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This easy baby back ribs recipe is smoky, sweet, and just the right amount of spicy! Baked until tender and finished with a sticky BBQ glaze, these ribs are flavorful and fall-off-the-bone good!
If you love this ribs recipe, try my Instant Pot BBQ pulled pork and this out-of-this-world pulled pork mac and cheese, too! And for another easy cookout idea, check out these BBQ chicken skewers.
Fall Off the Bone Ribs
Pork back ribs are always a treat, but supremely tender, well-seasoned ribs smothered in a delicious honey BBQ sauce made from scratch?! Forget it! You’ll never make ribs another way. The flavor in this recipe is unmatched, and you don’t need any out-of-the-ordinary tools or equipment to make it happen.
The oven cooks the ribs until they’re tender and juicy, and then you can add some char on the grill if you’d like. However you prefer your ribs, this recipe can be tweaked to compensate. And it’s all super easy to perfect!
Ingredients For This Baby Back Ribs Recipe
Below, I’ve included notes and substitution tips for each ingredient used in this recipe. For exact measurements and step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Baby Back Ribs – You’ll need 2 racks of pork back ribs, about 4 to 5 pounds total. These are leaner and more tender than spare ribs. You can also use St. Louis-style ribs—just adjust the cook time slightly.
- Light Brown Sugar – Adds sweetness and helps tenderize the meat. Dark brown sugar works too if you want a deeper, more molasses-like flavor.
- Cayenne Pepper – I use about ½ teaspoon for a gentle kick. Adjust to your heat preference or leave it out.
- Chili Powder – Adds smoky depth. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on how bold you want it. You can also sub in smoked paprika.
- Onion Powder & Garlic Powder – Use ½ teaspoon of each to bring savory flavor to the rub. If you prefer fresh garlic, go for it, just watch it closely as it can burn.
- Dried Oregano – One teaspoon adds a subtle herbiness. Italian seasoning is a fine swap if that’s what you have.
- Salt & Black Pepper – Season to taste. I like to be generous here to balance all the other flavors.
- Chicken Broth – I use 1 cup of low-sodium broth to keep the ribs moist during baking. Veggie broth works just as well.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Just 2 tablespoons add a nice tang and help tenderize the ribs. Lemon juice or white wine vinegar are good substitutes.
- Honey Barbecue Sauce – You’ll need 1 cup of thick, sweet BBQ sauce. I love using my homemade honey BBQ sauce, but any bottled favorite works great here, too.
How to Marinate Baby Back Ribs
Before we get cooking, we’ll need to let the ribs soak in our yummy marinade. Here’s what to do!
- Combine the seasonings: In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper; mix to combine.
- Season the ribs: Rub the mixture on all sides of the ribs.
- Marinate: Place in a roasting pan and cover; refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
How to Make Baby Back Ribs in the Oven
Once your meat has marinated, it’s time to move on to the baking portion of the recipe. Believe it or not, the “hard” part is already done!
- Heat Oven: Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- Add Liquids to Roasting Pan: Pour the chicken broth and apple cider vinegar in the roasting pan with the ribs.
- Bake: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the ribs for 2 hours. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a large platter; set aside to rest.
- Simmer Liquids & Add BBQ Sauce: Pour the liquids from the roasting pan into a saucepan and bring to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the amount is reduced by half. Stir in the barbecue sauce and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Serve or Sear: At this point, you can cut the ribs and brush (or toss) them with the prepared sauce and serve, or you can cook them on a preheated grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.
How to Grill Baby Back Ribs
If you’d prefer to grill the ribs instead of baking them, here’s how to do it:
- Prep the Ribs: After rubbing the spice mixture all over the ribs, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor.
- Preheat the Grill: Preheat your grill to 250°F and set it up for indirect heat (turn on one side of the burners and leave the other side off). Lightly oil the grill grates to prevent sticking.
- Grill Low and Slow: Place the ribs bone side down over the indirect heat side of the grill. Cover and grill for 1½ hours. Then flip the ribs and continue grilling (still over indirect heat) for another 1½ hours, checking occasionally to ensure they’re not too close to the flames or drying out.
- Check for Doneness: After about 3 hours, the ribs should be very tender with an internal temp of at least 145°F, though many grillers prefer cooking them closer to 190–200°F for that fall-off-the-bone texture. If needed, continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
- Sauce and Sear: Move the ribs over to direct heat, brush both sides with BBQ sauce, and grill uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, flipping once, until the sauce is caramelized and sticky.
- Rest and Serve: Remove from the grill, let them rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Marinate Overnight: I highly recommend rubbing the ribs with all those wonderful seasonings the night before and letting them chill until the next day. That way, you can just pop them in the oven for a couple of hours and wait for the deliciousness to be done!
- Grill it Up: I like to throw these on the grill for just a few minutes to give them that smoky smell and charred taste. You can skip this step if you’d like, but I encourage you to at least try it! It really highlights the barbecue charm of the dish.
- Remove Membrane: Before you start the marination process, make sure the thin white membrane has been removed from the rack of ribs. If it’s still there, you can remove it yourself by sliding a dull knife under the membrane and pulling it off with your fingers. If you can’t get a good grip on it, grasp it using a small piece of paper towel.
- Season to Taste: If you’re sensitive to spiciness, feel free to tone down some of the hotter ingredients in the spice rub. Just add the cayenne pepper and chili powder to taste rather than jumping right in with what the recipe calls for.
Variation Ideas
- Extra Sweet BBQ Ribs: You can easily amp up the sweetness in this dish by adding extra brown sugar. Marinate the ribs as normal and add more brown sugar while the sauce is simmering until you’re happy with the flavor.
- Pineapple BBQ Ribs: Incorporate fresh pineapple flavor into your ribs (I love this sweet-savory combination in recipes like my pineapple BBQ pork kebabs and pineapple barbecue chicken). It’s as easy as adding some pineapple juice to the roasting pan. If you do this, you may need to simmer the sauce for a few extra minutes. If you don’t have pineapple juice, you can add some extra apple cider vinegar instead to mimic that tangy flavor.
- Extra Smoky BBQ Ribs: Want to achieve that smoky flavor without grilling your ribs – or want to make them doubly smoky and delicious? You can do this by adding about half a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the roasting pan.
- Country-Style Ribs: Check out this easy recipe for country-style pork ribs for another delicious barbeque idea!
Serving Suggestions
I love making a meal with ribs as the main dish. They go great with pretty much everything! Try serving ribs with Hasselback potatoes or creamy red potato salad as an easy BBQ side. Or, make these satisfyingly crunchy zucchini crisps dipped in garlic aioli as an alternative to potato chips. For something leafy, try a spinach blackberry salad or Mediterranean salad.
You can’t have the ultimate barbecue without a fruity cocktail, am I right? Luckily, I have these strawberry beergaritas. Pair them with a starter of stuffed peppers to get the party started in a super tasty way!
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Baby Back Ribs Recipe
This easy baby back ribs recipe is smoky, sweet, and just the right amount of spicy! Baked until tender and finished with a sticky BBQ glaze, these ribs are flavorful and fall-off-the-bone good!
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs, (about 4 pounds total)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Honey Barbecue Sauce
Instructions
- Make the rub. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper; mix to combine.
- Prep the ribs and marinate. Rub the seasoning mixture on all sides of the ribs. Place them in a baking pan and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. For easy cleanup, you can line the pan with aluminum foil.
- Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 250°F.
- Bake. Pour the chicken broth and apple cider vinegar into the roasting pan with the ribs. Pour around the ribs, not directly on top, to avoid washing off the rub. Tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the ribs for 2 hours. Remove from oven and transfer the ribs to a large platter; set aside for at least 10 minutes to rest.
- Reduce the pan sauce. Meanwhile, pour the liquid from the roasting pan into a saucepan and bring it to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Then, stir in the barbecue sauce and remove from the heat.
- Finish and serve. At this point, you can cut the ribs and brush or toss them with the prepared sauce and serve, OR you can cook them (whole) on a preheated grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned. Alternatively, broil for 2–3 minutes per side for that charred finish. Serve.
Equipment
Notes
How to Grill Baby Back Ribs
- Prep the ribs: Rub them with the spice mix, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the grill: Set it to 250°F with indirect heat. Oil the grates to prevent sticking.
- Grill low and slow: Place ribs bone-side down over indirect heat. Cover and grill for 1½ hours, flip, and grill another 1½ hours, still over indirect heat.
- Check doneness: Ribs should be tender and at least 145°F internally. For fall-off-the-bone, aim for 190–200°F.
- Sauce and sear: Move ribs to direct heat, brush with BBQ sauce, and grill uncovered for 5–10 minutes until caramelized.
- Rest, slice, serve: Done!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 454.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 27.7g | Fat: 33.8g | Saturated Fat: 12.5g | Cholesterol: 133.7mg | Sodium: 132.2mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 10.1g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To refrigerate, let the ribs cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze, wrap the ribs tightly in two layers of aluminum foil or place them in a freezer-safe bag with the air pressed out. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat, place the ribs in a roasting pan with a splash of chicken broth or any juices they were stored with. Cover the pan and warm them in a 250°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
Are the ribs on a rack in the roasting pan or submerged in the pan with the broth.
How do you fit 2 racks, side by side or cut them?
Hi!
I don’t use a roasting rack for this recipe. Instead, I place the ribs directly in the pan with the liquids. I’ve also used a rack in the past, and it works well, too! I place them side by side and cut them if necessary.
How spicy does the cayenne pepper make the sauce, because I don’t like really spicy stuff & can the ribs be cooked in a pressure cooker?
If you don’t like spicy at all, use sweet paprika instead of cayenne pepper.
I have not tested this recipe in a pressure cooker, but going by what I know, I’d say to pressure cook them on high pressure for 25 minutes. Then, allow the pressure to release for 15 minutes naturally, and then do a quick release.
as just ondering hat as for supper, noww i know! Ribs!