Slow cook your way to delicious baked BBQ pork spare ribs. They're fall-off-the-bone tender. Made with simple ingredients and minimal prep, this is a great recipe to keep on hand.
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This recipe has been my go-to for years, and you can imagine why. From the easy hands-on prep to the juicy tender results, these ribs are a summer staple food in our home.
While we don't eat them too often, we always make sure to enjoy them here and there as a fun addition to our dinner menu plans. Ribs are such a great low-maintenance meal.
It's perfect for a Lazy Sunday Dinner Idea and can be paired with simple side dishes like Orange Creamsicle Fluff and Old Fashioned Creamed Corn.
If you love ribs, you'll want to check out my Instant Pot Beef Back Ribs and Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs too.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Low maintenance. This recipe is actually pretty easy to assemble and hardly requires much work. With just a few minutes of prep, you can be on your way to some delicious barbecue pork ribs in no time.
- Simple ingredients. Besides the pork ribs, you'll just need some basic seasonings and your favorite BBQ sauce. The sauce is optional, of course.
- You can finish it off in the oven or on the grill. We like to broil our ribs after adding sauce to help get them nice and caramelized, but you can use your grill instead. This is especially yummy for getting that slight char taste.
🛒 Ingredients
Pork Spare Ribs- For this recipe, you will need a rack of pork spare ribs that are about 3.5 pounds in size. Bigger or smaller ribs just means that you have to accomodate for size.
Brown sugar- Adding brown sugar will give us a nice depth of flavor and add to the caramelization of flavors.
Seasonings- You will want to use a blend of chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
BBQ sauce- You will want to use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe. You can use homemade BBQ sauce or storebought.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
If desired, you can add some peeled garlic cloves and a thinly sliced onion to the pork ribs before tenting them in foil and baking. This is optional, and I almost never do this.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Buy ribs on sale: Pork spare ribs regularly drop in price, stock up when they're discounted and freeze for later.
Stretch the meal: Serve ribs with budget-friendly sides like corn, potatoes, or coleslaw to make the rack feed more people.
Trim and save scraps: The membrane and trimmings can be simmered in broth for added flavor in soups or beans.
🥄 Instructions for Baked BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 275°F.
Step 2: Add your brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl (Image 1).
Step 3: Whisk well to combine (Image 2). Set aside.
Step 4: Lay your ribs on a large cutting board or baking sheet (Image 3) and then flip over to reveal the backside of the ribs.
Step 5: Remove the white membrane from the back of the ribs (Image 4). It should peel off easily, but a sharp paring knife can help with the trickier areas.
Step 6: Cut off any "silver skin" that you see on the back of the ribs (Image 5). This is stuff that just hardens and becomes chewy when baked.
Step 7: Removing it from the back of the bones will help the meat to fall off the bone when tender. A trick I use is to simply cut or slice through it where it's too hard to remove completely (Image 6).
Step 8: Add your rub seasoning blend to the ribs (Image 7).
Step 9: Season well to coat both sides (Image 8). Add seasoned ribs on a large piece of foil. The foil should be wide and long enough to wrap the ribs completely.
Step 10: Pull the foil up over the ribs, creating a tent peak along the top middle (Image 9). You may need two pieces of foil lying side by side to accomplish this. Overlap them slightly so that the bottom of the ribs is on top of both pieces without exposing the meat.
Step 11: Fold the tent peak downward to crimp and seal the foil. Roll and crimp the two open ends as well (Image 10). You want the ribs to be well contained.
Step 12: Place on a baking sheet, angling it from corner to corner, if needed.
Step 13: Place the ribs into the oven for 2 hours (Image 11). Carefully unseal the ribs and check for tenderness. Bake for another 20 minutes if they're not tender yet.
Step 14: When your ribs are done, drain the juices from the pan and then add your favorite BBQ sauce (Image 12).
Step 15: Brush the BBQ sauce around to coat everything well (Image 13).
Step 16: Place in the oven and broil on high for 6-7 minutes or until the sauce begins to caramelize (Image 14). Or Grill until charred.
Slice and serve.
Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Temp when done. Ribs are safe to eat at 145°F, but for optimal tenderness, aim for an internal temperature of 190-200°F. At 165°F, collagen in the bones starts breaking down, resulting in increased tenderness. Be cautious not to overcook, as they may become mushy.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store leftover ribs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating:
- Oven: Wrap ribs in foil and heat at 250°F for 25-30 minutes until warm and tender.
- Microwave: Heat 1-2 pieces for 1½-2 minutes.
- Air Fryer: Reheat at 375°F for 3-5 minutes for a lightly crisp finish.
Make Ahead: Season and wrap ribs the night before, then refrigerate. Bake as directed the next day for an easy, low-prep meal.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
If you're wondering "what goes with pork ribs," then you're in luck. Just about anything can pair well with ribs. For example, Dill Pickle Potato Salad, Cornbread Bundt Cake, and Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli are all great ideas, especially if you wash it down with a summer favorite like Creamy Lemonade.
- Air Fryer Corn on the CobRecipe $1.53 / Serving $0.38
- Dill Pickle Potato SaladRecipe $3.68 / Serving $0.37
- Cornbread Bundt CakeRecipe $4.96 / Serving $0.50
- Creamy LemonadeRecipe $2.74 / Serving $0.27
❓ Recipe FAQs
There are three types of pork ribs, including spare ribs, baby back ribs, and country-style ribs. Of them, baby back ribs are the most popular, but spare ribs are often considered more flavorful.
Country-style pork ribs have more meat than other cuts of pork ribs. Baby back ribs are leaner and more tender, and spare ribs are somewhere in the middle range with more fat marbling, making them pretty tasty.
Wrapping pork ribs in foil helps to seal in the flavor, hold in moisture, and speed up the cooking time. It helps to tenderize the meat too.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
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- Air Fryer Pork Loin RoastRecipe $10.27 / Serving $1.28
- Slow Cooker Cabbage with BaconRecipe $5.37 / Serving $0.54
- 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork ChopsRecipe $7.76 / Serving $1.94
🐝 If you tried these baked BBQ pork spare ribs, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Baked BBQ Pork Spare Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar - ($0.06)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder - ($0.24)
- 2 teaspoons paprika, regular or smoked - ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.04)
- 3.5 pounds pork spare ribs - ($8.65)
- ½ cup favorite barbecue sauce - ($0.52)
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Make the rub. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Prep the ribs. Place the ribs on a large cutting board or baking sheet and flip them over to expose the back. Remove the white membrane from the back of the ribs. It should peel off easily, but a paring knife can help with stubborn spots. Trim away any silver skin, which can become tough during cooking.
- Season. Generously coat both sides of the ribs with the seasoning blend.
- Wrap. Place the seasoned ribs on a large sheet of foil. If needed, use two overlapping sheets to fully cover the ribs. Pull the foil up to form a tent over the ribs, then crimp and seal the top and ends tightly to fully enclose them.
- Bake. Transfer the wrapped ribs to a baking sheet and bake for 2 hours. Carefully open the foil and check for tenderness. If needed, reseal and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Sauce and broil. Drain off excess juices. Brush the ribs generously with BBQ sauce. Return to the oven and broil on high for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the sauce is caramelized.
- Serve. Slice the ribs and serve warm. Enjoy.
Notes
- Recipe Tips. Cook ribs until internal temperature reaches 190-200°F for tenderness.
- Reheating. Use microwave for 1-2 rib pieces at 1.5-2 minutes or air fryer at 375°F for 3-5 minutes. For larger portions, oven at 250°F, covered with foil, for 30 minutes or until 140°F.
- Recipe Add-Ins. Optionally add garlic and sliced onion to ribs before baking.
Nutritional Information
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