Easy Oven Baked Ribs (Spareribs, Baby Back, or St. Louis-style)
Easy Oven Baked Ribs are cooked low and slow for fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy ribs, that are packed with a ton of flavor. It doesn’t matter which type of ribs you enjoy, because this recipe will work with baby back, spare, and St. Louis style ribs!
Oven baked ribs are almost too easy to make. Seriously everyone, sometimes we make a recipe and wonder how it could possibly taste so good when there was zero effort required. It feels like we cheated. That being said, we’ll take the easy wins and we will enjoy this ridiculously easy recipe. You don’t need any special gadgets or tools, all you need are your ribs and a handful of pantry staples. Get ready to sit back and relax and let your oven do all of the real work!
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What is the difference between Baby Back, Spare, and St. Louis style ribs?
Baby Back Ribs are taken from around the loin. They are shorter than spare ribs or St. Louis style ribs, and have tons of lean meat between and on top of the bones. Unfortunately, they are also typically more expensive than the other types of ribs.
Spare Ribs come from the belly of the pig, after the bacon and pancetta has been removed. They contain more meat between the bones, but less on top. They are perfect for this low and slow cooking method we’re going for, due to the excess fat in this area.
St. Louis Style Ribs are really just spare ribs with a little more work done to them. When a butcher removes the sternum and the connecting cartilage, what is left is a St. Louis Style rib. These are a favorite because they are a bit easier to work with, without sacrificing any flavor.
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Slow Cooker Instructions:
After removing the membrane and coating with your dry rub, place your ribs into the bottom of a slow cooker and lather your ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, then remove your ribs and place onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Add more barbecue sauce on top and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the barbecue sauce bubbles and caramelizes. You can find the full recipe for slow cooker ribs here.
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What should I serve with ribs?
There are quite a few classic recipes that you would expect to see on the side of ribs. Some of our favorites are potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and baked beans.
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Storage and reheating instructions:
Couldn’t finish all of those ribs? We know, it’s a lot of food! You’ll want to store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, place your ribs in an oven safe dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in an oven preheated to 275 degrees until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious pork recipes:
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Easy Oven Baked Ribs (Spareribs, Baby Back, or St. Louis-style)
- 2 racks baby back ribs spareribs, or St.Louis-style ribs
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
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Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with aluminum foil.
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Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Just slide your fingers around the side to loosen it up and rip it right off. Use a paper towel to provide a better grip if slippery.
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In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dry rub, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard. Rub this mixture generously over the outside of the ribs to coat. Place seasoned ribs in a single layer onto prepared baking sheet or roasting pan.
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Cover pan with aluminum foil. Cook in the preheated 275F degree oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until ribs are tender.
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Remove ribs from oven and remove aluminum foil. Brush barbecue sauce onto ribs.
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Place the baking sheet or roasting pan back into the oven underneath the broil setting. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the barbecue sauce starts to bubble and caramelize.