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How to Cook Ribs in the Oven & 10 Delicious Recipes

How to Cook Ribs in the Oven & 10 Delicious Recipes

Last Updated on 12th December 2021 by

It goes without saying that the most popular method to cook ribs is on a grill outdoors on a sunny summer day. However, that doesn’t mean that the ribs will not be as good if you cook it indoors!

In today’s article, we’ll show you how to cook ribs in the oven as well as provide you with 10 delicious recipes, so you cook them in different ways every time you have them. So without further ado, let’s hop in!

How to Make Ribs in the Oven

Cooking rib meat requires high heat for a prolonged time in order to break down the meat and make it tender.

This makes the oven a great environment to achieve such a level of tenderness with enough care and heat flow to keep the rib juicy. For the ideal heat circulation, you’ll need to use a baking sheet with a cooling rack.

Here’s how to cook the ideal oven-baked ribs:

  1. Prepare the seasoning of the rib depending on the recipe followed, and leave the meat inside a plastic wrap with the seasoning in the refrigerator overnight for the maximum flavour. (you can season the ribs on spot but the flavour won’t be as deep)
  2. Fit the wire cooling rack over the baking sheet, and line the sheet with aluminium foil.
  3. Lay the ribs over the racks but leave enough space between each rib for heat to flow to the sides.
  4. Broil the ribs unless the recipe states otherwise. The heating element should be a few inches from the meat with the meaty facing up. This should take about 5 minutes where the sugar in the dry rub is bubbling and becomes a glazed brown.
  5. Set the oven to the desired temperature depending on the recipe and put the rib in an oven rack in the centre of the oven.
  6. To prevent the meat from drying out in the oven, cover the half-baked ribs with aluminium foil to seal the juices.
  7. When approaching the end of the baking time (usually the last 30 minutes), brush the ribs with your choice of sauce, such as BBQ sauce, and reseal the ribs with aluminium foil.
  8. Turn off the heat and take the ribs out without removing the cover.
  9. Let the ribs rest and cool down for about 10 minutes, then remove the covers to serve immediately with the sauce of your choice.
  10. Leftovers of most recipes can be refrigerated in an airtight container and are good to eat for up to 4 days.

How to Cook Boneless Pork Ribs in the Oven Fast

The first recipe that you can try in the oven is boneless pork ribs, which are great for keto dieting because it has a significantly low amount of calories.

If you want to make this recipe as fast as possible, use loin ribs because they cook much faster than shoulder ribs.

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Boneless Pork ribs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs
Servings: 4
Cost: £10

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless pork loin ribs
  • olive oil for brushing
  • 1.5 tbsp powdered garlic
  • 1 tbsp powdered olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F (170 °C)
  • Season your ribs with powdered garlic, powdered olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Grease a baking sheet with some olive oil
  • Place the seasoned ribs on the baking sheet and place in the oven
  • Bake for 20 minutes
  • Remove from the oven and wrap the ribs in the baking sheet
  • Bake for a further 20 minutes

 

How to Cook Baby Back Ribs in the Oven

Baby back ribs, also known as short ribs, are the smaller fatty ribs that come from the upper loin and are characterised by cooking relatively quicker than other types of ribs.

They usually weigh about 1 to 2lbs per rack and handle seasoning nicely. Here’s a good recipe to cook them in the oven. You’ll need the following:

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Baby Back Ribs

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs
Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs baby back pork ribs
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp dry mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 cups BBQ sauce
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 275 °F (135 °C).
  • Mix all of the ingredients in a seasoning bowl.
  • Remove the ribs from the bowl and wrap them in foil.
  • Place them in the oven for 2 to 2.5 hours.
  • Remove from the oven, and unwrap them to discard oils and drippings.
  • Brush BBQ sauce and return them back to over for extra 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

How To Cook Pork Square Ribs In The Oven

How to Cook Ribs in the Oven & 10 Delicious Recipes
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Pork Square Ribs

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time4 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe
Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lbs trimmed pork square ribs
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 250°F.
  • Mix the seasoning in a bowl with the ribs then wrap each slap in aluminium foil.
  • Place them in the oven for 3.5-4 hours.
  • Remove from the oven and unwrap them - pour out the oil and drippings.
  • Take a small amount of the oils to simmer on medium heat until it thickens.
  • Brush the sauce on the ribs with Worcestershire sauce.
  • Broil at 6 inches from the heating element for 6-7 minutes.
  • Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

How To Cook Country Style Ribs In The Oven Fast

ribs-with-lemon
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Country Style Ribs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: country style ribs, how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs country style ribs
  • 1 slice lemon thinly cut
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp mustard powder
  • BBQ sauce for brushing
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 250 °F.
  • Sprinkle the seasoning and the sliced lemons on top.
  • Bake for 1.5 hours. (broiling is optional but preferred).
  • Remove from the oven, and unwrap them to pour out oils and drippings.
  • Wrap again and return the ribs to the oven for an extra hour.

How To Cook Beef Ribs In The Oven

For beef ribs, you’ll need a longer cooking time for tender and juicy ribs. Here is what you’ll need:

beef-ribs
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Beef Ribs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef ribs, how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef ribs
  • BBQ sauce for brushing
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 275 °F.
  • Sprinkle the dry rub seasoning of your choice on the ribs.
  • Bake for 3 to 4 hours. (usually 3.5 hours).
  • Remove from the oven, and unwrap them to pour out oils and drippings.
  • Brush the ribs with BBQ sauce and broil for 5 minutes.

How To Cook Spare Ribs In The Oven

Spare ribs are harder than loin, so they take longer to cook. For oven-baked spare ribs, you’ll need:

spare ribs
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Spare Ribs

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe, spare ribs
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork spare ribs
  • olive oil for brushing
  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp powdered olive
  • salt & ground pepper

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 250 °F (120 °C).
  • Place the seasoned ribs in the pan or sprinkle the seasoning on the spot.
  • Bake it for 4 to 5 hours and cover them halfway to retain juiciness.

 

 

How To Cook St. Louis Style Ribs In The Oven

St. Louis Style Ribs are basically spare ribs but trimmer of breastbone and cartilages then shaped like a rectangle. You’ll need the following ingredients for an easy and quick recipe:

How to Cook Ribs in the Oven & 10 Delicious Recipes
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St. Louis Style Ribs

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 20 minutes
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe, st louis style ribs
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs St. Louis cut ribs
  • olive oil for brushing
  • 1 tbsp mustard powder
  • salt & ground pepper

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
  • Place the seasoned ribs in the pan or sprinkle the seasoning on the spot.
  • Keep them covered from the beginning of the cooking, bake them for almost 2 hours.
  • Remove the foil and brush them with BBQ sauce then cook them for an extra 15 to 20 minutes.

How To Cook Balsamic Glazed Ribs In The Oven

For shiny, Tuscan, glazed ribs, you will need:

balsamic-glazed-ribs
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Prep Time1 day
Cook Time2 hours
Course: Main Course
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe, spare ribs
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs baby back or spare ribs
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • salt & ground pepper

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 °F (160 °C) and don’t broil.
  • Place the sealed and seasoned ribs in the pan (preferably seasoned overnight).
  • Roast for 2 hours then remove when tender.
  • Prepare the broiler while you brush extra balsamic vinegar on the ribs.
  • Broil for about 1 to 2 minutes only.

How To Cook Sticky BBQ Style Ribs In The Oven

For sticky and shiny ribs, you’ll need:

sticky-ribs
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Sticky BBQ Ribs

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: bbq ribs, how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe, sticky ribs
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs baby back or spare ribs
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • BBQ sauce for brushing

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 320 °F (160 °C).
  • Mix the seasoning in a bowl with the ribs then wrap each slap in aluminium foil.
  • Place them in the oven for 3 to 3.5 hours. (don’t broil first).
  • Remove from the oven, and unwrap them to pour out oils and drippings.
  • Brush the BBQ sauce on the ribs.
  • Broil at 5 inches from the heating element for 5 to 6 minutes then rest before serving.

How To Cook Fall Apart (Fall Off The Bone) Ribs In The Oven

fall-apart-ribs
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Fall Off the Bone Ribs

Course: Main Course
Keyword: how to cook ribs, ribs, ribs recipe
Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs baby back or square ribs
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion power
  • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp BBQ sauce

Instructions

  • Grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
  • Place the seasoned ribs in the pan and add extra dry rub seasoning over the ribs.
  • Keep them covered from the beginning of the cooking, bake them until the meat almost falls off the bones.
  • Remove the foil and brush them with BBQ sauce then cook them for an extra 5 to 15 minutes. (bonus: place each rib on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes).

 

With that said, you now know how to cook ribs in the oven, the right way, to maintain a tender and juicy rib!

As you can see, there is a wide variety of ways to make oven-baked ribs. With those 10 delicious recipes, you won’t be short on ideas about what to do with those ribs in your kitchen!

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Pauline Loughlin

I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!

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