Baby Back Ribs

Fall-off-the-bone, finger-licking ribs!

Being home all day means this is the perfect opportunity to make this “slow and low” recipe. Fall off the bone tender, these ribs melt in your mouth and are full of BBQ flavor from the sauce. It’s only 10-15 minutes of prep, then slow and low in the oven. A few bastes for the last hour of cooking–and voila! Finished. So easy. So, so easy.

If you bring these to a potluck, everyone will be asking “who made the ribs?!” They’re always a crowd pleaser. And because they’re cooked in the oven, you can make multiple racks at one time. I made 6 racks once for back-to-back potlucks in one day! And yes, I definitely got the “who made the ribs?” comment at both parties.

Is it Kid Friendly?

Because the texture of these ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, it’s perfect for kids who like their food soft and easy to eat. In other words? Easy access! No more having to cut the meat off a drumstick or peel the skin off a chicken wing for your kids (or is that just my kids?); all the work is done for you. The meat falls off the bone!

Plus, it’s coated in delectable BBQ sauce = kid win. (I always get Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey flavor because I like my BBQ sweet.) Pair these with those Hawaiian Rolls and you’ve got a kid-heaven dinner.

Is it Allergy/IBS Friendly?

If the ingredients in BBQ sauce or ketchup gives you problems, you can stick with a dry rub. (I haven’t eaten these ribs with just the spice rub, but would love it if you gave it a try and reported back! I would probably double the spices as just a dry rub. Comment below. I would love to hear from you!)

Rib Recipe

Part of the appeal with this recipe is how fast it is to prep. Generously rub the spices all over the ribs, and lightly add some of the sauce (about 1/4th cup) to season the meat as it cooks for 2.5 hours.

I wrap my tray with foil to protect it, then use a second piece of foil to wrap around the ribs. Wrap it tightly and seal it well.

After the ribs have cooked for 2 hours, open the foil. At this point you can de-grease the accumulated juices/fat from the ribs. (Although I often skip this step–you risk the sauce burning and your ribs may stick to the foil.)

Use a brush to baste on the sauce, then open the foil so the sauce can caramelize on the ribs. After 10-15 minutes, take them out and baste again. Repeat this another 2-3 times, until the sauce is a deep caramelized brown color (but not burned.) Run out of BBQ sauce? No problem, just use some from your BBQ sauce straight from the bottle.

Then the ribs are finished!

Baby Back Ribs

These ribs fall of the bone because they've been cooked low and slow in the oven. They are super tender and coated in succulent BBQ sauce.

Cook Time3 hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork, oven, fall off the bone

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs baby back rib rack

Spice Mixture

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika sub for chili powder if you don't have paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce (plus additional for extra basting) I like Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Sauce

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300F.

• Combine the spice mixture and rub it all over the ribs. Feel free to add more spices so that the ribs are fully coated.

• Combine the sauce mixture and lightly brush the ribs with about ¼ cup of the sauce, or until lightly coated.

• Cover your baking sheet with heavy duty foil to protect it.

• Use a second piece of foil to tightly wrap and seal the ribs, meat side up.

• Place the ribs in your preheated oven for 2 hours.

• After 2 hours, take the ribs out of the oven and open the foil. Drain and discard the accumulated juices and fat. Be careful as the ribs may be falling off the bones already!Note: you can also choose to skip this step, but I find the juices/fat tend to burn onto the foil. Usually the ribs aren't affected, but they may start sticking to the foil as a result.

• Brush the top of the ribs with the remaining BBQ sauce mixture. Leave the foil open and let the ribs cook uncovered. Return them to the oven.

• Bake the ribs another 10-15 minutes in the oven. Repeat this step 2-3 more times (letting them caramelize 10-15 minutes between basting), until the ribs have a nice brown coat of sauce. (Use your bottled BBQ sauce for any extra basting). Be careful not to over brown the ribs! After your last baste, take the finished ribs out of the oven.Serve with extra BBQ sauce if desired.

Notes

The beauty with this recipe is that you can easily add another rack or two of baby back ribs to the oven. Feed as large of a crowd as you want!