Sticky Oven Barbecue Ribs slathered in the most delicious sticky barbecue sauce, a touch of garlic and a cheeky kick of spice is exactly what the doctor ordered this weekend!
Bucketloads of flavour and juicy fall-off-the-bone meat is all you can really hope for when it comes to barbecue ribs! Thankfully, my oven baked barbecue ribs tick all of the boxes.
We double down on the incredible flavour with an easy-to-make dry rub and a seasoned barbecue sauce mixture, so addictive it’ll be impossible to stop at one! Following in the footsteps of our Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs, these Sticky Oven Barbecue Ribs are finger licking good!
RIBS
Making barbecue ribs doesn’t have to be difficult, and this easy to follow recipe is proof! Now, hands-down a family favourite recipe of ours, these barbecue ribs release a smokey, rich aroma that has us all salivating as it wafts throughout the house.
After plenty of practice making other pork recipes like our Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork Belly and our BBQ Baked Pork Chops, we like to think we have nailed the ideal melt-in-your-mouth pork consistency.
A common misconception is that decent ribs can only be perfected in a fancy barbecue or smoker. Well, we have proven this is most definitely not the case! This barbecue ribs recipe is fool-proof, with the oven doing the majority of the work while you sit back, relax and wait for your drool-worthy pork to finish baking.
OVEN VS BBQ
Oven, slow cooker or on the barbecue; pork ribs are so versatile they can be cooked either way. If you love soft, fall-off-the-bone ribs, then go for our slow cooker barbecue ribs. But, if you love juicy, tender and crispy ribs with caramelised edges, then this oven ribs method is for you!
HOW TO REMOVE THE MEMBRANE/SKIN OFF BABY BACK RIBS
This is a controversial step when cooking ribs and a personal preference. I grew up eating ribs with the skin left on and only started removing them about 10 years ago, following some valuable advice from a chef. Personally, I love the chewiness of the membrane when left on, BUT, I also enjoy the ease of eating ribs with it removed.
Follow your heart and your belly and go with what YOU love!
- Turn ribs over with bone/rack-side facing up. Carefully slide a blunt knife under the membrane at one end of the rack.
- Lift to loosen the membrane off of the bone.
- Using a sheet of paper towel to hold onto the membrane, peel it off the back of the ribs.
- It should come off in one piece.
HOW TO COOK BARBECUE RIBS IN THE OVEN
Made to throw together with minimal effort and maximum flavour, these barbecue ribs are simple, delicious and can be prepared in only 10 minutes.
- Prepare ribs as above, then pat them dry with a sheet of paper towel.
- Rub with our dry rub mixture (recipe below). I like to drizzle some olive oil over them for simultaneously juicy and crispy results.
- Arrange them on a lined baking tray. You can use foil or parchment paper.
- Bake for a couple of hours, then slather with our BBQ sauce mixture. Use a brush or spoon to spread it evenly over the top.
- Broil (or grill) for an additional 2-5 minutes to get crispy, charred edges.
RIBS MARINADE
Our marinade is only made up of four ingredients:
- BBQ sauce — use a good quality BBQ sauce for this recipe. You can use a smoky flavoured sauce or regular sauce. I prefer plain, regular BBQ sauce.
- Garlic — you won’t be sorry for adding a good kick of garlic to these ribs!
- Olive oil — a little oil in the sauce gives even crispier, caramelised results when mixed through the barbecue sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce — hard to pronounce but easy to eat. Adds incredible flavour!
For those of you who love a little heat or spice in your life, you can add in chili or cayenne powder!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BARBECUE RIBS
Is there anything better than ribs and potatoes? We recommend pairing your barbecue ribs with our creamy Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Garlic Baked Potato Wedges or our Garlic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes.
Because we love carbs, throw in a piece of our Buttermilk Cornbread and some Macaroni Salad. As far as vegetables go, our Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter and our Grilled Asparagus pair perfectly with barbecue ribs.
Love pork? Try these recipes!
Easy Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Crispy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooked Pulled Pork)
Pork Roast With Crackle
Oven Barbecue Ribs
Ingredients
RIBS:
- 4 pounds baby back pork ribs
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper cracked
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne powder - optional
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
SAUCE:
- 2 cups barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ - 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper optional for heat
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Peel off tough membrane that covers the underside/bony side of the ribs. Place on a baking sheet or tray lined with foil (or parchment paper).
- Combine together garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin and chili or Cayenne. Sprinkle seasoning over ribs and drizzle with oil. Rub the seasoning all over the ribs on both sides. Cover tray with foil and bake for 2 hours.
- During the last 5 minutes of cook time, mix together sauce ingredients.
- Remove ribs from the oven, remove foil and spread the tops of the ribs with the barbecue sauce mixture.
- Increase oven temperature to 460°F (240°C). Return ribs to the oven, uncovered, and bake for a further 10 minutes. Change oven settings to broil (or grill) on medium-high heat to lightly char and caramelise the edges (about 3 minutes).
- Rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to recirculate back into the meat before slicing.
- Enjoy!
Judy Collins says
Ribs are delicious and very tender. Recipe uses spices and ingredients I always have on hand. So easy to make.
Joyce Dixon says
My favorite method and recipe for cooking ribs. My sons who love to grill had to agree that these are great!
Lisa Smith says
A family favourite! I currently have 8 racks of these ribs in the oven for my son’s 5th birthday party — his dinner request was these ribs! They are totally a crowd pleaser!
Margarita C. says
Easy and delicious! i’m not trying any other recipes.
Sharon says
Great easy to follow recipe. My husband and our guests enjoyed it thoroughly. Will definitely make it again.
Loula says
Best BBQ ribs recipe. Have used this recipe multiple times and it never disappoints. Recipe is very easy to follow which is an added bonus.
Wendy Leigh Sheets says
350? Are you sure? Seems a little high for cooking 2 hours.
Jimmy says
Just tried this recipe. Ribs are amazing. I followed it exactly with the exception of the bbq sauce. I had some Kinders wood fired garlic spice that I added at the end with sweet baby rays. Excellent. Thank you for sharing
TQ says
These were the BEST! I used sweet baby rays HONEY bbq sauce and the garlic I added really enhanced the taste. They were amazing! Good gawd y’all!!
Jaime Maurice Hutchinson says
Used the same sauce
It was perfect
KC Barter says
I just made these tonight for dinner for my clients at work and I will say they were a hit! I have never made ribs before so I was definitely out of my comfort zone with this one, but the recipe is so easy to follow. One of my clients even went so far as to say that they didn’t believe the fact that I have never in my life cooked ribs before tonight after eating them
Sydney says
10/10! My 5 year old said that it was the best dinner she’s ever had, my 3 year old just ate it right up, my boyfriend said it was good, and the meat fell right off the bones. I didn’t put the cayenne pepper in, but I did use chilli powder! Thank you so very much for the recipe!
Kat says
Made this recipe twice, got them in the oven a third time as we speak. Awesome oven baked rib recipe for sure. I personally like to made a little Carolina style bbq for these bad boys. If you’re into that mustard base bbq sauce, you’ll love it. Guaranteed!