Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs for Two
Who wants to make BBQ Ribs? Yes, even in the middle of winter, you can make Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs all year round. Start with a homemade BBQ rub that slowly bakes into the ribs. Brush the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce when they’re almost done. And bake them again. So easy!
Small Batch BBQ Ribs
Ok. Maybe this is three servings, but no one will complain about leftover ribs. AM*I*RIGHT?? Or you can set aside some of the ribs right away and have ribs for dinner two nights in a row. That feels decadent. And I like it!
What do you need for these BBQ Ribs?
The spices list looks like a lot, but it’s all mostly pantry staples. If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika, but you’ll miss out on the smokey goodness of smoked paprika.
- spare ribs, baby back ribs, or St. Louis style ribs
- brown sugar
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- salt
- chili powder
- black pepper
- cinnamon
- your favorite barbecue sauce
- baking sheet
- foil
What Kind of Ribs Do I Use?
This recipe is for pork ribs, not beef ribs. And generally, we’re talking about bone-in pork ribs. You can use spare ribs, baby back ribs, or St. Louis-style ribs.
Spare Ribs are the biggest of bone-in pork ribs. These are fairly large pork bone-in ribs.
Baby Back Ribs are smaller than spare ribs and have less meat but also less fat. This style is commonly served in restaurants.
St. Louis Style Ribs are trimmed Spare Ribs. So they’re shorter and straight. It is a popular cut to cook on the grill because of the cut.
Use any of these ribs for this recipe. The photos are of St. Louis-style ribs. But I’ve also made these with both of the other styles of ribs while testing this recipe.
To Make the BEST Ribs
To make the best ribs, pull off the silvery fascia on the underside of the ribs. It makes all the difference in ribs with tough, chewy parts and ribs that are melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
A reader sent me a tip about removing the silvery skin, and I thought I would share it with you! Reader Joe says, “To make pulling off the “silver skin” (fascia) easier, grip the skin with a paper towel when pulling. Makes the task MUCH EASIER.” And I agree it does make it so much easier, you can actually get a grip on it! Thanks, Joe.
What To Serve With These Ribs
These ribs are great served with twice-baked potatoes, cauliflower with cheese sauce, or even potato salad!
Store Leftovers
Put leftovers away in air-tight containers. Store for up to 4 days covered in the fridge.
Reheat as desired. We used the air fryer, and it made the meat crispy. We really enjoyed them reheated.
Oven Baked BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds St. Louis Style Ribs can use regular pork spare ribs OR baby back ribs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- BBQ Sauce use your favorite, and as much as you like, slather it on or apply it sparingly
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 250°
- line a baking sheet with foil
- place the ribs on a baking sheet
- pat the ribs dry
- turn them over and pull off the silvery piece of fascia, just work a knife under it, and start pulling it off, it will be slick and tough to remove but it's worth it
- mix together the dry rub spices
- rub the ribs all over with the spices
- lay another piece of foil over the top of the ribs and make a foil packet around the ribs
- bake in the oven for 3 hours or so
- remove from the oven and carefully open the foil
- brush the ribs with bbq sauce
- increase the heat to 350° and bake the ribs for another 30 minutes
- when the sauce is thickened up and got shiny remove the ribs from the oven
- carefully cut between the ribs and serve
To make pulling off the “silver skin” (fascia) easier, grip the skin with a paper towel when pulling. Makes the task MUCH EASIER.