Oven baked ribs
Baby back ribs rubbed with brown sugar and smoked paprika, baked low until tender, then glazed sticky with BBQ sauce.
- 200 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $6.48 a serving
- 1280 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 baby back ribs, racks
- 1 cup bbq sauce, divided
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 1280 calories, 63 g protein, 43 g carbs and 94 g fat, and costs about $6.48 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 275°F and line a large with foil.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
the ribs dry. On the bone side, slide a butter knife under the thin, shiny membrane at one end, grab it with a paper towel, and it off.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Dolly’s tip: If it tears, grab the next piece and keep going. It doesn’t have to come off in one sheet.Mix the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt and pepper, and rub it all over both sides of the ribs. Wash your hands.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Lay the ribs meat side up on the pan, cover the whole pan tightly with foil, and 2½ hours.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 150 min
Dolly’s tip: The tight foil keeps the steam in, which is what turns the ribs tender.Uncover and check that the meat has shrunk back from the bone ends and a bone twists easily. Turn the oven up to 425°F.
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Brush the ribs with half the BBQ sauce and uncovered 10 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 10 min
Brush on the rest of the sauce and 5 to 10 minutes more, until sticky and at the edges.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Caramelize. Caramelizing means cooking slowly until the natural sugars turn deep golden brown. It turns sharp onions soft, jammy and sweet, and it often takes 30 minutes or more.
How you’ll know: They’re soft, sticky and amber brown, and they taste sweet rather than sharp.
Timer: 8 min
Let the ribs 5 minutes, then cut between the bones.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
