If you like baby back pork ribs but think you can’t make them at home, try this recipe. It has step-by-step instructions for grilling ribs to brown them and then finishing them in the oven. It is actually simple to make fall-off-the-bone tender ribs that rival restaurant-cooked ribs!
Choosing the Baby Back Pork Ribs
There are different types of ribs, including baby back, spare ribs, country ribs, and St. Louis-style spare ribs. For this recipe, use baby back ribs and extra meaty ones if you can find them! Baby back ribs are smaller than other ribs, hence the name “baby” back. However, look for labels that say pork loin back ribs if they don’t say “baby back.”
Preparing the Baby Back Pork Ribs
For this recipe, all you need to do is generously season the ribs with salt and pepper! As you can see by the pepper in the photo below, the ribs have quite a bit of salt and pepper. Be sure to season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper.
If the ribs are too large to grill easily, you may want to cut each rack in half to shorten them. Cut them in the center of the rib rack beside a bone. If you have a large grill and the ribs will fit easily, you can skip this step.
Grilling the Baby Back Pork Ribs
Grilling the ribs will brown the outside and cook off some of the fat. Some people cook ribs on the grill the entire time, which takes a while. That method works for people who cook many racks of ribs at once or for those who just enjoy grilling.
However, this recipe uses the grill only to brown the ribs and get a good sear on the outside. Then I slow-bake them in the oven, where they can tenderize for hours while I maintain better control over the temperature at a lower setting. I think it is the best of both worlds: you get the outside browning from the grill, then a slow-cooked, tenderized result in the oven.
Wrapping and Baking the Ribs
As soon as the ribs finish cooking on the grill, wrap them in aluminum foil. Be careful not to tear the aluminum foil, so the BBQ sauce doesn’t leak out later. A heavy-duty foil works best. Place the aluminum-foil wrapped rib racks on a large baking pan with sides. The sides will prevent any leaks from spilling into the oven. Cook the ribs for 2 hours at 275°F in a preheated oven.
Adding BBQ Sauce to Baby Back Pork Ribs
After the ribs cook in the oven, remove them and add BBQ sauce. They are best with a sticky-sweet sauce since thicker sauces stick to the meat better. Open the aluminum foil packs for both rib racks and divide the sauce between them. Make sure you use room-temperature or warmed sauce, not cold. A chilled sauce can cool the ribs and affect cooking time.
Cooking the ribs’ sauce only during the final hour will prevent it from burning due to its high sugar content. That is why the sauce is not added during the grilling phase and not too early in the oven-cooking phase.
Checking the Ribs for Doneness
The ribs are done when the meat easily flakes with a fork. They will be tender, and much of the fat will be cooked out or easy to separate from the lean meat. As you can see in the photo below, these fully cooked ribs still have grill marks, but they were made tender by slow-cooking in the oven.
Don’t be confused by ribs being done with being tender. Theoretically, these ribs can be eaten when they reach an internal temperature of 145°F, which means they are cooked when they finish on the grill. However, ribs need to cook longer at a low temperature to tenderize the meat. And this recipe makes very tender ribs!
If you cook only one rack of ribs instead of the two listed in the recipe, you may have to shorten the oven cooking time by a few minutes. When cooking one rib rack, check it after 1 1/2 hours of oven cooking time to see if it is tender and easily flakes with a fork.
The ultimate test of whether the ribs are tender is to take a bite. If they are not to your liking, return them to the oven and cook for a little longer.
Serving Ribs
It is best to cut ribs between the bones for serving rather than trying to pull them apart. They don’t pull apart neatly, and pulling can sometimes tear all the meat off the bones. A serving is usually 4 to 5 ribs. A starchy side like corn on the cob is a good accompaniment to ribs. Other delicious sides include sweet potato fries, coleslaw, cornbread, and hushpuppies. Enjoy!
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Baby Back Pork Ribs
Equipment
- aluminum foil
- meat thermometer
- grill
Ingredients
- 2 racks pork ribs, extra meaty
- salt
- pepper
- 2 cups BBQ sauce, room temperature (use your favorite sauce; a thick sauce sticks best to the ribs)
Instructions
- Heat the grill to 400°F.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on both sides of the rib racks. Place on the grill and cook for 7 minutes. Then flip and cook for 7 more minutes. Flip again and cook for 7 minutes on each side for a total time of 28 minutes on the grill. Rotate the ribs around when flipping them to even out the cooking. The grill is usually the hottest in the middle. If the ribs start to burn, reduce the grill heat. Avoid grill flames so the racks don't sear too much.
- Check the internal temperature in the thickest part of one rack. Remove the ribs from the grill when the internal temperature is 170°F. If necessary, flip the racks an extra time or two to reach 170°F and get a nice brown on the outside.
- After removing the rib racks from the grill, wrap them separately in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped ribs side by side in a large baking pan.
- Place the ribs in a preheated oven at 275°F. Bake for 2 hours.
- Remove the ribs from the oven, open the foil, and pour half of the barbecue sauce over each rib rack. Reclose the foil, return the ribs to the oven, and bake for 1 hour. Check the ribs. It should be very easy to remove the meat from the bones. If the ribs are not that tender, return them to the oven for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check tenderness after 30 minutes. If a fork easily flakes the meat, they are ready. If not, continue cooking for another 30 minutes and then check them.