BBQ Ribs in the Oven then Grill Recipe
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If you want succulent, fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs then the only way to go is to bake them in the oven first, and then finish them off on the grill. Slathering them with a sticky, homemade BBQ sauce of course.
This 2-step process will assure the most fantastic sticky ribs that fall off the bone and will be talked about for weeks afterward! They are that good!
Recipe Pairing Ideas:
- Kick-off your summer BBQ with some refreshing Watermelon Lemonade
- Followed by some Mac and Cheese Bite Appetizers
- Serve these fantastic ribs with my favorite traditional potato salad and my Mexican Corn salad for a delicious, mostly make-ahead summer dinner! Or for a warm and decadent side dish try my Corn Pudding Casserole Recipe.
- And don’t forget the Easy Garlic Knots or Buttermilk Biscuits
- And for dessert? You can’t go wrong with my Peach Tarte Tatin or my Easy Plum Crumble.
Watch a Video Demo of this Rib Recipe Below!
Step#1: Prepare the Spice Rub
The best way to get the most flavor from oven-baked ribs is to use a spice rub. I love this rub because it’s made with many common spices you probably already have in your pantry like cumin, smoked paprika, and ground coriander. When mixed with the brown sugar the flavor created is sweet and smokey with a little bit of a kick.
What Type of Ribs to Buy?
For this BBQ Ribs recipe, you’ll use 2 racks of Pork Spare Ribs (St Louis Style). I think these are the best ribs for entertaining because they’ve been trimmed to a uniform size and are just easier to handle. But for the full rundown on buying pork ribs consult Bon Appetit’s awesome pork-rib buying guide.
Step#2: Rub the Spice Blend on the Ribs
Be sure to rub the spice blend all over the ribs, it will look like a ton of spice but it will dissolve in the oven and flavor the meat. Then seal it up in the foil creating two separate foil packets for each rack.
Step#3: Bake the Ribs for Two Hours in the Oven
Two hours may seem like a long time to wait for ribs! But trust me, you’ll be so glad you did when you take your first bite! Succulent meat, falling off the bone, is well worth the effort! And the only way to get that is to bake them in the oven first!
Place the ribs on separate racks and then switch their positions after one hour.
Once the ribs are done, they will look like this and be tender to the touch. In fact, they’ll be so tender they will be a bit fragile so be careful when handling them.
The best way to bring them out to the grill is on a large baking sheet. They will be easier to handle that way and once cooked, two racks will fit nicely on one sheet pan.
Step#4: Prepare the BBQ Sauce
It’s also a good idea to prepare the BBQ sauce ahead of time so it’s all ready to go once you head out to the grill. This can even be done up to two days before. If you have a large crowd you can make extra BBQ sauce and serve the ribs along with my BBQ Chicken Sliders.
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce
Homemade BBQ Sauce combines store-bought ketchup, molasses, garlic, brown sugar, hot sauce, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk it together in a sauce-pot on a medium-low flame and that’s all there is to it!
Once you learn how to make homemade BBQ sauce from scratch you’ll never go back to anything in a bottle again! Homemade sauce is so much more flavorful and you can dial up the heat or sweetness to suit your personal tastes. And the best part is you probably have most of the ingredients sitting in your pantry and fridge.
Allow it to cool in a Pyrex pitcher and keep refrigerated until you are ready to bring it out to the grill.
Step#5: Grill the Ribs
Since the ribs are already cooked, they only take a few minutes on the grill, on each side, to get a nice char on them. Brush each side with the BBQ sauce in a thin layer to allow the heat to set into the meat.
Then you can slather on some more sauce on each rack once they are grilled. You really can never have too much BBQ Sauce. Especially, when it’s homemade! Just be sure to provide some thick napkins for your guests.
Plating the Ribs
- Bring everything you need for carving out to the grill with you so as soon as the ribs are done, you can slice them tableside before serving.
- It adds a bit of drama to the cocktail chatter and allows you to sit down right away with your guests as soon as they are ready.
Garnishing the Ribs
- You can serve them just like this, or take the extra step to garnish them with some green onions and sesame seeds.
- It’s a simple touch that makes them look a bit fancier and more presentable, “dressed for dinner” if you will. Slice the green onions on the diagonal for an elegant touch.
- These ribs would be a great dinner idea for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, or the 4th of July!
If you enjoyed this Recipe
please leave a rating and a review below!
BBQ Ribs in the Oven then Grill Recipe
A delicious slow-roasted rib recipe with homemade BBQ sauce that's perfect for summer grilling! Baked in the oven first and then finished on the grill you will get the most delicious fall off the bone BBQ Ribs!
Ingredients
For Ribs:
- 2 racks, (5 lbs/2250g) pork spare ribs
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar
- 4 tsp (20ml) ground cumin
- 4 tsp (20 ml) smoked paprika
- 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
- 2 tsp (10 ml) ground coriander
- 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
For BBQ Sauce:
- 1 cup (240 ml) of ketchup
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) of white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) of molasses
- 1 tsp (5 ml) of hot sauce
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp (2.5ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
For Garnish:
- A sprinkle of sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, sliced diagonally
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, coriander and salt.
- Lay out 2 large pieces of aluminum foil, fastened together by folding the seams, across a rimmed baking sheet. You’ll do this twice for 2 racks, 2 baking trays.
- Place the foil going diagonally, since this is probably the only way the ribs will fit on the baking sheet. Place each rack on each piece of foil, rub the dry rub on ribs, both sides.
- Seal up the foil and place in the oven at 350F for 2 hours, rotating each rack (from top to bottom portion of your oven mid-way through).
- Meanwhile, you can prepare the BBQ Sauce in advance.
- To make the sauce: Place everything in a pot and whisk until combined. Simmer to allow flavors to marry. Then allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then just reheat before serving.
- After roasting grill ribs for 3-5 minutes on each side for desired charring. Brush ribs with BBQ sauce on both sides. Cut into single ribs. Place on platter. Brush with more sauce as needed. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, sliced on the diagonal. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 361mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 15g
I decided to try your homemade BBQ sauce with just a few adjustments…I only had a 1/2 of a cup of regular ketchup so I made up the rest with my husbands Whataburger Spicy Ketchup. and I doubled the hot sauce. I had the Stubbs BBQ sauce ready in case I hated it. I asked my hubby to come and taste it, and he LOVED IT!!!!
Thanks for the great recipe!!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad it was a hit! Super yummy and easy right?!
Nice. I’ve followed this recipe several times and use the rub. But for the sauce I now use Stubbs Original BBQ sauce. No one (they had earlier versions) noticed the difference.
Ha! Yes you can do that too if you need to save time 🙂
Ignore my dry rub question, I missed the spices in the recipe. As the kids say, “my bad.”
Wow, Wow, the best ribs I ever had. I had 2 guests for supper tonight and was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be good. The two men that were here for dinner loved the ribs. They kept commenting how good and tender they were. They were not too sweet, they were so tender even the thickest part of the ribs. I am changing my recipe to yours….Thank you so much. Bravo also for the presentation with sesame seeds and green onions!
Aww you are so welcome! I’m so glad they were such a hit! One of my favorites too! 🙂
I have done this and you are correct they are amazing and fall off the bone , thank you for your idea and I plan on passing it along to others to try .
What temperature do you set the oven on for the ribs , before you put them on the BBQ ??
Sure you want to bake them at 350F for 2 hours. Hope you enjoy!
Hey!
Trying out this recipe for first time and very excited. I am wondering about the 3 hour prep time – what takes three hours?
I have the ribs ready and the spice prepared, i have the sauce aswell. But with only 2 hrs in the oven and 10mins on grill just wondering what that 3 hrs is for.
Ha! Oh it’s for the time it takes to make the sauce and measure out and mix the spice blend 🙂 I like to provide the whole prep time, not just the cooking time, so you know what you are in for! 🙂 Ha! Hope you enjoyed them!
Great, tnx
I have not tried the sauce but the rub is excellent! Used some left over for tri tip and it was delicious. I did add black pepper for a bit more heat. My ribs were a bit dry after 2 hours in the oven but, they might have been on the lean side (baby back pork).
Just had the ribs tonite! Used baby back ribs!! A big hit!! Very tender. And sauce is a keeper!
YAY! I’m so glad they were a hit! 🙂
I’ve made a recipe very similar to yours but prep instructions included removing the silver skin on the underside before applying dry rub. Do you typically do this too? Just curious, as it wasn’t mentioned. Plan to try your recipe next time we bbq ribs. Thanks so much! I value your well tested recipes for years now.
Hmm I’m not sure I would remove it. On this style of ribs, it doesn’t seem necessary to me :). I hope you enjoy them and I am so glad the recipes have been a hit! 🙂
ALWAYS take the silver skin off…you don’t eat it, do you? It’s not needed! Just insert a sharp knife, make an incision & pull.
FYI, when I try to print the recipe, there are no instructions, just ingredients. I tried it in two different browsers with the same result.
So sorry Tim! I just fixed that (an old plugin needed to be updated!) so it should be working now 🙂 Apologies for the hassle!
About to try this; usually do a couple small racks with a rub, 2 liter coca cola in a crock for 4hrs high.
I like this shorter idea…
Didn’t see the Recommendation from the oven to the grill how long do you cook them on the grill after being in the oven
Really just a few minutes in order to get a nice charred sear on each side. 5 minutes each side tops 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Do you take the foil off before grilling?
Yes. Definitely take the foil off before grilling 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
grill ribs for 3-5 minutes on each side for desired charring.
Can you use baby back ribs with the same 2 hour timeframe?
Oh sure you could do that too 🙂 Since they are a bit smaller they may only take 1.5 hours in the oven.Just make sure they are very tender, almost falling off the bone, before taking them out. I hope you enjoy!
Just curious…is it better to wrap the ribs in foil rather than to just put them on a baking sheet and cover the backing sheet with foil, as I have done for years. Please explain. And your recipe sounds great, much like what I do and make with some variations which I will try. Thank you!
Ah great question! Personally, I like to wrap up the ribs because I find all the flavoring stays on the meat, as opposed to getting lost, stuck on the pan 🙂 I also find it keeps them a bit more moist and juicy this way too. Hope you enjoy them! They are one of our favorites.
Between the recipee (!) and the reviews (!!), I don’t think I’ve seen so many exclamation points (!) in one place since Spiderman defeated Doctor Octopus in issue 207!! Simply amazing!!!!!!!
Best. Review. Ever!
Do you put any spray on the foil so the ribs don’t stick ?
I don’t. There’s really no need since they don’t get sticky at this point. The foil packets and the heat, kind of “steams them” so they really don’t stick
Can you cook the ribs in the oven the day before grilling?
Oh sure you could do that. And then just pop on the grill to reheat and char 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Has anyone done this with success? I’m thinking of cooking the day before also and then grilling with the brisket also the day after. This looks delicious !
This is kinda late to your question, but this is exactly what I did. I cooked them the night before and kept them in the fridge in the foil. I then grilled them the next day. AMAZING!!! So delicious! Sauce is perfection!
Refrigerating the ribs before grilling actually helps hold them together so they don’t fall apart on the grill. They can be quite tender and fragile after slow cooking in the oven. I always refrigerate for at least a few hours before throwing them on the grill.
Oh I love that idea! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I just made the ribs using your recipe. Ohhhh my! All my guests really loved it! I used honey as substitute of molasses , it turned out good 🙂 thank you for sharing the recipe
Oh I’m so glad the honey worked! I’ve had people ask me about that who live outside the US and can’t get molasses. So glad it was a hit!
We really liked this recipe and will use it again. Question? I did not see cooking instructions for the sauce. I heated it on the stove and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Right? Or correct me. Thanks.
Yes! That’s correct! Just simmer on the stovetop. So sorry about that I’ll revise the recipe to make it more clear. So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Made this for our Father’s Day bbq and everyone loved it! They were going back for second and third helpings!! Have to say I never made ribs before and searched so many recipes and came upon this one. Without a doubt I will definitely make this again. The rub and sauce were amazing! Thank you!!
Aww YAY! I’m so glad it was such a hit! These are one of my favorites too! The sauce is also great with BBQ Chicken too!
I am always looking for new recipes for meat, and this one was fabulous! The rub was excellent (I did add some cracked black and cayenne pepper because we like the spice) and the sauce was great, too. I loved that I had all the ingredients for both right in my kitchen already. I used a disposable foil pan for easier cleanup, but otherwise followed the oven and grilling times exactly. Fell off the bone as promised. Nice job!
YAY! I’m so glad to hear it!
I’ve tried your bbque ribs recipe and it is BY FAR the BEST bbque recipe I’ve ever tried.
The most tender and delicious ribs EVER…Thanks Beth…I’ve learned so much since subscribing to your web sight.
YAY! I’m so glad to hear that Charlotte! These are my favorites too! I’m so glad you are enjoying the site and learning at the same time! THat’s the best part 🙂