Slow Cook Baby Back Ribs Oven Temperature

Spice up summer with these easy Oven Baked BBQ Ribs! They're tangy, flavorful and slathered with a homemade BBQ sauce!

We served ours up with a few slices of warm Cornbread, Instant Pot Corn on the Cob, and Hasselback Potatoes. I'll definitely be making these ribs again in the future!

Baked BBQ Ribs served in a basket with bbq sauce on the side

Easy + Delicious

Instead of grilling, I decided to make the hubby some BBQ ribs using a slow and low method in the oven. They were every bit as tasty and worked perfectly for us! It was quite the dinner.

I know you might be skeptical, but trust me, giving them a dry rub, covering them and letting them slow cook in the oven is what makes them fall off the bone! We slathered a bit of homemade BBQ sauce on them at the end and tossed them on the grill to get nice and charred.

If you own an outdoor grill you could/should definitely use that for the last step… they'll be even more finger-lickin'-good!

To make these even more simple, you can skip the whole homemade BBQ sauce. It's just something I've always wanted to make! Just make sure you have a good amount of your favorite on hand, because you'll need it!

How to Cook Ribs in the Oven

PREP. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or a baking mat, set aside.

SEASON. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings. Set aside 1 tbsp. of the rub (it will be used in the BBQ sauce).

(Note: In your dry rub use ½ teaspoon or more of chili powder, red pepper flakes, or paprika; this will give great flavor and a bit of heat.)

BAKE. Place the ribs on the prepared baking sheet. Pat the rub onto the ribs on both sides, then place them meat side down. Place a large piece of foil over top and seal the edges to make a packet.

Place in the oven and bake for 2½ – 3 hours or until the meat is tender but not completely falling off the bone (some ribs may require up to 3½ hours). Remove ½ c. of the juices that have accumulated and set aside.

Tips for cooking the ribs:

Wrapping the ribs in foil keeps the juices, heat, and flavor with the ribs instead of letting anything escape. It also helps your oven to cook the ribs more evenly across the board because equals out how the ribs react to the oven.
If you don't have foil to use, maybe opt for baby back ribs so that even when you lose some of your moisture your meat will still be tender and not be completely dried out.
Cooking the ribs meat side down will allow for the juices to collect at the bottom of the foil with the meat, making it that much more juicy and delicious!

To Make the BBQ Sauce

SIMMER. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the tomato sauce, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, reserved 1 tbsp. of the spice rub, and reserved juices. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

COVER + GRILL. Heat a grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cover the ribs with the BBQ sauce and place them on the grill. Cook them until they are charred on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

BBQ sauce substitutions include ketchup instead of tomato sauce and garlic powder instead of freshly minced garlic. You may want to increase the amount of garlic powder and use more of that then you would use freshly minced garlic, just because the powder is less intense than fresh garlic.

Storing and Serving

STORE cooked ribs in the fridge you should place them in shallow Tupperware containers, or wrap them tightly in foil. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

REHEAT them in the oven or in the microwave with some extra BBQ sauce to avoid losing moisture.

FREEZE cooked ribs for 2-3 months tightly wrapped. Reheat in the oven with some extra sauce slathered on there before wrapping them in foil.

Try serving your bbq ribs with:

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
Mom's Classic Potato Salad
Hatch Chile Cornbread
Instant Pot Baked Beans
Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad

More Delicious BBQ Recipes:

Instant Pot Short Ribs
Delicious Pulled Pork
Mom's Oven Baked Beans

Easy Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

Print Recipe

2 racks pork spareribs - roughly 3-4 pounds each
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dry ground mustard
¼ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp celery powder
1 tbsp sea salt

For the BBQ Sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup honey
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp pineapple juice
3 cloves garlic - minced
½ cup reserved juices
1 tbsp reserved spice rub

To Make the Ribs

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or a baking mat, set aside.
In a small bowl combine the seasonings. Set aside 1 tbsp. of the rub (it will be used in the BBQ sauce).
Place the ribs on the prepared baking sheet. Pat the rub onto the ribs on both sides, then place them meat side down. Place a large piece of foil over top and seal the edges to make a packet.
Place in the oven and bake for 2½ – 3 hours or until the meat is tender but not completely falling off the bone (some ribs may require up to 3½ hours). Remove ½ c. of the juices that have accumulated and set aside.

To Make the BBQ Sauce

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the tomato sauce, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, reserved 1 tbsp. of the spice rub, and reserved juices. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat a grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cover the ribs with the BBQ sauce and place them on the grill. Cook them until they are charred on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

-You can definitely use beef ribs if that's all you can find!

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