Oven Baked Barbecue Pork Ribs
You can make Oven Baked Barbecue Pork Ribs all year round, even if you don’t have a grill or a smoker. A flavorful spice rub and your oven is all you need. Made from easy to find ingredients, this rub works on pork and chicken and is a pantry must have. The ribs get cooked low and slow, meat side down in the oven which makes them juicy and fall off the bone tender.
There are two schools of thought on barbecue sauce. Some will paint it on the ribs in the last 30 minutes of cooking and some will leave it with rub only, allowing for different sauces to be dipped and spread on when served. My preference is not to add sauce to the ribs in the cooking process and offer up multiple sauces with the ribs.
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🍽🍸🥩 Recipe
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
The Rub:
1/4 cup smoked paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne (OPTIONAL)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside. (Note, this will keep in an airtight container in your pantry for 2-3 weeks.)
Place ribs on a rack on a foil lined baking sheet. (The rack isn’t needed, but helps the ribs cook evenly.)
Note: the backside of the ribs has a membrane that many cooks recommend removing. I don’t since as the ribs cook, the collagen in the membrane melts through the meat, which keeps them moist and tender.
Rub the spice mixture liberally over the ribs on both sides. Place the ribs meat side down and allow to sit and rest at room temperature for one hour.
After one hour, cover with foil and roast in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160-170 degrees. At this point the ribs are fully cooked but still a bit firm. If you want to add barbecue sauce, now is the time. Paint your sauce on both sides and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Whether you’re using the sauce or not, leave the ribs in the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 180 – 190 degrees.
