To-die-for Pork Ribs recipe with fall apart meat slathered in a sticky homemade barbecue sauce! These oven Pork Ribs are rubbed with a spice mix, slow cooked until fall-apart-tender then basted generously with the tangy, sweet sauce. Can’t-stop-eating it, finger-licking’ good!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Pork Ribs recipe
If you nibble daintily at a rib, holding it delicately between 2 fingers, and wipe your fingers clean with linen napkins, you and I will probably never be friends.
If you grab them with your hands, devour with gusto, get sauce all over your mouth, smearing up towards your cheekbones, then drop the bones sucked dry of every fibre of meat and sauce so they clatter dramatically on your plate, then noisily suck each and every one of your fingers clean of all that sticky barbecue sauce….
….if that’s you, then you are my kind of people.
And welcome to the pork ribs of your dreams!
These oven baked pork ribs recipe are:
super easy
the meat is tender
ribs are infused with flavour from a rub AND braising the ribs in apple cider;
finished with a simple but incredibly tasty homemade barbecue sauce.
These Oven Pork Ribs are fall apart tender and slathered with an incredible homemade barbecue sauce!
How to make Oven Pork Ribs
Here’s how I make pork ribs in the oven. There’s a few key things here:
Rub for the pork ribs – to add flavour;
Liquid for cooking – this is a key step for this pork ribs recipe! It creates a steamy situation while the ribs slow cook in the oven to keep them nice and juicy. My liquid of choice is alcoholic apple cider (also known as hard apple cider) because as with many things, alcohol adds extra layers of flavour. But there’s loads of other options: beer, apple juice, broth or even water;
Homemade barbecue sauce – Ribs are a bit of an occasion around these parts so using store bought Barbecue Sauce doesn’t even cross my mind. It’s also one of those sauces that’s astonishingly simple to make at home and really is that much better than store bought because it tastes pure and real and doesn’t have that slight artificial edge of store bought. Try it once and you’ll be converted for life!
Baste, bake, baste, bake! The more you baste-bake, the better your sticky barbecue sauce coating on the ribs.
Type of ribs to use
Oven Pork Ribs are ideal for Baby Back and St Louis Style Pork Ribs. It will also work for Pork Spareribs but the oven cook time should be reduced by 20 minutes (as they are less meaty).
🇦🇺In Australia, we do not (yet!) distinguish between various cuts of pork ribs (most are a Baby Back / St Louis style hybrid or they are very skimpy Spare Ribs). There’s also a great deal of inconsistency with how pork ribs are cut between butchers and the big grocery chains (Costco, Aldi, Woolies, Coles).
Just look for meaty pork ribs that are nice an fatty. Avoid the ribs that are cut so close to the bone on both sides there’s barely any meat – miserable eating experience plus it’s criminal to pay for 70% bone!
What you need for Oven Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce
And here’s what you need. Nothing unique here, except perhaps the molasses in the barbecue sauce.
I can’t remember where I first saw it, but I added it to my barbecue sauce once then I never looked back. It adds colour and intensity of flavour that can’t be replicated! Truly worth using if you can get your hands on it. If not, don’t fret – substitute with golden syrup or use dark brown sugar instead of normal brown sugar. Similar result!
Barbecue Sauce for Pork Ribs
The barbecue sauce in this recipe is used for both glazing and serving. It is literally a plonk and simmer job. Low maintenance and effortless, and really tastes of pure flavour compared to store bought (says she who has done side-by-side taste testing!).
It will look like we’re making a LOT, with the recipe calling for 1 1/2 cups of ketchup. But trust me when I say you want to have more rather than too little. There’s nothing worse than being stingy when glazing the ribs – you want to slather generously with abundance without worrying about saving some for serving!
(PS And if you’re a sticky BBQ Sauce lover, try this BBQ Brisket and BBQ Beef Ribs next…)
What to serve with Pork Ribs
In the spirit of a Southern barbecue feast, serve up your sticky oven pork ribs with a side of Macaroni Salad and corn on the cob (try the most amazing GRILLED Buttered Corn!).
Other favourites include:
Potato Salad – Classic creamy Potato Salad or for lighter options, no-mayo Lemon Potato Salad and Red Potato Salad with Charred Corn and Bacon
Corn Bread or Corn Bread Muffins (or try these Cheese Muffins)
And for something fresh, try this Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad or a cooling German Cucumber Salad.
This is a forgiving pork ribs recipe – and it’s loaded with plenty of flavour!
As long as you get nice juicy, fatty ribs (which they typically are), it will be pretty hard to stuff this recipe up! Ribs are a tough cut of meat so they’re made for slow cooking until it’s nice and tender.
It’s quite forgiving with the cook time, unlike some other types of proteins like poultry. So even if you cook it 30 minutes too long, it will still be juicy and delicious.
There is simply no way to look elegant eating pork ribs. Just accept you will have very sticky fingers, sauce smeared on your face and a huge goofy grin! -Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
More rib recipes
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Oven Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
Barbecue Rub for Ribs:
- 2.5 tsp paprika powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder (sub with onion powder)
- 1.5 tsp onion powder (sub with garlic powder)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (omit for not spicy)
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
Ribs
- 2 – 2.5kg / 4 – 5lb pork ribs (2 racks)
- 3/4 cup sweet alcoholic apple cider (hard cider) , or apple juice (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup (or Aussie tomato sauce)
- 1/2 cup water (or use remaining apple cider!)
- 1 1/2 tbsp molasses , orginal (not blackstrap, Note 4)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Tabasco or cayenne pepper (optional, for spiciness)
Instructions
- Combine the Rub ingredients and rub onto both sides of the ribs (most on meaty side). Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F (all oven types).
- Place ribs on a tray in a single layer. Pour apple cider underneath the ribs, cover with foil then bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the meat is pretty tender (Note 5).
- Remove from oven, turn up to 180°C/350°F. Remove foil, drizzle with olive oil, then return ribs to oven for 15 minutes or until rub becomes nice and crusty.
- Line a new tray with foil then baking / parchment paper (you'll thank me later).
- Remove ribs from oven, transfer to lined tray. Pour any juices from tray over the ribs.
- Flip ribs so the bonier side is up. Slather with Barbecue Sauce, then bake 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven, then turn ribs over so the meaty side is up. Slather with Barbecue Sauce, bake 5 minutes. Repeat 2 or 3 more times until you've got a thick glaze on the ribs.
- Cut ribs into individual or multiple rib portions and serve with remaining Barbcue Sauce!
Barbecue Sauce
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until thickened.
- Adjust to taste: sweetness with brown sugar / honey, salt and sour with vinegar. Use for glazing ribs and as a sauce for serving.
Recipe Notes:
- Follow recipe to end of Step 4 (ie 2nd baked uncovered to make Rub crusty)
- Brush bony side of ribs with sauce, then cook on BBQ indirect heat on high (bony side up) with lid down for 5 minutes.
- Flip so meaty side is up, baste, cook with lid down for 5 minutes. Repeat 3 times until you have a nice caramelised glaze!
Nutrition Information:
Pork ribs recipe originally published January 2016. Updated August 2019 with new photos, improved recipe, brand new video and new Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
He doesn’t need a 4 leaf clover for luck. He was BORN lucky….. at least, from the moment he became MINE!! #spoiltbrat #wantfornothing #PrinceDozer
This is a great recipe. I think I could’ve cooked the ribs for longer before glazing but the final result was soooo yum. Not too sweet. Had it with sweet Potato and corn and an iceberg lettuce salad with yogurt dressing. Delish!!!
I’m a vegetarian mum and cooked this last night…totally got the tick of approval from my family…apparently the BEST RIBS EVER!!!
Made a couple of substitutes in the sauce because of what I had on hand in the pantry but still totally delicious. Thanks so much for sharing and making meals in our house next level 💙
Perfect Anna!!! N x
Omg I made these ribs tonight for my family and that bbq sauce is the bomb. Thank you thank you thank you.
I’m so glad that I double the bbq sauce recipe as there was only a little left.
You are the best Nagi thank you.
Made an account specifically to rave about this recipe. I watch my sodium so I omitted the salt and the ribs were still phenomenal. I made them for my family and they are still talking about them. They were fall off the bone tender and so full of flavor. I will definitely make again and again! Thank you for a wonderful recipe 🙂
Made these tonight, I didn’t have any cider or apple juice so I subbed with apple/mango juice and a bit of white wine. They tasted great and turned out perfect. Yummo ! Will be making again definitely!
Best ribs recipe ever!!
I’m so happy you love them Karol! N x
Hi Nagi, These ribs are absolutely delicious! I’ve made them twice and have had many request the recipe.
Thank you for so many amazing recipes.
By the way, you are always 5 star for all your recipe. Lucia
Hi Nagi, I love all your recipe. I make the rib for 4th July, follow every step your recipe and came out perfect and so good. I definitely will make it again. Thank you for sharing. Hope you never stop share with us your outstanding recipe. God bless you. Lucia
Hi Nagi, does it matter if the ribs marinate in the rub for 48hours in the fridge?
That will be fine Rachel! N x
Hey Nagi,
LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR RECIPES! Can i use a slow cooker for these ribs? if so how long do i need to cook them for and what changes with the instructions?
Hi Hannan, I imagine you could but you need to have one layer only (not are you’d have room) and you’d need to finish them in the oven too. N x
I made this for my family for Father’s Day dinner. It was a HIT!! They all LOVED it! I’m DEFINITELY gonna do this again. Thanks for sharing
I only have boneless pork ribs. How does this change the cooking time?
My first time preparing ribs Nagi, they were perfection, thank you! Brilliant recipe and so easy to follow with no random ingredients. Everything is already in the pantry. Can I ask though, would this recipe work for beef ribs? I have a man child who would love this but doesn’t eat pork. I would appreciate your advice. Your website is rapidly becoming my go to for everything food related! Keep em coming’!
Hi Leah, yes this would definitely work with beef – you’ll just need to adjust the cook time depends on size though. N x
Hi, Nagi,
I am making this ribs recipe again. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with easy-to-follow instructions. This recipe goes along perfectly with the 2-rack pork ribs I buy from Sam’s club in GA. I will be sharing this with my family this weekend. Wish you the best, and I look forward to your future recipes too!
~Yoonhee
Hi Nagi – I just had to comment and say that I am making your ribs, AGAIN! It’s Father’s Day here on Sunday (South Africa) and the dads are coming for lunch. This has become a huge favourite and I have 8 (yes 8!) racks in the oven! Thanks for your amazing recipes – give Dozer a tummy tickle for me – my dog can’t wait to have some rib bones on Sunday 🙂
I made this for the first time yesterday (20JUN2021) for Father’s Day! My family loved to and I’m definitely gonna do it again. PLUS the homemade BBQ sauce tastes better than anything I’ve ever bought!
Wondering if Chelsea treacle would work instead of molasses? I only seem to be able to find blackstrap here (NZ). Thanks!
Hi Ashlee, yes treacle will be fine here – love to know if you enjoy the ribs! N x
HI Nagi
Can i first start by saying thank you so much for sharing this incredible rib recipe . I cooked these for the family and did 4 racks and they lasted about 10 minutes , They are the best ribs i have ever eaten and the kids went nuts over them .
And yet another FANTASTIC recipe! Nagi, how do you do it?!? I’m not sure how you do it, but I am so thankful that you do! Tender, flavorful, and absolutely amazing ribs! I grew up in the South in the States and I’ve eaten my fair share of bbq ribs. I can tell you that these are simply amazing! Please don’t ever stop with the phenomenal recipes! 💕
Great to hear you liked the ribs, April! Not quite as good as smokehouse ribs in the South, but still delish! 🙂 – Nx
These were unbelievably good.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them Don!! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x