Name: Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 135 min
Ingredients: 2 kg Baby Back Ribs (4 pounds (4 racks)); 1 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp garlic salt; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp cumin; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 cups barbecue sauce ((350g bottle)); 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped or minced); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

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These Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs are finger-licking good and so simple to make. Perfect for entertaining or for a crowd-pleasing family meal.

These barbecue ribs are a real family favourite in our house. They are so finger-licking good with the succulent pork and delicious barbecue flavour. Everybody loves them and generally eats to bursting point!

This recipe is perfect for entertaining, too, and I often make it if people are coming around for a barbecue.

Because they cook away quietly in the oven, they don't need a lot of attention except for the final 15 minutes, leaving you free to prepare other dishes or entertain your guests. They are always a big crowd pleaser too.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
How to prepare oven baked ribs
How to bake ribs in oven
What to serve with BBQ Ribs
Looking for more easy family dinner recipes? Give these a go:
Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs

Why you'll love this recipe

It is super simple.
It's a very hands-off recipe. Most of the time they just cook away quietly in the oven.
The ribs are the perfect combo of succulent pork and delicious barbecue flavour.
They are perfect for a family meal or for entertaining. A real crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

There are two parts to this BBQ ribs recipe, beside the actual ribs: the rub and the sauce.

Exact quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Racks of barbecue ribs on a baking tray.

Baby Back Pork Ribs

Go for nice meaty ribs. Each rack of ribs should be around 500g (1 pound). I have based this recipe on one rack per person. I find this to be plenty for four adults (or older kids).

If you are cooking for smaller kids, then three racks between four people will be enough.

For the Rub:

Brown sugar
Garlic Salt - you can substitute with garlic powder and salt.
Onion Powder
Smoked Paprika - this gives a lovely wood-fired flavour, even though we are cooking them in the oven. You can also use normal paprika if you don't have smoked.
Black pepper
Cumin
Olive Oil
Optional: Cayenne Pepper - if you want to give your ribs a bit of a kick, add in some cayenne pepper. As I always make these for my kids, I don't do this.

For the BBQ Sauce:

You could choose to just use BBQ sauce straight from the bottle. However, I always like to elevate it a little by adding some fresh garlic and Worcestershire sauce, for added umami.

Barbecue sauce - go for a good quality sauce (not the kind you would squirt on a hot dog at a cheap barbecue stall). You might need to try a few different ones before you find your favourite.
Garlic - freshly minced or chopped. If you don't have time or can't be bothered with this step, sprinkle in some extra garlic salt.
Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil

How to prepare oven baked ribs

The first thing to do, when preparing baby rack ribs is to remove the thin papery skin from the back of each rack, if there is one. (Sometimes the butcher will have already removed this).

To do this, use a kitchen towel to get a good grip on one end of the rib rack, and pull it off with your fingers. It may need a bit of strength, but it should all come off in one sheet.

Line some baking sheets with foil and lay the ribs on top.

Next, prepare the rub by mixing all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle it all over the ribs, drizzle over the olive oil and then use your hands to massage it all into the ribs.

Baby back ribs on a baking tray with rub.

If you are organised and have time, you can put the ribs back in the fridge and let them marinade like this for a few hours or even overnight.

If you don't have time, not to worry - you can just go ahead and bake them right away.

How to bake ribs in oven

Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 350F.

Cover the ribs with cooking foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, you can mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside until you are ready to use.

After two hours, remove the ribs from the oven. Turn the heat in the oven up to 240C / 460F.

Brushing BBQ sauce over oven baked ribs.

Uncover the ribs and use a basting brush to generously coat them with the sauce.

Now leave them uncovered and return them to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Finally, switch the setting to Grill (Broil) and give them a couple more minutes under the grill to get slightly blackened on top, for that chargrill feeling.

Baked barbecue ribs on a baking tray, fresh from the oven.

Let them rest for 10 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut them up into individual ribs. I like to serve them in a big pile on a dish in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves.