Get your napkins ready when you make these super tender pork ribs with a sweet maple dry rub in your oven. These easy to make bbq pork ribs always turn out perfect and literally fall off the bone every time.
What makes these ribs, so good is the low heat and slow cooking process combined with my maple spice mix as a rub. This easy recipe gives you tender meat every time.
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😊 Why this recipe works
- No matter the weather, you can make perfectly tender ribs because these ribs are baked in the oven.
- This recipe works with a variety of rib cuts.
- To make cleanup easier, bake the pork ribs in a disposable pan.
- The prep time only takes a few minutes, so you can start them in the oven earlier in the day and then have them ready to serve in a few hours. This gives you plenty of time to relax before a great BBQ dinner.
- Sometimes, it's just too hot outside in the summer months to stand over a hot grill. Save the outdoor gill for another time, stay in the air conditioning and bake your ribs in the oven.
🛒 Ingredients to make oven-baked ribs
For this recipe, I created a homemade dry rub. My Award Winning Dry Rub For Ribs. is a savory rub with just a hint of maple sweetness. Mix the dry rub ingredients just before you start seasoning your ribs. It's always a good idea to keep a batch of maple rub on hand for seasoning grilled vegetables and chicken.
- Paprika: For this recipe, use smoked paprika. It gives your rub a slightly smoky flavor.
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Chili powder: You can use a mild blend or a slightly spicier chili powder.
- Cayenne pepper: This is optional. I suggest starting with just a teaspoon for this recipe. However, if you want your ribs to be spicy, add 2 teaspoons or more.
- Salt and black pepper
- Maple Sugar: (secret ingredient) The sugar is made from 100% pure maple syrup. It is a crystal form similar to white sugar but with a sweet maple flavor, perfect for adding a sweet maple flavor to your ribs or other BBQ meat.
*Print Award Winning Dry Rub for Ribs recipe card for a complete list and quantities.
If you prefer a less sweet rub, try my homemade BBQ Coffee Dry Rub. I like mixing my own dry rub. However, if you have a favorite brand of dry rub recipes, they will work fine for this rib cooking technique.
What type of ribs for baking in the oven?
- Baby Back Ribs: Baby back ribs contain tenderloin meat and are less fatty than other rib varieties. The ribs are smaller, resulting in a tender piece of meat. These are the best ribs for this recipe, in my opinion. To ensure fall off the bone tenderness, it's important to remove the membrane. However, with this recipe's long slow cooking time, it is unnecessary.
- St. Louis Style ribs: St.Louis style ribs are trimmed down alternatives with the brisket bone removed.
- Spare ribs: Spareribs are the meaty rib rack cut from the belly of a pig. Most times, they are trimmed and called. Saint Louis-style spareribs because the hard breastbone and chewy cartilage are removed.
- Short ribs: These ribs are beef and have been cut into smaller pieces making them easier to cook. They are good for slow roasting in the oven or crockpot.
- Flanked Style Ribs: The ribs tend to be high in fat, beefy, and not as tender as other varieties of ribs.
- Country Style Ribs: This variety is not ribs but strips of boneless meat cut from the blade end of the loin. The cut is a pork shoulder blade or upper portion of the pork shoulder.
How to remove the membrane from baby back ribs
It is easy to do if you prefer to remove the membrane from a rack of baby back ribs.
- Place the ribs with the curved back facing up.
- Slice under the thin membrane but above the bone at one end of the rack using a sharp small knife.
- Pinch and pull the membrane using your fingers.
- A Paper towel can be used to grip the membrane since it can be slippery.
- The entire membrane across the rack of ribs should be peeled back and discarded.
🔪 Step-by-step instructions
Cooking ribs in the oven is easy and only takes 10 minutes to get them ready to go into the oven.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Next, remove the rack of ribs from their package. Trim off any excess fat. You may remove the silver skin membrane if you are cooking baby back ribs. However, it is not necessary. The slow cooking time will make this unnecessary. Rinse the ribs with water, then pat the excess water off with a paper towel.
Step 2: Season the ribs
For this recipe, I use my Award Winning Dry Rub For Ribs. Pour 1 cup of spice rub into a small bowl. Place the ribs on a large cutting board, meaty side up. Gently shake the dry rub on the ribs, being sure to cover the top side completely. Next, massage the rub into the ribs. I like to use rubber gloves when rubbing down my ribs. Flip your slab of ribs over to the back of the ribs and repeat the process being sure to get the sides of the rack also
Step 3: Wrap ribs
Pull out a large sheet of parchment paper, big enough to completely wrap your slab of ribs. Place your seasoned ribs in the middle of the parchment paper.
Fold the paper to cover the ribs tightly. I prefer to wrap my ribs in parchment paper first. For health reasons, I try not to have aluminum foil directly contact the food I am cooking. Also, if you have several racks of ribs, be sure to wrap them individually.
Next, get a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, large enough to wrap the ribs completely. Place the parchment-covered rack of ribs in the center of the foil. Carefully fold the foil, forming a tight seal around the rack of ribs. Allow the ribs to sit for 30 minutes to infuse the rub's flavor into your meat.
At this point, you can cook the ribs or place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, then cook them the next day.
Step 4: Cooking the ribs
Place the wrapped rack of ribs on a large baking sheet. If your cut of ribs has a good bit of fat, use a baking dish with at least 2-inch sides, just in case the juice from the ribs seeps out while cooking. Place your ribs on the middle position rack of a preheated 275-degree oven. Allow the ribs to cook for one hour per pound. If you have a 4-pound rack of ribs, cook for 4 hours, then check with a meat thermometer that the meat has reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
⭐ Hint: Always know what the temperature of your meat is while cooking with MEATER Plus | Smart Meat Thermometer with Bluetooth
Step 5: Saucing
This step is optional. The ribs are great when seasoned with just the dry rub but if you like saucy ribs, follow these steps. To sauce ribs, unwrap the ribs just enough to expose the rack's top. Cover the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce with a BBQ sauce brush. I like using my homemade bbq sauce, Spicy Citrus BBQ Sauce, or my Bacon and Whiskey BBQ Sauce.
Gently fold the parchment paper and foil over the ribs. Return to the oven and cook an additional 20 minutes.
Step 6: Serving
The ribs will be very tender and a bit difficult to transfer to a serving platter without falling apart. I cut the ribs into groups of three and then use a large spatula to transfer them to a serving plater. Serve with extra sauce and napkins if you like really delicious and messy ribs.
What to serve with oven-baked ribs
Need some BBQ sides? Here is a great recipe for Mexican Coleslaw Salad that your whole family will enjoy. Be sure and try my favorite brown sugar Apples and Bourbon Baked Beans. or Classic Macaroni Salad with Cheese. For dessert, make my easy Peach Cobbler with Store-bought Crust.
🔀 Cooking variations
Instead of cooking ribs in the oven, they could be cooked with great results on an outdoor grill if your grill can hold a constant temperature. Grills such as Trager or Rectec pellet grills can maintain a constant temperature of 275 degrees. The key, once again, is low and slow.
💭 How to make your ribs taste smokey
If you like a slightly smokey flavor with your BBQ ribs, it is possible even if they are cooked in the oven.
- The easy way to get a smoky flavor to your ribs is to add a few dashes of liquid smoke to your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Add 1 teaspoon of Hickory Smoke powder to your dry rub.
How to make a spicy dry rub
The original maple rib rub recipe is not spicy; however, if you want some spicy heat to your rub, then here are a few flaming options.
- Add 1 teaspoon of Jalapeno Powder
- Add 1/2 teaspoon Habanero Chili Powder
❓ Common questions about cooking ribs in the over
When baking ribs at 275 degrees in an over, you need to figure one hour per pound of ribs. Using a meat thermometer, ensure the rib meat's internal temperate reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Low and slow is the key to tender, juicy ribs.
It is best to cover your ribs when baking them at a low temperature in the oven. If you like a bit of burnt, crispy edges on your ribs, then unwrap the ribs during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Switch your oven to low broil and allow them to crisp up a bit. Keep a close eye on them, so they do not burn.
Yes, you can cook ribs in the oven without foil. Wrap your rack of ribs tightly with parchment paper. Secure with a bit of freezer paper tape. Place the wrapped rack of ribs in a large baking dish and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Related Recipes
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Recipe
Super Tender Pork Ribs; Dry Rub Recipe In The Oven
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Ribs Baby back ribs, however, St. Louis style, spare ribs, short, flank or country style ribs can be used.
- 1 cup Award Winning Dry Rub For Ribs. Or your favorite rib rub
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Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Next, remove the rack of ribs from their package. Trim off any excess fat. You may remove the silver skin membrane if you are cooking baby back ribs. However, it is not necessary. The slow cooking time will make this unnecessary. Rinse the ribs with water, then pat the excess water off with a paper towel.
- Pour 1 cup of spice rub into a small bowl. Place the ribs on a large cutting board, meaty side up. Gently shake the dry rub on the ribs, being sure to cover the top side completely. Next, massage the rub into the ribs. I like to use rubber gloves when rubbing down my ribs. Flip your slab of ribs over to the back of the ribs and repeat the process being sure to get the sides of the rack also
- Pull out a large sheet of parchment paper, big enough to completely wrap your slab of ribs. Place your seasoned ribs in the middle of the parchment paper and fold the paper to cover the ribs tightly. I prefer to wrap my ribs in parchment paper first. For health reasons, I try not to have aluminum foil directly contact the food I am cooking. Also, if you have several racks of ribs, be sure to wrap them individually. Next, get a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, large enough to wrap the ribs completely. Place the parchment-covered rack of ribs in the center of the foil. Carefully fold the foil, forming a tight seal around the rack of ribs. Allow the ribs to sit for 30 minutes to infuse the rub's flavor into your meat.
- At this point, you can cook the ribs or place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, then cook them the next day.
- Place the wrapped rack of ribs on a large baking sheet. If your cut of ribs has a good bit of fat, use a baking dish with at least 2-inch sides, just in case the juice from the ribs seeps out while cooking. Place your ribs on the middle position rack of a preheated 275-degree oven. Allow the ribs to cook for one hour per pound. If you have a 4-pound rack of ribs, cook for 4 hours, then check with a meat thermometer that the meat has reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees.
- This step is optional. The ribs are great when seasoned with just the dry rub but if you like saucy ribs, follow these steps. To sauce ribs, unwrap the ribs just enough to expose the rack's top. Cover the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce with a BBQ sauce brush. I like using my homemade bbq sauce, Spicy Citrus BBQ Sauce, or my Bacon and Whiskey BBQ Sauce. Gently fold the parchment paper and foil over the ribs. Return to the oven and cook an additional 20 minutes.
- The ribs will be very tender and a bit difficult to transfer to a serving platter without falling apart. I cut the ribs into groups of three and then use a large spatula to transfer them to a serving plater. Serve with extra sauce and napkins if you like really delicious and messy ribs.
Need an item in the this recipe? Click the Instacart button and have it sent right to you.
Notes
- The easy way to get a smoky flavor to your ribs is to add a few dashes of liquid smoke to your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Add 1 teaspoon of Hickory Smoke powder to your dry rub.
