I usually smoke my ribs, but there are times when I’m more than happy to cook them in other ways. Usually, that means on the Char-Broil Big Easy. Once, heck, I even made them in the slow cooker! Gasp! This time I figured I’d try oven baked ribs, which really isn’t much different than using the Big Easy.
I ended up with tender, juicy ribs that tasted absolutely great. Of course, they do not have that smoky flavor I’d get on the smoker, cooked for 6 hours. But, I make up for that a bit by adding smoky ingredients like smoked paprika and using a smoky (hickory in this case) BBQ sauce at the end.
Although I did not include it in the recipe below, I’d consider adding a drop (and surely not much more) of liquid smoke to the foil before sealing the ribs. There’s already a good bit of great smokiness added by the smoked paprika so I wouldn’t go crazy with the liquid smoke. If you aren’t a fan of liquid smoke but want more smoky flavor, substitute smoked sea salt for the Kosher salt.
I used back ribs, though when I smoke ribs I almost always use spare ribs trimmed St. Louis-style. I wouldn’t use spare ribs in this recipe because I’d be afraid that the additional fat in them would almost end up ‘boiling’ the ribs in the foil.
If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.
Also try my oven-baked hot dogs. Hankerin’ for more ribs? Make some slow cooker Vietnamese ribs.
Oven Baked Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks back back ribs membrane removed from back, loose fat trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Place ribs onto two large pieces of foil.
- Combine the remaining ingredients except for the sauce. Sprinkle the rub mixture over the ribs on all sides. Depending on the size of your ribs you may not end up needing all of the rub.
- Seal the foil tightly, transfer to a large baking sheet and place in the oven.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
- Carefully open the foil.There will be lots of hot liquid accumulated in the bottom of the foil packets!
- Remove the ribs from the foil (they might be quite tender, so support them from underneath using large turners or flat wooden paddles and transfer to the baking sheets.
- Brush with plenty of sauce and place ribs under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has set.
- Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with more sauce for dipping if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
