BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Oven-baked ribs with a dry rub, a low three-hour cook and a final glaze under the grill. No smoker needed, and the meat pulls cleanly from the bone without falling apart into mush.
Photograph credit: Barbecue Ribs in my saucer by VladimirWorkspace · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ribs need a long stretch between 70 and 95°C / 160 and 205°F for collagen to melt into gelatine, which is why a three-hour low bake produces tender meat where a fast roast produces leather. Removing the papery membrane from the bone side lets both the rub and the rendered fat penetrate, instead of being sealed out.
Quick Answers
How long does BBQ Baby Back Ribs take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 3 hours of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 3 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
BBQ Baby Back Ribs: Step by Step
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Turn the racks bone-side up. Slide a knife under the silvery membrane at one end, grip it with kitchen paper and peel it off in one sheet.
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Rub the racks all over with the yellow mustard — it adds no flavour but glues the rub in place.
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Mix the rub ingredients and coat both sides heavily, pressing it in. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.
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Wrap each rack tightly in a double layer of foil and set on a baking tray.
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Bake at 140°C / 285°F for 2.5 hours, until a toothpick slides between the bones with almost no resistance.
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Meanwhile simmer all the glaze ingredients together for 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
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Unwrap the ribs, pour off the liquid, and brush generously with glaze.
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Grill or bake at 220°C / 430°F for 8 to 12 minutes, brushing with more glaze every 4 minutes, until sticky and charred at the edges.
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Rest for 10 minutes, then slice between the bones and serve with the remaining glaze.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Worth Getting Right
- Do not boil ribs. It leaches flavour into water you then throw away.
- The bend test tells you when they are ready: lift a rack with tongs and it should bow deeply and crack on the surface.
- Save the rendered liquid from the foil, skim it, and stir a few spoonfuls into the glaze.
Pairs Well With
A cold lager or a bourbon on ice · Serve with coleslaw, cornbread and pickles · Finish with key lime pie
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Creamy Coleslaw, Philadelphia Soft Pretzels, Boston Baked Beans.
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerate 4 days, freeze 3 months. Reheat wrapped in foil at 150°C / 300°F for 25 minutes, then re-glaze under the grill.
What's in a Serving
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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