Oven BBQ Pork Ribs
Oven ribs are the honest way to get meat that slides off the bone without a smoker and without stress. The magic is a long, low bake wrapped in foil, and the sticky caramelised glaze goes on only at the very end. We make the sauce ourselves in five minutes; it’s brighter and far less sugary than the bottled kind.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 2 h 50 min
- Rest
- 40 min
- Total
- 3 h 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 680 kcal
Ingredients
For the ribs
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What to use instead
Spare ribs are meatier and fattier; give them 3 hours in the foil.
For the dry rub
For the BBQ sauce
Makes: 2 racks, 4 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
Oven
150 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 130 °C
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Step 1: Remove the membrane
Lay the racks bone side up. Lift the thin white membrane at one end with a butter knife, grab it with a paper towel and peel it off in one pull. Without it, the rub penetrates better and the underside won’t turn rubbery.
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Step 2: Apply the rub
Mix all the dry rub ingredients and rub generously over both sides of the ribs. Leave for 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
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Step 3: Wrap in foil
Heat the oven to 150 °C (300 °F). Wrap each rack tightly in a double layer of foil, meat side down, and set on a baking tray.
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Step 4: Bake low and slow
Bake for 2½ hours. The ribs are ready when the meat has shrunk back about 1 cm from the bone ends and a wooden skewer slides between the bones with no resistance at all.
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Step 5: Make the sauce
While the ribs bake, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until slightly thickened.
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Step 6: Glaze the ribs
Carefully open the foil, watching out for steam, and pour off the juices. Raise the oven to 220 °C (425 °F), brush the ribs with sauce and bake for 8 minutes, then brush again and bake 5–7 minutes more, until sticky and caramelised in spots.
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Step 7: Slice and serve
Rest the ribs for 10 minutes, then cut between the bones. Serve with the remaining sauce.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Stay close to the oven while glazing: the honey and sugar in the sauce can go from caramelised to burnt in a minute or two.
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Variation
After the foil stage, finish the ribs on a grill over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side, brushing with sauce as you go.
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Swap
Spare ribs are meatier and fattier; give them 3 hours in the foil.
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Storage
Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat wrapped in foil with a spoonful of water at 160 °C for 15–20 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 680 kcal | 2,720 kcal |
| Protein | 42 g | 168 g |
| Fat | 45 g | 180 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g | 100 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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