I love my bbq baby back ribs recipe something fierce. First, I give folks two ways to make them: on the grill or in the oven. Next I add a bomb homemade spice dry rub that really gets in the meat making it super flavor. And finally, I cook those babies until they are straight up fall-off-the-bone ready. They end up smoky, tender and straight up delish boos. Serve them along with some baked beans, potato salad, fried corn and a glass of fresh lemonade and get your whole life.
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How to make Baby Back Ribs
To Prep the Ribs
- Rinse your ribs and pat dry. Flip bone side up and remove the thin membrane with a small knife.
- In a large bag, combine brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, chili powder, mustard powder, and cayenne. Shake to mix it together.
- Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Spray ribs with oil, coat with the dry rub, then wrap tightly in foil. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
To Grill
- Oil the grill grates. Place the ribs bone side down over indirect heat, cover, and cook 1½ hours. Flip and cook another 1½ hours until super tender (internal temp 145°F).
- Move to direct heat, brush with BBQ sauce, and grill uncovered 5–10 minutes.
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To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake covered 2½ hours, adding 30–45 minutes if not tender (internal temp 145°F). Drain fat, then brush both sides with BBQ sauce.
BBQ Baby Back Ribs Recipe
Spiced with a smoky-sweet dry rub and finished with BBQ sauce, these are the Ultimate BBQ Baby Back Ribs! You can slowly bake or grill these over hot coals!
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Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 8-10 lbs pork baby back ribs (you can also cut the recipe in half if you are cooking for a smaller group)
For the Dry Rub
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 4 tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Oil cooking spray
For Final Basting
- BBQ sauce use your fave or homemade
Instructions
- Properly rinse ribs and pat dry with paper towels.
- Turn the rack of ribs bone side up. Using a sharp small knife, slip it between the membrane and the bone then remove the membrane. It should pull right off after you get some momentum.
- In a plastic bag, shake together brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, black pepper, smoked paprika, kosher salt, cumin, chili powder, mustard powder and cayenne pepper until combined.
- Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil and lay one of the racks of rib on top. Make sure the foil is longer than the rack.
- Spray the outside of the rack of ribs with oil spray then massage dry rub into each side of the ribs.
- Cover the ribs with the foil and wrap tightly then store in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
To Grill Ribs
- Make sure to properly oil the grates of the grill so the meat won’t stick.
- Once the grill is ready and hot, place the ribs bone side down on the grill over indirect heat. Grill covered for an 1 ½ hours then turn them over and grill for an additional 1 ½ hours still over indirect heat.
- Make sure you are checking every now and again on the ribs to make sure they don’t stick or burn if they get close to direct heat. After 3 hours or so, the ribs should be super tender. If not, continue for an additional 30 minutes. The ribs should have an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Transfer the ribs to direct heat and brush with bbq sauce on both sides. Grill uncovered for 5-10 minutes then remove.
To Bake Ribs
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake ribs for 2 ½ hours. Check to see if they are incredibly tender. If not, leave covered and allow to bake an additional 30-45 minutes. The ribs should have an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Drain the excess fat from the ribs then apply bbq sauce to both sides.
- Turn your oven on to broil and allow the sauce to stick to the ribs then remove.
Notes
In the fridge, wrap your ribs with foil and store for up to 4 days. You can also wrap tightly in foil then add to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Just thaw in the fridge overnight. To reheat, I keep in the foil and add to the oven at 300 degrees until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 808mg | Potassium: 633mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1038IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg
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Recipe Tips
- Get the right meat: Avoid slabs of ribs with exposed bones or uneven distribution of meat. You’ll want meat evenly distributed over the rack. The itself should be a bright reddish-pink and plump in volume.
- Remove the membrane: That’s the silver colored skin on the underside of the ribs. If possible, get your butcher to do it for you.
- If grilling, use medium-heat coals: You’ll want to cook the ribs at a low to medium heat. Going low and slow is the best way to get super-tender, smoky meat.
- Watch those ribs: If you are grilling, keep paying attention and only flip when necessary. Also don’t add any bbq sauce until the last 30 minutes or the sugars will burn along with the ribs.
- Give it a rest: Let the cooked ribs wait at least 15 minutes before serving so they stay juicy and don’t get dry.
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Oh, YES! I made these for my husband and I and when I tell you he spoke about the rub a hundred times… he’s a grill person. I cooked them in the oven low and slow. I continue to try you recipes and love them. Thank you and your Grandmother, again!
Oh that’s fantastic. So glad you enjoy this.
I would love to see a recipe for country style pork ribs. That is what I actually came here looking for after having tried your neck bones. Those were out of this world! I’m trying to decide if I can somehow convert this recipe to country style ribs and what changes to make to do so. Part of me wants to use this rub and cook them at 300 with onion on top like the neck bones. I’m wondering if I should sear them like the neck bones or just do them the same as the baby backs in this recipe. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I have made this recipe at least four times in the last year. The rub on these ribs never disappoints. Two hours each side keeping the grill at a constant 250 degrees and then putting on direct heat is just perfect. Always a hit in my house.
YES I love this so much!!!!
Love this! I do about the same but less busy on the spices, usually salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic and onion powder dash of cayenne… I slow cook in the oven wrapped in foil for 4-5 hours at 200, then finish with bbq sauce and grilling them 5 minutes a side. Bones just fall out.
Sounds delish. I love heavy spices to really hold up to the meat.
These were hit! Can I say wow bring on the heat! We followed the spices listed, delicious! The slipped off the bones as we bit into or cut away from the bone. Next time we won’t cook as many racks! We only had 5 of us eating, My husband was afraid 3 racks wouldn’t be enough…he bought another 3 pack (knowing he would freeze the left overs…) HA! Incase anyone is wondering…# men and 2 ladies ate about 1-1/2 racks, had hubby’s jaw and ear not been hurting he likely would have finished off that other 1/2!
So glad you liked them!!
The Best.. this will be my 4th time making … ylsooo yummy
Thanks so much, Barbara
These were delicious! Definitely saving it for future reference.
Trying this recipe out and anxious to dig in when they’re done. Have you ever tried your spice recipe on other pork besides ribs? I was thinking maybe chops or a pork roast.
Yess, girl! You it’s great on all types of pork and even chicken!! Hope you enjoy!
Oh, NUH UH! Thank you, thank you, thank you! So many things I want to say. First of all, I have never made a rub for a rack of ribs, or any meat of any kind! I’ve always consider that a man thing, lol. I have to say, we didn’t have time to marinate it overnight, or even for six hours. It was about four hours. We put it in the oven at 300 for two hours and put the rest of it on the top rack of our grill outside for another 1 hr. AWESOME!
Haha thanks boo!