Oven Baked Ribs with Espresso BBQ Sauce

A white plate filled with juicy Oven Baked Ribs, accompanied by a small bowl of barbecue sauce. A red and white striped towel is partially visible in the background.

5 from 7 votes

Oven Baked Ribs with Espresso BBQ Sauce

Dive into the easiest, most tender Oven Baked Ribs you'll ever have! Finished with a homemade Espresso BBQ Sauce takes these ribs to the next level.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Resting time2

Total Time6 10

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Oven Baked BBQ Ribs, Oven Baked Ribs, Oven Baked Ribs Recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Sammy Montgoms

Equipment

1 Large baking sheet

Ingredients

Ribs:

5½-6 lbs pork side ribs or baby back ribs 2 slabs
olive oil
salt
pepper

Espresso BBQ Sauce:

1¼ cups ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1 shot espresso about 1½ ounces
1 tbsp worcestershire
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the ribs: remove both slabs of ribs from the packaging.
Using a small pairing knife, remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs. (see notes below)
Using a paper towel, blot the ribs on both sides removing as much of the moisture as you can.
Lightly drizzle all sides of the ribs with olive oil, and generously season all sides with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Bake the ribs: preheat your oven to 250 °F.
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Next, take the ribs out of the plastic wrap. Place each rack of ribs (meaty-side down) onto its own large piece of aluminum foil and wrap them individually.
Tent the foil loosely over the top of the ribs, crimping the edges to seal tightly. This will create a steamy environment ensuring the ribs stay tender and moist.
Please note, it's very important that the ribs are sealed tightly; if the foil doesn't wrap fully around the ribs, you may need to wrap in multiple layers.
Add the ribs onto the foil lined baking sheet and bake.
If your slabs (combined) are closer to 6 lbs, bake for 4 hours, if they are 5-5½ lbs bake for 3½ hours.
Sammy's tip: you'll know the ribs are ready to come out of the oven and be brushed with bbq sauce when you can effortlessly pierce the meat of the ribs with a knife. You can also slightly bend the ribs, and if the meat effortless pulls away from the bone, they are tender enough and can be removed from the oven.
Prepare the espresso bbq sauce: combine all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
Baste the ribs: remove the ribs from the oven, remove the foil and place the ribs back on a the foil lined baking sheet, meaty side up.
Turn up the heat of your oven to 400 °F.
Evenly baste the ribs with the espresso bbq sauce and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes at the higher oven temperature.
Serve: using a knife, cut between the bones and serve right away.

Video

Notes

Membrane: some racks of ribs come with a thin membrane still attached to the bony side (with less meat). To remove the membrane, use a small pairing knife, slide it under the edge of the white-ish membrane skin, and using a paper towel grip the edge of the membrane and firmly pull it away from the meat.

Nutrition