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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I used mustard instead of cooking oil as my binder for the dry rub. I also baked them and then basted the bbq on them. These were amazing!
Oh. My. Goodness! I just had a couple hrs for the rub to work, but these ribs were lit!!! My husband and I both loved the flavor!!!! So very good…this will certainly be my go-to recipe!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipie!! As well as the brownie recipie. We are going to make the rub for the ribs today but tweaked the spicy back a bit. If you haven’t tried this recipe YOU HAVE TO TRY IT! I love me a good Memphis dry rub, great crust and juice. Thank you so much Jocelyn!!
Did not select a rating as I am planning on making these ribs next weekend and will come back to rate them then! I was wondering if you think they will work in my Emeril LaGasse 360 XL AirFryer? I love your recipes and thank you so much for sharing them with us. God Bless.
I actually haven’t made these in my air fryer yet but I think all things can work in an air fryer so definitely give it a go! Also if you try, please report back and let us know what settings you used and how long you cooked them for and how they turned out.
Just made these today for Mother’s Day lunch. SO DELICIOUS! I dialed back on the spice a bit. They came out great! This is my third recipe I’ve tried from Jocelyn and I have yet to be disappointed.
Amazing!! Great crust and still moist! Thank you for sharing!
I baked them in the oven and my husband asked where I “got them from”! He loved them. They were delicious! I also use Sweet baby Ray’s bar—b-q sauce. I love Asian so I added teriyaki sauce on one slab. It was delicious.
This was so delicious! I made it with your corn muffins and the meal was perfection. Thank you!
Father’s Day dinner was epic thanks to this recipe
Made this recipe over the weekend and it was delicious! I chose to bake it in the oven and it was perfectly tender and flavorful.