The Best, Juiciest Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs (Easy, Too!)
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This amazing baby back ribs recipe takes five minutes to prepare, but what emerges from the oven — a juice-filled package of falling-off-the-bone ribs, perfectly crisped on the exterior — tastes like a day’s work toiling over a coal-filled bbq pit. Sweet. Smokey. Salty. Delicious. These might just be the best ribs you ever make!
The best ribs you’ve ever made? Let me qualify that. These are the only ones I know how to make, which make them the best I’ve ever made. That said, this recipe takes five minutes to prepare. Yes, that’s correct. Five minutes. But what emerges from the oven — a juice-filled package of falling-off-the-bone baby back ribs, perfectly crisped on the exterior — tastes like a day’s worth of work toiling over a coal-filled bbq pit.
Sweet. Smokey. Salty. Delicious. If these aren’t the best ribs you’ve ever prepared, they’ll be damn close.
Where did I discover such an easy and delicious recipe? Where else. My mother, of course, who learned the recipe from niece-in-law, a proud Southerner who knows her barbecue.
My mother made these ribs for my meat-deprived husband and me when she was visiting last month. I’ve since made them several times for friends and family. If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing recipe, this is it. Serve it with this buttermilk cornbread and a simple salad.
PS: Favorite Roast Chicken and Pan-Seared New York Strip with Balsamic-Caper Sauce
How to Make Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs
First, gather your ingredients: salt, pepper, brown sugar, and smoked paprika. Yep, that’s right: this rub requires only four ingredients.
Rip two pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to enclose the ribs, and lay them on top of one another. Set one rack of ribs on top. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Spread the brown sugar over top, and spread it over the rack, packing it down. Enclose the foil tightly. Repeat with any other rib racks.
Transfer the foil-closed racks to a sheet pan. Place in the oven at 275ºF for 2.5 hours. Remove pan from the oven and do not open the foil for one more hour.
If you wish, run the ribs under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
Find the Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe here.
The Best, Juiciest Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs (Easy, Too!)
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 3
Description
This amazing baby back ribs recipe takes five minutes to prepare, but what emerges from the oven — a juice-filled package of falling-off-the-bone baby back ribs, perfectly crisped on the exterior — tastes like a day’s work toiling over a coal-filled bbq pit. Sweet. Smokey. Salty. Delicious. If these aren’t the best ribs you’ve ever prepared, they’re damn good ribs at the very least.
If you’re looking for the cornbread recipe, here it is: Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 rack of baby back ribs
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- smoked paprika (if you can find it) or paprika
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
- Rinse off the ribs and pat dry. Liberally coat the ribs with the kosher salt, pepper and the paprika. Pack on the cup of brown sugar.
- Lay out two sheets of foil slightly overlapping. Place ribs on top and close foil on all sides. Repeat two more times so that the ribs are covered in three good layers of foil. Place ribs on a sheet tray and place in the oven for 2½ hours. Note: When placing the ribs on the tray, try to place them meaty side down. It’s not critical but it makes for a crisper exterior.
- Remove tray from the oven. Let sit for one hour. Do not open the pouch during this hour.
- When ready to serve, reheat the ribs in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350ºF (this is assuming the ribs have not been refrigerated) or open the pouch, baste the ribs with the juices and place them under the broiler for five minutes.
- Serve immediately with cornbread and a simple salad for a yummy yummy meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American/BBQ
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
140 Comments on “The Best, Juiciest Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs (Easy, Too!)”
Hi Alexandra,
I’ve made the ribs once before. This time I can’t find any temps or length of time to cook them! Yikes, I am having guests over in about 3 hours. I have them in the oven and will wing it, but please let me know for future reference.
This happened to me too! Thankfully I had it up on my laptop which had the recipe on it still. Here it is below:
Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
Rinse off the ribs and pat dry. Liberally coat the ribs with the kosher salt, pepper and the paprika. Pack on the cup of brown sugar.
Lay out two sheets of foil slightly overlapping. Place ribs on top and close foil on all sides. Repeat two more times so that the ribs are covered in three good layers of foil. Place ribs on a sheet tray and place in the oven for 2½ hours. Note: When placing the ribs on the tray, try to place them meaty side down. It’s not critical but it makes for a crisper exterior.
Remove tray from the oven. Let sit for one hour. Do not open the pouch during this hour.
When ready to serve, reheat the ribs in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350ºF (this is assuming the ribs have not been refrigerated) or open the pouch, baste the ribs with the juices and place them under the broiler for five minutes.
Serve immediately with cornbread and a simple salad for a yummy yummy meal.
Oh my goodness, so sorry about this! I’m in the process of getting all of the recipes in print-friendly format, and weird things are happening especially on the posts with more than one recipe. Thank you thank you Jolene for helping Traci out! Traci, I hope you were able to see this in time???
You’re welcome, and the ribs were delicious!! It was my first time making ribs other than eating them at a restaurant, and we had no backup plan in case this failed. haha. My two year old and my four year old also loved it, which was a win. Thank you so much for the recipe.
So happy to hear this, Jolene! And that is a serious win re 2- and 4-year old approving!! Thank you again for your help 🙂
Hi! These do turn out awesome!! This is my second time making them. Is the hour rest time completely necessary? Just wondering. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Hollie! I think the rest time does allow for some carry-over cooking as well as sufficient time for the meat to rest (as meat always should), but if you’re looking to speed things up, you probably could just extend the cooking time for maybe 20-30 minutes? I’ve never tried unfortunately, so I can’t say for sure.
It does call for acres of foil, doesn’t it?? I’ll be curious if a roasting pan creates a tight enough seal. Report back if you give it a go!
Such a bummer about the cornbread. I hope returning it to the oven did the trick.
Like Tracie, I had made the ribs once before and went to make again for company. The recipe was not there! I also panicked! Luckily Jolene had added the recipe in her comment. Thanks Jolene! These are too good to lose the recipe!!
Ahhhhh, I don’t know why this keeps happening! I just updated the post, so the recipe is back … so sorry!
Is.
Bbq sauce good on these after cooking in all the spices?
You could certainly try it, but there is no real need for a sauce — they’re so good on their own.
OMG! The best ribs ever! My husband doesn’t like ribs much but he REALLY liked these and asked me to make them again! A staple!
Woohoo!! I love these, too 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can I make this cornbread in a cast iron skillet? Would you recommend greasing it? Preheating?
Hi Leslie B,
A 10 inch well seasoned cast iron skillet (preferably pre 1960 model, commonly found in antique stores) are simply the very best way to bake good ole southern (or northern) cornbread. Grease very liberally with Crisco paste shortening, place in preheated 375 degree hot oven for 6 to 10 minutes to preheat the skillet. Remove skillet, (you should see puddling of the shortening in the bottom) immediately pour in your favorite corn bread mix right in the middle and let it settle on its own, immediately returning it to the 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and has pulled slightly away from the sides of the skillet. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes or so. Cover with foil if not served after this period of time. As long as you have a good skillet, you are going to love this! Happy Mother’s Day!~
I have a large family, so we usually cook 3 racks of ribs at a time. Do I need to increase cooking time?
Nope! I always wrap each rack individually, so as long as all three racks can fit on a single sheet pan, you should be fine with the timing as is. Good luck!
What if your ribs are frozen? I did 2.5 hours and then an hour but I’m a little paranoid it’s not cooked all the way through
How did they turn out? Sorry for the delay here. I’ve never tried frozen ribs, but I would suggest cooking them for another hour or so.
What if I wanna pre make the ribs the night befor how long should I heat them up after and will they still taste good u think?
They will definitely still taste good! I would stick them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350. Check them, and if they need more time, give them another 5-10 minutes or until they’re heated through. You can also run them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the exterior.
Hi Ali, Recipe seems to have a missing step… for one (and the most important) always, always remove the membrane from the back side of any pork rib cut. second, are you broiling with the meat still in the foil? I did not read where it was removed before broiling. Please explain? I’ve prepared Baby Backs, St. Louis and Spare Rib cuts for years and your recipe sounds sweet and right on track. I hope you all are removing that membrane for the most tender final result. Using a paper towel to get a grip on it helps tremendously.
Hi! I have actually never removed the membrane … thank you for the tip! And yes, I broil with the ribs still in foil … often I just skip this step. They are delicious as is without the broiling step.
Mine came out dry. I used a convection oven And cooked it for the same amount of time, Was that the problem?
Possibly. Were the foil packages tightly sealed?
Delicious, easy to make and my husband it was great.
Wonderful to hear this, Rosemary! My family loves this one 🙂
Just added it back! Sorry! Trying to get it in its own post … sorry again for the trouble.
These ribs turned out great!! Would this cooking method work for brisket? If so, how long should it cook?
I think the method would, though you might want to brown the brisket on each side before you wrap them in foil. I would do three hours wrapped in foil.
HELP! I have been making these ribs lovingly for YEARS. They are my dirty little secret, and they are ALWAYS AMAZING. We recently moved from CA to Colorado, and I made them tonight for the first time. They were tough, and dry. I AM HEARTBROKEN. Unfortunately we are at an altitude of 5700 and I have no clue how to modify this to make it work. I will die If I cant make these ribs again!! PLEASE HELP!
Oh no! I have zero experience cooking at altitude, but maybe they need more time? You could try 3.5 hours. And just to be sure: was it definitely baby back ribs you purchased? As opposed to spare ribs?
I have made this recipe many,many times. They always come out perfect every time. I also remove the membrane from my ribs and add some sauce when I put them in the broiler or grill. They are awesome
Great to hear, Joyce! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I’ll try that membrane removal technique next time!
This is now a family favorite. Special occasions, family get together, we have to have it because. I love that it is so simple yet comes out looking like a master piece. Thanks for sharing!
So nice to hear this, Barb… these are always a hit with my family, too. I’m always astonished by the flavor for such little effort. Thanks for writing!
This is THE BEST and easiest recipe for ribs. I am not a fan of BBQ sauce, so these are great! My family loves it. The only negative thing I have to say is I have to make 3 racks for myself and my 2 kids because they not only devour them at dinner, but they also want leftovers.
Great to hear this, Michelle! I hear you: one rack disappears quickly. Thanks so much for writing 🙂
how much paprika
I just eye it! You can sprinkle it pretty liberally over the top. Next time I make it, I’ll measure.
Question: do you coat both sides of the ribs with the s/p and paprika or, perhaps, just the meaty side? I am excited to try this recipe!
Hi! I season on both sides 🙂
I bought too many ribs. “No worries,” I thought “We’ll have leftovers later in the week.”
There were no leftovers. Needless to say, this recipe is now the only.
I blended the smoked paprika with cayenne to get a little more fire into each bite and it was the right thing to do. I turned off the oven at 2.5 hours and took the meat out an hour later.
We enjoyed the ribs with fresh-made cole slaw and squeaky green beans and a Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Pinot Noir (2021).
Thank you, Alexandra!
YUM to all of the above! Thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this. Great to hear. Coleslaw and green beans sound perfect for the ribs 🙂
Hi Ali, I am anxiously to try this recipe , but have a question about the placement of the brown sugar. It seems obvious that the brown sugar would be on the meat side of the ribs, but in the photo it looks like the brown sugar is on the “bone side” of the rack. Please clarify. As always, thanks for your many fabulous recipes,
Diane
Hi Diane! Great to hear from you always. The sugar does go on the meaty side.