Dry Rub for Ribs in Oven
These baby back rubs are coated with a homemade dry rub mix and oven baked till they fall off the bone. Coated in a homemade bbq sauce, the only mess you make with these ribs is with your fingers when you eat them!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
Ribs
- 4-5 lb rack of ribs, either baby back or St Louis spare ribs, membrane removed* (or 2 smaller racks around 2.5 pounds that equal roughly the same weight) *see notes in post
BBQ Sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar (for sauce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cut a large, long piece (the length of your rib rack plus a few inches) of tin foil. Place the ribs, meaty side up. Combine your dry rub spice mixture together and pat half the mixture all over the rib rack, coating it as best you can. Carefully flip the rib rack so the meaty side is down and apply the other half of the mixture.
- Fold your tin foil inward on all sides to seal the meat as best you can. Cut another piece of tin foil and apply it on the top of the rack, sealing it underneath the rack. Make sure there are no holes, otherwise all the good juices will leak out!
- Place on a baking sheet with a wire rack over it, if possible. Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 2.5 to 3 hours. Baby back ribs should cook a little faster than St Louis style. If you're not ready to serve, turn the heat down to 175 degrees F and keep them warm till ready.
- Remove the rack from the oven and CAREFULLY remove the tin foil from the top (it will be hot!). Then slide the ribs out from the lower foil packet with all the juices and place on a cutting board, meat side down. This way you can see the bones for easy cutting. A cutting board with a little "moat" works best, since they will be juicy. Carefully pour the leftover juices from the foil into a small saucepan.
For the bbq sauce
- Heat the juices, along with the 1-2 teaspoons of white vinegar, over medium high heat until boiling. Whisk in the cornstarch till it's no longer clumpy and then turn the heat down to a low simmer. You can do this one teaspoon at a time until desired thickness is reached. Allow the sauce to simmer about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Cut the ribs, sometimes this is easiest done when flipped over with the meaty side down.
- Apply as much of the sauce as you'd like to the ribs and enjoy!
Notes
- Chili powder - I used Morton and Basset Chili Powder, but do NOT use "chipotle" or "ancho" chili powders as they are not the same and you may have very spicy results.
- Both St. Louis and baby back ribs will work for this recipe, but I prefer baby back. Make sure you ask your butcher to remove the membrane on the back for more flavorful, tender ribs.
- This rub covers about 1 full size rack of ribs that is 4-5 pounds or 2 smaller racks that are less weight. The spice mix can easily be doubled for 2 racks. Plan on about 1 pound of ribs per adult.
- If you'd like to substitute honey for the brown sugar, make sure you evenly drizzle on top of the rack after you have applied the spices. Honey will not coat the meat well if it's any bit cold.
- For low sodium, adjust the added kosher salt as needed and look into chili powders without added salt, like Morton and Bassett.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pound | Calories: 733kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 197mg | Sodium: 2050mg | Potassium: 887mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 2676IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 4mg
