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Overhead view of baked baby back ribs on a baking sheet with a side of BBQ sauce
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Baked Baby Back Ribs

These tender and juicy, fall-off-the-bone Baked Baby Back Ribs are generously seasoned and lathered with BBQ sauce then baked low and slow in the oven. Great year-round!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 racks baby back pork ribs (2 to 2.5 pounds each)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 & 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 1 cup sweet barbecue sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250F.
  • Remove membrane from the back of the rack of ribs, if intact: Place the rack meat side down on a cutting board or sheet pan, laying it horizontally in front of you. Starting about 2 bones in from the left end of the rack, run a long skinny knife under the membrane and slide the knife left toward the end of the rack. Now firmly grasp the piece of membrane you’ve lifted, and pull it to the right, stripping the membrane from the rest of the rack. (Grip it with a disposable latex glove or paper towel if you’re having trouble hanging onto it.)
  • Make the dry rub by combining the brown sugar and all the seasonings in a small bowl.
    Two photos showing spices being mixed into brown sugar to create a rib rub
  • Rub both sides of the rib racks very generously with the mixture.
    A rack of ribs generously coated with a spice rub
  • Place rib racks, meat-side down, on heavy-duty aluminum foil.
    A rack of ribs coated with a spice rub on a piece of foil
  • Fold foil around the rack to create a tight seal. Transfer to a sheet pan.
    Two racks of ribs in foil on a baking sheet
  • Bake in the preheated oven until tender and cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove and cool 15 minutes.
  • Increase oven temperature to 350F.
  • Open foil, drain and discard any accumulated juices and fat. Brush some BBQ sauce on all sides of the rack.
    Brushing BBQ sauce on baked racks of ribs on foil
  • Turn the rack on the foil so the meat is now facing up.
  • Return to the oven, leaving the foil open and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush another layer of BBQ sauce on the meat side only. Repeat baking and brushing with sauce 2 more times, for a total of 45 minutes baking time.
    Overhead view of baked baby back ribs on foil
  • Cut rack into individual rib segments and serve with more BBQ sauce, if desired.
    Baked baby back ribs being sliced on a cutting board

Nutrition

Serving: 4ribs · Calories: 557kcal · Carbohydrates: 31g · Protein: 37g · Fat: 32g · Saturated Fat: 11g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g · Monounsaturated Fat: 13g · Trans Fat: 0.3g · Cholesterol: 130mg · Sodium: 1641mg · Potassium: 662mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 25g · Vitamin A: 687IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 101mg · Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Other Notes

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked baby back ribs