to caramelize around the edges, but they’re not done yet—they need one final layer of sauce.
10. Baste the ribs with the remaining 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce and return them to the oven for another 20–30 minutes. This last step gives them that sticky, sweet glaze and deepens the BBQ flavor.

I love when ribs aren’t overly wet or drowning in sauce, but instead come out sticky, glazed, and deeply flavorful.
Thanks to the low-and-slow oven method, the exterior caramelizes beautifully without burning—perfect for barbecue sauces that use dark brown sugar, molasses, or other sweeteners.
Now your oven-baked spare ribs are ready to plate and pair with your favorite sides. Dig in!

Great Side Dishes That Pair Well
These are barbecue ribs made in the oven, so this is a great recipe for pairing with classic bbq sides like Red Potato Salad, Corn and Avocado Bean Salad, Coleslaw, Cornbread, and Drop Biscuits.
If you want more neutral sides, you can try Homemade French Fries or Crispy Smashed Potatoes.

For a different flavor profile, these Sticky Chinese Spareribs are another one of my favorite rib recipes. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ and Tips
Yes! Any pork rib variety will work. I prefer St. Louis style because they’re neatly trimmed and uniform in shape. You can also use baby back or country-style ribs—just adjust the cook time slightly. Baby backs may finish about 30 minutes earlier, but go by tenderness, not time.
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
I recommend reheating in a 300ºF oven, wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes. You can microwave them, but it’s harder to heat evenly when there’s bone involved. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge first.
Yes—just be sure the ribs are in a single layer. Use two pans if needed, and as long as the heat circulates well, the cook time stays the same.
I love homemade, especially for its smoky-sweet balance, but store-bought is totally fine. The glaze bakes into the ribs, so the difference is subtle—use what’s easiest for you.
Use a BBQ sauce with liquid smoke, or choose a dry rub that includes ingredients like ground chipotle or smoked paprika. These add a natural smoky flavor even without a grill.
What Readers Are Saying
“Better than restaurant ribs!” ★★★★★
“I’ve made these several times. The ribs are better than any you get in a restaurant. Definitely a favorite in our house!”
— Barb
“Best rib recipe I’ve ever made” ★★★★★
“This is the best recipe for BBQ spareribs I have ever made. Just easy and so delicious. I’ve made it twice already and bought meat for the third round this weekend!”
— Lois
“Would give 6 stars if I could!” ★★★★★
“Best ribs I’ve ever made. Would give 6 stars if I could.”
— Bil
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!

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.
- Remove the ribs from the packaging and pat them dry with paper towel if the meat is excessively wet. Then 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 well, until each piece is evenly coated with the sauce. Then place the ribs all meaty side up.
- Cover the pan 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.
88 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 need to double the recipe. So I would have to put use 2 racks. Will I need to add more cooking time?
No need to add cooking time, just make sure you keep the ribs in a single layer.
Followed directions. Placed on top rack. Perfection!
Only problem I had is that I used a a half sheet baking pan and when I pulled the pan out of the oven at the 1.45 hr mark , I slightly tilted the pan and juice spilled out and onto the oven. Made a bit of a mess. So I transferred the ribs into a deeper Pyrex pan to do the next 30 min at 350 (after cleaning up as much as possible). But nothing lost and still tender and delicious. Next time I’ll start with a deeper pan. This is the first time I’ve made oven baked ribs this delicious and juicy.
Thank you.
This is a great recipe and I will definitely make these again. They were so juicy and tender. I didn’t have all the ingredients for the sauce so I used what we had, and put a rub on first. I sometimes use our smoker, but really like these better. Thanks!
Cooking time seemed about right to me. Be sure you are using spare ribs and not baby back. Turned out awesome.
Today I had 1 rack of Spareribs – 3.54lb- Followed your directions but used a Carolina Mustard Barbecue sauce (homemade). They almost burned on the bottom (next time I will put them on a rack) and are DONE after that 1st 1 hr and 45 min ! I know my oven temp is correct (I bake quite a bit). Sweet wise, this sauce just had 1/4 c. honey and 1/4 cup brown sugar – not much more than the one you post. Size wise, my ribs look like your picture. I don’t know what to think – but for sure will only bake them 1 hour for that 1st baking, And on a rack next time. They ARE very tender and Tasty. The mustard sauce is new to us and mighty good!
Hi Carol, I’m wondering if you’re baking these on the center rack? I make these frequently and I’ve noticed some variability in timing for doneness just from the slight differences in the rack each time I buy. I’m going to try to work in more notes on this range in the recipe box. Thanks for your comment.
My go-to recipe for quite a while now. Always a big hit for family parties.
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!
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.
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!
Looks like it ought to be really good. But when I took the ribs out to remove the foil there was a ton of fatty moisture in the tray; about 1/4 inch deep. Is this normal?
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 =)
I made these today! DELICIOUS!! =) I added garlic and liquid smoke too. Out of all the ribs my hubby and I made, there are 4 leftover!! Haha! Thanks for the recipe!! Yumm!!!
YAY Sara I’m so glad you guys like them! I just love how easy they are. I will see you guys next week!
Might just be the best ribs I’ve ever had! I added garlic, liquid smoke and crushed red pepper to the sauce. Fall off the bone finger lickin good!
Hey Jenn, WOW what a nice compliment! Thanks! The liquid smoke idea is absolutely brilliant. I need to find myself some of that. I just love that it can be done inside, with very little work. Happy eating!
I love a good grill…but I live in a city apatrment. I would definitely try this…
The grill scares me, so I would definitely give a recipe like this a try! Sounds and looks delicious.
I could only wish for that kind of weather!!!!
It has been raining continuously for a couple of weeks and the temps are in the 40’s F.
Want to trade???
These ribs sound so good!
Especially the sauce.
Will definitely give it a try!
Yes, we should trade for a little bit! Summer is our “winter” in a sense because no one wants to go outside lol.