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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My family loves this recipe! We don’t marinade over night and they still come out tender and delicious!
Fantastic!! Glad to hear it!
Just perfect. Very good recipe, simple and quick to make.
Thank you so much!
The best BBQ ribs ever!! Your recipe was delicious and seasoned so well. I did one thing different I put in oven for 1 1/2 hours and then took them outside on the lowest temp on my grill and added lots if sauce- My goodness they were so flavorful and fell ofc the bone in tenderness. We wished I would have made more!! This was my first time doing ribs myself- love your recipes
So happy to hear they turned out well for you! And thank you so much!!
I made the dry rub, and let them go over night. Do you think two hours in the oven, then finishing on a low grill will work?
I feel like oven ribs, never get the browned rib look!
Yes I think you can totally do that to get some of that smoked flavor as well.
I have not made them that way but you can try it!
Quick question: looking to make these in a few weeks so no rating yet. I am assuming that with either method, grill or oven, we are cooking these without foil, correct? Thanks !!
Hi Matt, great question. If you are cooking them in the oven you do want to leave the top foil on your baking pan after letting it sit overnight. Hope you enjoy!
First time making ribs and everyone LOVED them! Great recipe.
Thank you so much, Brandy!
This is an excellent dry rub recipe for baby back ribs! It had a nice little kick but it wasn’t overwhelming. I tried it today for a Memorial day weekend bbq. Everyone loved it! I will be making it again. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Because of you I had everyone licking their fingers! Lol I Had our memorial weekend bbq yesterday and it went great! Everyone enjoyed ribs and had to share recipe with plenty of the guest!
Thanks much!
Can this recipe be adapted for use in the air fryer or instant pot?
I have not tried this recipe in the air fryer so I am not sure.
Grandbaby cakes coming through AGAIN! I could make one of her recipes for the first time with guests and I never have to worry if it will turn out good or not. It’s always slam dunk. I didn’t have time to marinate the ribs overnight and used the 2.5hr baking option the ribs still came out perfectly flavorful and seasoned to perfection! Huge hit. I used Rufus Teague touch o heat bbq sauce at the end as my bbq option for those looking for a bbq sauce that needs little to no additions.