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+ servings

Baby Back Ribs

Perfectly tender ribs, coated in a flavorful rub, and finished with a smoky barbecue sauce. These are sure to be a hit!
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:2 hours 25 minutes
Total Time:2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Pork

  • 1 rack baby back ribs

Rub (makes enough for two racks of ribs)

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Barbecue sauce

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 300℉. Prepare a large baking sheet (a traditional 13x18 cookie sheet works great) by lining it with aluminum foil.
  • Make rub. In a small bowl, whisk together the rub ingredients.
  • Remove silverskin. Remove ribs from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Place the ribs on the lined baking sheet. Turn the ribs meat side down to remove the membrane, called the silverskin. Slide a butter knife between the membrane and ribs about an inch in. This can be easier to do starting one or two ribs down from the top. Using a paper towel, take hold of the edge of the membrane and pull across the ribs and down. The paper towel helps grip the membrane to pull. Often the membrane comes off all in one piece.  If not, grab a hold of the next piece and pull until completely removed.
  • Rub. Spread rub across one side of the ribs, rubbing the spices into the meat, using about 2 ½ tablespoons of the rub. Turn and rub the spice mixture onto the other side, using an additional 2 ½ tablespoons of the rub.
  • Bake. Cover the ribs with aluminum foil and place them in the oven. Cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes and remove from the oven. Check with a meat thermometer. Ribs should be at an internal temperature of 195-205℉ to be at the perfect tenderness. They are safe to eat at a lower temperature, but need to be cooked at a higher temperature to be tender enough to eat. Place back in the oven for a few minutes if necessary.
  • Make sauce. While the ribs cook, prepare the sauce for your ribs. In a medium saucepan, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, liquid smoke, and salt. Cook sauce on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate for later use or brush on ribs.
  • Finish on grill. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Brush sauce onto the meat side of the ribs. Place the ribs meat side down on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes. Brush sauce on the other side of the ribs and turn over. Brush additional sauce on the meat side of the ribs again and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Brush sauce on again if desired and remove from the grill.
  • Rest and serve. Let ribs rest for at least 10 minutes. Cut into slices by finding the soft spots in between the bones and cutting between each bone, or serve two at a time. The bones can be at a slight angle, and it can help to look at the ribs side versus the meat side when cutting.

Notes

Any additional rub that does not come into contact with raw meat can be easily stored and used again.
If you don’t own a grill, you can stick the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes as well. The sauce will still caramelize, but so watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. 
You can cook these up to two days in advance.  Cook in the oven, refrigerate, and then finish on the grill with the sauce the day you are serving.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 3401mg | Potassium: 1102mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 1520IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 5mg
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 640kcal
Author: Katie