baked bbq baby back ribs

If you’re in the mood for a little virtual trip into summer, give this technique a try. This works with literally any dry rub and barbecue sauce combo.

We don’t have an actual smoker at the farm. I’ve tried several times to do slow cooking in the Weber Kettle and in a gas grill and none have come out as well as these do. No matter the season, this is my go to recipe to make delicious BBQ ribs. Add a little corn on cob and some sautéed spinach with bacon, onion and bell peppers!

Summary

  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 50 min
  • Other: 15 min
  • Total Time:3 hours 20 min
  • Servings:4
  • Yield: 1 Rib Rack

Ingredients – Rub

This makes enough rub for at least 2 racks of ribs so the remainder can be saved in a jar.

  • ½ cup ancho chile powder
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper
  • 1 rack baby back pork ribs 
  • 1 cup barbeque sauce 
  • 1 rack baby back ribs

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
  • Mix ancho chile powder, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cumin, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, and chipotle pepper in a small bowl until combined.
  • Place ribs meat-side down on aluminum foil. Prick back of rib rack several times with a knife.
  • Generously apply coating of dry rub to all sides of rib rack.
  • With rib rack meat-side down, fold foil around it to create a tight seal. Transfer to sheet pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven until tender and cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove and cool 15 minutes.
  • Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Open foil, drain and discard any accumulated juices and fat. Brush barbeque sauce on all sides of rack.
  • Place rack meat-side up and return to oven, leaving foil open. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and brush another layer of barbeque sauce on meat-side only. Repeat baking and brushing with sauce 4 more times, for a total of 50 minutes baking time.
  • Cut rack into individual rib segments and serve with more barbeque sauce.

Adjustments

  • Using generic chili powder vs. ancho chili powder. It’s just a cost play and will try the ancho when I can find it for a reasonable cost.
  • Smoked paprika and a little extra cayenne pepper can be used for a substitute for ground dried chipotle pepper if you don’t have any.

History

  • 2021-04-17 – Made it with corn and spinach (see photo). Still using “chili powder” in the rub because I haven’t found a reasonable source for ancho chili powder. Still comes out great!
  • 2023-03-18 – Found ancho chili powder at Global Food Mart for a great price so used it to make the rub this time. Not sure how much difference it makes but everything turned out great. Still used smoked paprika and a little extra cayenne pepper because I don’t have ground dried chipotle pepper. Maybe I’ll look for that at Global too.

References