These Two Ingredients Make Oven-Cooked Ribs Just as Good as Grilled (2024)

FAQs

Are ribs better in the oven or grill? ›

While BBQ gives ribs a distinct flavor, baking has other benefits to it. Baking gives you more control over how fast and how much the ribs are cooked. Because ovens have controlled temperature you are less likely to overcook or under cook your ribs.

A Few Words on The 2-2-1 Method

The initial 2 hour step is where the smoke flavor gets into the meat, the middle 2 hour step is where the super tenderizing takes place. The last 1 hour step is where the crust develops on the outside.

Place the ribs in your slow cooker. Top with bottled BBQ sauce or stir together your favorite DIY BBQ sauce recipe to act as a cooking liquid. In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients, then pour on top of the ribs. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3½ hours.

You may need to cut the ribs in half to fit them into the pan. Cover the pan or baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Alternatively, wrap the rack in tight foil packets and place them on the baking sheet. 5Bake the ribs until the meat falls easily from the bones, 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours.

At 275 degrees F., the ribs should cook for 2.5 – 3.5 hours or until they are fall off the bone tender. For fall of the bone ribs, the internal temperature needs to be 190 -205 degrees.

Set the oven to 300°F. Move the ribs to an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours for spareribs or 1 1/2 to 2 hours for baby back ribs. Halfway through cooking, cover the ribs with aluminum foil to protect them from drying out. Brush with barbecue sauce.

There are so many ways to craft a bossin' flavor profile on your ribs: smoking, dry rubbed, or barbecued. The 3-2-1 rib method is a simple and foolproof way of cooking ribs to yield juicy, fall off the bone tenderness - every time.

To cook these ribs, I used the classic 3-2-1 method: 3 hours uncovered, 2 hours wrapped and 1 final hour uncovered.

Roast in the oven until the thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120° for medium rare, and 130°F for medium. To estimate the total cooking time, allow about 11 to 12 minutes per pound for rare and 13 to 15 minutes per pound for medium rare.

Wrapping your ribs are key if you want to lock in all of the moisture and flavor! Double wrap each rack of ribs securely and enjoy some ribs in no time.

How do you grill ribs without drying them out? ›

Low and Slow BBQ Pork Ribs

Steam and basting are the magical solutions to this conundrum. Using a small saucepan heat apple cider and butter and then place it in the grill with the ribs. The steam from the liquid will keep the ribs from drying out.

Learning how to cook ribs on the grill may take a little time and patience, but the process couldn't be easier! Just coat the ribs in the spice rub, wrap them in foil, and stick them on the grill. They cook over indirect heat for about two hours before finishing over the flames.

Place ribs, meat side down, in baking dishes. Cover the baking dishes with aluminum foil and place in the oven. If you are using small baby back ribs, take out after 3.5 hours. If you are using regular baby back or St. Louis style ribs, then take out after 4 hours.

Generally, the ribs will be browned before the meat is done, which is where the balancing act comes in. Overcooked ribs will be tender, but mushy.

Grill all the way

For ribs with incomparably smoky flavor, you have to cook them low and slow on the grill, adding more charcoal and wood chips every so often to keep the temperature steady. Ribs cooked this way need some pampering (you would too, if you were spending hours in a sauna).

"When cooking ribs, the perfect temperature is between 225°—250°," says Rainford. "This low and slow temperature allows the ribs to cook evenly and become tender without drying out or burning." Snowden adds that the "low and slow" method "can be done in the oven, on a grill, or in a slow cooker."

Arrange the Ribs

The ribs need to be elevated to cook so that air can flow over and under the meat. This way, the ribs do not need to be flipped or turned during the cooking process. Line a large cooking tray or cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and place a large cooling rack on top of the foil.