Easy, Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs Recipe

These are the best ribs! Baking low and slow is our secret to fall-off-the-bone oven baked ribs. Jump to the Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs Recipe, or watch our quick recipe video showing you how we make them.

Watch How We Make The Best Ribs

Secrets for Making Tender Ribs in the Oven

Some might have the impression that ribs are one of those dishes that should be left to the “pit masters” — it’s just not true. 

Baking ribs in the oven is seriously easy. All you need is time — 95% of the recipe time is sitting back and relaxing waiting while the ribs bake. Let’s do this!

We learned how to make oven baked ribs from Steamy Kitchen and have never looked back! So we suggest you prep the ribs, pick out a favorite movie, open a beer, and relax until done.

These baked ribs are so easy — all you need is time. We bake the ribs before adding any sauce, then when they are baked, we brush on our favorite barbecue sauce. You can use the barbecue sauce suggested in the recipe below (it’s so simple to make) or use your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce.

For the most tender ribs, we remove the thin membrane covering the rack. It can be a bit tough when cooked and since we really love ribs that literally fall of the bone, the membrane has to go.

How To Remove The Membrane

To remove it, use a knife to gently slide under the membrane then using your fingers pull the membrane away from the bones. If slippery or difficult to remove, use a kitchen towel to take hold of it and pull.

By the way, you might actually find that the butcher or shop you bought your ribs from has already removed the membrane. Less work for you!

If you prefer your ribs to have a little bite/chewiness then you might prefer the membrane left on. It’s all up to you!

How We Cook Ribs in the Oven

Cooking ribs in the oven could not be easier. Here’s how we do it in our kitchen:

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

You can use any barbecue sauce you like, but for us, we like to cook up our quick sweet and spicy sauce — it only takes a few minutes.

It combines ketchup, brown sugar, chili sauce (like Sriracha), and spices. We’ve shared how to make it in the recipe.

You could always make a double batch of the sauce and serve with chicken, on a burger or as a dip for fries. In fact, we make a similar sauce to coat our Brown Sugar Barbecue Wings. Another option is our Homemade Bacon Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Recipe (it’s decadent and delicious!). We used that sauce for our Bacon Bourbon Oven Baked Ribs.

What Our Readers Are Saying

If you don’t believe that our recipe helps you achieve perfect oven baked ribs at home, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.

“These are the best ribs I’ve ever made!” – Nick

“My first time making ribs and it couldn’t have been easier or tastier.” – M.B.

“This is the best recipe for ribs that I have found. It is so easy and absolutely delicious!” – Jackie

“Quite literally fall off the bone goodness.” – Jessica

“OMG! These ribs are incredible!!!” – Lupita

Back in the day, we were contributors to Betty Crocker. We shared a similar version of this recipe with them. We loved it so much we had to share an adapted version with you.

Recipe updated, originally posted September 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne

Easy, Fall-Off-The-Bone Oven Baked Ribs Recipe

Low and slow cooking make these oven baked ribs fall off the bone tender. Once baked, we like to add our sweet and spicy barbecue sauce to the ribs, but use whatever you love. For the most tender ribs, we remove the thin membrane covering the back of the rack. Depending on where you have purchased ribs, this may already be done for you. If not, instructions are in the notes section below.

You Will Need

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup ketchup, try our homemade ketchup recipe

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (suggestion Sriracha)

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit (135C).

If the ribs still have the thin membrane covering the back of the rack, remove it. See how in the notes section below.

Season both sides of the ribs with a generous amount of salt and pepper then place, meat-side up, into a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. (It may be necessary to cut the ribs in half in order for them to fit into the pan).

Cover the pan or baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil, and then bake until the meat falls easily from the bones, 3 to 4 hours.

While the ribs bake, make the barbecue sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Add the ketchup, hot chili sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine, season with salt then cook for 2 minutes. Set aside in preparation for the ribs to finish roasting.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the aluminum foil and generously brush both sides with barbecue sauce.

Optional: Move an oven rack near to the top of the oven. Turn broiler to high and broil the ribs for 3-4 minutes, just until the barbecue sauce begins to caramelize. (Keep a close eye on the ribs while they broil so they the sauce does not burn.)

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste