Baby Back Ribs Recipe (Oven Method)

5 from 1 vote

Baby Back Ribs Recipe (Oven Method)

There’s something about the flavor of grilled meat that makes our primal instincts kick in. Fire and meat equals wonderful flavors. Baby back pork ribs coated with a Chinese-inspired barbecue sauce, is one of the great dishes of summer. Best served with plenty of napkins. Use your favorite BBQ sauce to simplify the recipe and make it faster.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 531kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Ingredients

Ribs

3-4 pounds baby back ribs
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1-2 lemons thinly sliced
1-2 oranges thinly sliced
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
¾ teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup Hoisin sauce or BBQ sauce

Instructions

Prep the Ribs

Pre–heat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove baby back ribs from the refrigerator 1 hour ahead of baking time to get the chill off.
Remove the silver skin (the tough membrane) from the back of the ribs. Slide a table knife under the thin layer at the small end of the underside, then grip it with a paper towel and pull to peel it off—it should come off in one piece.

Season ribs and create foil packet

Pat the ribs dry with paper towels, then season both sides generously with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and granulated garlic.
On a half-sheet (13” x 18”) size rimmed baking sheet, place a large piece of heavy duty foil. Place rib racks in a single layer. Two racks will fit on one half sheet baking pan. Sprinkle ribs liberally with salt, garlic, and pepper. Top ribs with the onion slices, lemon and orange slices. Squeeze any extra orange pieces over the ribs. With more heavy-duty foil, enclose the ribs in a foil packet.

Bake the ribs

Place the ribs in the oven for 50-60 minutes. When ribs are done, open the foil packet carefully, releasing the steam away from you. Drain the juices into a container and reserve if needed to thin sauce. If not, discard.

Finish the Ribs - grill

Brush ribs with sauce on the top side (rounded side). Place ribs on a hot grill turned down to low and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally with brushing with additional sauce until the ribs are thickly coated with caramelized sauce.
Remove ribs from the grill, slice between the bones, serve with extra sauce on the side. For easier slicing, turn the ribs over and slice from the under side where you can see the ribs.

Finish the ribs - oven broiler

Adjust oven rack 1–2 levels below the top to avoid burning. Set broiler to high. Place ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush with sauce. Broil for a few minutes at a time, brushing with more sauce between rounds, until caramelized.

Notes

Nutrition note

As I do not know what sauce you will use, this nutrition analysis is for the ribs only.

Glaze Options

For the final step, glaze the ribs with a thick sauce that clings and caramelizes under heat. You can use:

Hoisin sauce – bottled or my homemade
Your favorite BBQ sauce

For multiple layers of glaze, thin slightly with a splash of orange juice or water—just enough to make it brushable but still sticky. This lets you build flavor as it caramelizes during grilling or broiling.

Note on Hoisin Sauce

It’s worth seeking out an organic brand of Hoisin Sauce. The standard stuff in the Asian aisle has caramel coloring as well as food dye red 40, along with other unhealthy additives. Link to my homemade hoisin,

Nutrition