I’m not sure exactly why I don’t prepare ribs more often. Every time I think to make them, I’m reminded how friggin’ delicious they are, not to mention easy to make and dirt cheap. I can buy a rack of ribs at my local butcher for about 4 bucks…that’s just as cheap as any other meat I can get my hands on, and cheaper than fresh produce I typically buy to use in things like salad and pasta.
My go-to method for preparing ribs at home is to roast them right in the oven. I remember the first time I made ribs at home; I bought the meat and then spent hours surfing the internet trying to figure out the best way to cook them. I read about marinating, dry rubbing, basting, brining, smoking…it seemed like everyone had a VERY specific (and passionate) opinion about how to best prepare ribs. I ended up deciding to just bake the things, because I know how to cook meat in the oven, and sometimes – when you’re overwhelmed and very, very confused by the conflicting advice you get online about just about anything – you gotta just stick with what ya know.
The ribs came out perfectly, and I’ve been oven-roasting them ever since. I mix up a super simple dry rub (which I use for my pulled pork recipe) and then I just stick the ribs in the oven for a few hours while I spend three hours not cooking. It’s a pretty good situation. The ribs literally cook themselves, and they come out nicely every single time. I like to serve mine with my Crispy Smashed Potatoes and some corn on the cob – not much beats the classics when it comes to BBQ. Here’s my recipe, – happy BBQ’ing!
Classic BBQ Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 1-2 racks pork baby back ribs membrane removed
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili flakes optional
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups BBQ sauce store bought works great here!
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit or 140C.
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Mix the chili powder, brown sugar, salt, paprika, chili flakes and pepper in a bowl and get rid of any lumps.
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Place your ribs on a baking sheet with a shallow rim and cover them on both sides with the spice rub. *The spice rub is enough for 2 racks of ribs, but all of it can be used for one rack.
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Add 1/4 cup water to the baking sheet underneath and around the ribs and then cover the tray tightly with foil.
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Roast the ribs for approximately 3 – 3.5 hours, or until the meat is pulling apart from the bone.
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When the ribs are 10 minutes from being done, heat the BBQ sauce in a sauce pan over medium heat.
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Remove the ribs from the oven and pour the BBQ sauce right over the ribs. You can slice the ribs either before or after you sauce them, it doesn't matter!
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If you want the ribs to have extra charred bits on top, you can pop them back in the oven under the grill/broiler for a few minutes after you've sauced them. It's up to you!
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Serve the ribs piping hot with extra sauce, if you like…enjoy!