Baby Back Ribs
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These baby back ribs are the real deal: fall-off-the-bone tender, deep smoky flavor, and an irresistible caramelized bark. I’ve got instructions for the smoker, oven, and grill—so you’re covered no matter your setup.
Smoky, sweet, sticky, and savory—these baby back ribs taste just like the ones from your favorite BBQ joint, only you can make them right at home. They’re generously seasoned with a homemade spice rub, cooked low and slow until tender and juicy, then slathered with barbecue sauce and finished until the outside forms a flavorful bark.
I’ll walk you through how to make them whether you’ve got a smoker, an oven, or want to start them inside and finish on the grill. However you cook them, these ribs are seriously good and surprisingly easy.
“I don’t throw this word around, but there’s no other way to describe this recipe than AMAZING!”
What You’ll Need To Make Baby Back Ribs
- Baby Back Ribs: Also called back ribs or loin ribs, these come from high up on the pig’s back, near the spine, and are smaller and leaner than other rib cuts like spare ribs. Don’t let the “baby” part fool you—they’re not from baby pigs. They’re just shorter, extra tender, and not too fatty, which is why they’re the most popular cut for fall-off-the-bone pork ribs.
- Spice Rub: My homemade BBQ spice rub is made from sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dry mustard, oregano and cayenne pepper. The recipe will give you exactly enough rub for two racks of ribs.
- Barbecue Sauce: You can use my homemade sweet and tangy barbecue sauce or a good quality store-bought sauce, like Sweet Baby Ray’s.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Cooking Ribs: Smoker VS Oven (or Oven-to-Grill)
The best way to cook ribs is in a smoker. Like smoked brisket, ribs benefit from long, slow cooking in a smoky chamber—usually over 4 hours at a low temp. This gently breaks down the connective tissue and renders the fat, giving you juicy, tender ribs with deep smoky flavor. I use a vertical wood pellet smoker from Pit Boss.
If you don’t have a smoker or are short on time, the oven is your best bet. The ribs cook in about 2 hours, then get a quick blast under the broiler or on the grill to set the sauce. They won’t be quite as smoky as ribs from a smoker, but they’re still super tender—and the spice rub adds plenty of smoky flavor.
How To Prep Baby Back Ribs
Remove the membrane: Before seasoning the ribs, it’s best to remove the thin membrane on the underside. I usually ask the butcher to handle it, but it’s simple to do at home. Just slip a butter knife under the membrane at one end to loosen it. Once you’ve got an edge lifted, grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it away—if you’re lucky, it will come off in one piece. (A paper towel gives you a better grip on the slippery membrane and makes the job much easier.)
Season the ribs: Coat the ribs evenly on both sides with about half of the spice rub. Let them sit for about 15 minutes so the rub starts to “sweat” into the meat (letting the rub sit before cooking helps draw moisture to the surface, which pulls the spices deeper into the meat as it cooks). Coat the ribs with the remaining rub. It might seem like a lot, but use it all!
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
Smoker Method: Preheat the smoker to 225°F and place the rubbed ribs directly on the racks. Smoke for 2 hours, until they’ve developed good color. Wrap each rack tightly in heavy-duty foil and return to the smoker for another 1½ hours—this helps them steam and stay juicy. Carefully unwrap (leave them on the foil), brush the tops with BBQ sauce, then loosely fold the foil around the ribs to form a tray. Return to the smoker and cook for about an hour more, until the ribs are tender and the sauce is set. To check doneness, lift a rack from the center with tongs; if it bends easily and the meat cracks on top, they’re ready.
Oven (or Oven-to-Grill) Method: Place the spice-rubbed ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet, cover tightly with more foil, and bake at 300°F for about 2 hours, until tender. To finish, brush with BBQ sauce and either broil for a few minutes until bubbly and caramelized, or grill for about 10 minutes, basting as you go until they’re nicely charred and heated through. (Don’t skip this step; it’s what gives the ribs that sticky, caramelized bark.)
Cooked baby back ribs can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
More BBQ Recipes You May Like
Best Baby Back Ribs
These ribs are every bit as good as the ones from your favorite BBQ place—and you can make them right in your own kitchen or backyard.
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Ribs
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- About 6 tablespoons homemade or store-bought BBQ sauce, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Make the Spice Rub: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, ground mustard, and cayenne pepper.
- Preheat the smoker to 225°F or the oven to 300°F. (If using the oven, set one rack in the middle position and one rack in the top position.)
- Remove the membrane that coats the underside of each rack of ribs: Using a butter knife, loosen the membrane around one of the end bones, scraping it away from the ribs. Once you get under it, grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it off. If you’re lucky, it will come off all in one piece. (Alternatively, ask your butcher to do this for you.)
- Coat the ribs evenly on both sides with about half of the spice rub. Allow the ribs to sit for about 15 minutes to "sweat" and absorb the rub, then coat the racks with the remainder of the rub. It will seem like too much rub but it's not – use it all.
- Smoker Method: Place the spice-coated ribs in the smoker and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and double wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil. Return to the smoker for 1½ hours. Remove the foil-wrapped ribs from the smoker (hot grease may drip out of the foil, so be careful). Carefully unwrap, leaving the ribs on the foil, and brush to the top of each rack with about 3 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce. Fold the edges of the foil around the ribs, creating a makeshift “pan” for each rack. Place the racks back in the smoker on the foil and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour more, or until the racks are tender. To determine if they're done, lift them from the center with tongs – if they bend easily and the meat “cracks” on top, they are ready. Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
- Oven or Oven-to-Grill Method: Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the spice-coated ribs on the prepared pan, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake until tender, about 2 hours. Turn the oven to broil. Remove the foil from the ribs and brush each rack with 3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce. Broil until the sauce just starts to bubble and caramelize, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close eye on the ribs while they're under the broiler; because of the sugar in the rub and sauce, they will quickly go from nicely caramelized to burnt. (Alternatively, you can skip the broiling and finish the ribs on the grill. Preheat the grill to medium and grill the baked racks for 10 to 15 minutes, brushing occasionally with the BBQ sauce until charred in spots and heated through. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.) Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
- Reheating/Freezing Instructions:The cooked ribs will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or they can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the ribs overnight in refrigerator if necessary, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the ribs with another layer of BBQ sauce and cover tightly with foil. Warm in a 250°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sauce to set and the bark to crisp up.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 1,298
- Fat: 88 g
- Saturated fat: 31 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Sugar: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 103 g
- Sodium: 1340 mg
- Cholesterol: 369 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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this is a great recipe! instant hit in my family! and it’s so easy!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I am a recently widowed 65 year old who hasn’t cooked in decades. Your instructions were easy to follow. Best ribs I’ve had in a long time. God bless.
Glad you enjoyed them, and so sorry for your loss.
Hi, Jenn –
I’m excited to try your recipe for baby back ribs! I noticed that the recipe calls for smoked paprika. Do you usually use hot smoked or sweet smoked paprika?
Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful recipes!
Hi Cindy, I use sweet 🙂
Jenn can I use center cut spare ribs for this recipe?
Hi Ellen, that should be fine, but they will take a bit longer to cook. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn – you have made me a good cook – thank you so much! I was wondering would I have to adjust the recipe or cooking time using bone in pork riblets? I’m making them tonight. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, So glad you like the recipes! I think you can use the riblets with no other modifications. Enjoy!
For the oven method, do you cook the ribs bone side down or meat side down?
Bone-side-down. Enjoy!
God no. The Cayenne kills this receipe. Drop the pepper. Add a bit of brown sugar.
Settle down, Pete. You can omit the cayenne and add anything you want. I use my own rub and this method to make excellent ribs. This is a great recipe.
Hi Jen
I would love to double this recipe for 8ppl. Would the cooking times change at all?
Many thanks!
If they change at all, the difference will be minimal (and it would be because the oven is more crowded). Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jenn,
I made these tonight using oven/broiler directions and they were so tender and delicious! My husband thinks I am a great cook but little does he know. Thank you for another great recipe!
Oh Jenn, I have to tell you this was divine tonight. We smoked (with hickory chips) them on our Napoleon Grill at 300° using your oven to grill instructions, we have found our new summer rib recipe
AMAZING!!!
Hi Jenn,
We tried this with both the oven method and grill method for July 4th. The oven method won out, really excellent. I think the temperature on our grill was inconsistent. I’m making them again tonight in the oven. Really easy and nice blend of seasonings. (I did leave out the Cayenne pepper.) Thanks for the great recipe, this is definitely a keeper.