Baked Dry Rub Ribs

5 from 4 votes
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The tastiest Baked Dry Rub Ribs you will ever have! Made with a simple dry rub, these juicy ribs are easy enough to make for weeknights and fancy enough to make for the holidays or special occasions.

3 baked ribs on a white plate.

There is nothing like racks of ribs cooking away in the oven! My kids really love this recipe because pork ribs are really tasty and fall-off-the-bone tender ribs! Just add some3 Cheese Mac and Cheese, Roasted Baby Potatoes, and Sauteed Vegetables and you have a great dinner!

Every time I make Baked Dry Rubbed Ribs, it is a special meal. They are truly the best ribs. I even made it for our Christmas dinner 2 Christmasses ago and our friends who were visiting totally loved it. A lot of people have tried this recipe and agree it is phenomenal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Ridiculously easy recipe: You only need a little bit of time to prep the meat, about 15 minutes.
  • Dried seasonings: No need to prep fresh ingredients here.
  • Incredibly tasty: A true testament to the fact that it doesn’t take much to make a great meal. The secret is in the dry rub that requires simple ingredients you might already have on hand. The combination of spices has the perfect balance of flavor.
  • Versatile: Serve these oven-baked ribs as an appetizer with homemade hot sauce or sweet BBQ sauce for saucy ribs, or serve them as a main meal with some lettuce salad or easy coconut rice. The tender meat can be served in all sorts of ways.
  • Can be made any time of the year. These ribs are convenient and surely put your oven to good use. No need to fire up the grill or have the slow cooker ribs running all day long.

I hope you love these delicious ribs as much as we do. They are kid-approved for the blog.

Ingredients For Baked Ribs With Dry Rub

For good ribs with dry rub, you need some ribs, oil, and spices to make the dry rub.

Raw ribs, spices, and salt on a chopping board.
  • Spare Ribs (St. Louis Style Ribs): Get a 4-pound rack of ribs or you could also get 4 pounds of ribs already divided into individual ribs.
  • Salt and Chicken bouillon powder: These two ingredients add saltiness to the ribs, and the Chicken bouillon powder adds umami. You can use table salt or kosher salt. Just remember that kosher salt isn’t as strong, so you need to add a little more.
  • Rib Rub Spices and Herbs: You need garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, and dried thyme, in addition to black pepper.

How To Bake Dry Rub Ribs

1. Prepare the oven ribs: To prepare for cooking ribs, pat the rack of ribs dry with a paper towel. Remove the thin outer membrane (silver skin) on the back of the ribs. Separately, mix the spices to create the homemade dry rub.

Hand removing membrane from the back of spare ribs.

2. Divide Ribs: Cut the rack of ribs into individual portions. Tip: When you cut a rack of ribs into individual portions before cooking them, the dry rub mixes get into the ribs way better than seasoning a whole rack. The best way to cut them is with the back of the rack facing up so you can use the bones as a guide.

Rack of ribs cut into individual portions

3. Add spice rub to ribs and mix well to combine, ensuring to coat the sides of the ribs and back of ribs. Once the ribs are covered with the spice mixture, place them in a baking dish with the meaty side up.

Seasoned Ribs in baking dish.

4. Bake dry rub oven ribs in a tightly covered baking dish (with tin foil) for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 300 degrees F. You need this low heat instead of a higher temperature so that you can achieve the best results. High heat will make the meat become tough and dry out.

5. Remove the ribs and place them on a rack on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil them for 5 minutes, flip them over, and broil for another 5 minutes.

Broiled ribs on a white serving platter.

Expert Tips

  • The easiest way to cut the rack into individual ribs is to remove the thin membrane from the back of the ribs first. You can do this on a cutting board. It probably goes without saying, but you need a sharp knife to do so. Don’t try to use a butter knife or a plastic knife, but a paring knife or chef’s knife.
  • When removing the membrane, you can first cut it with a knife so that the edge is loose and you have something to hold. Then, with the help of a paper towel, grasp it with your hands. Steadily pull the membrane from the rib to peel it off in one piece.
  • If you have leftover ribs, you can cover them with plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container. Do not keep them at room temperature for too long after they cool; move them to the refrigerator as soon as you can.
  • You can always check the internal temperature of the ribs before removing them from the oven. Once they reach an internal temp of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, they are plenty tender, and the collagen has broken down by then. However, the USDA states that they are safe once they reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Make sure not to skip the broiling stage. This guarantees you a lovely, flavorful caramelization on the outside. The rub becomes deeper in flavor, and the charred outer coating is downright delicious!

Variations and Substitutions

Try the following variations and substitutions with your ribs:

  • Spicy: Add cayenne pepper or chili powder to the spice blend for some heat.
  • Beef Ribs: Make this recipe with beef ribs instead.
  • Barbecue Sauce: Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce before serving. You can make homemade barbeque sauce or simply use your favorite barbecue sauce from the store. My favorite way to do this is to first put my favorite BBQ sauce in a small bowl, dip the brush in the bowl, and then apply it to the ribs. It is easy and mess-free.

There are other secret ingredients you could add to the ribs to make them uniquely yours, such as liquid smoke, garlic salt, dry mustard, or brown sugar. If this is your first time making rib recipes, I suggest sticking to this dry rub recipe and experimenting next time!

Ribs on a serving tray.

Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

How long should dry rub be on ribs before cooking?

You could cook ribs as soon as they are rubbed with a dry rub.

How Long To Bake Ribs With Dry Rub

Bake ribs with dry rub at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour and 30 minutes until the ribs are tender. Once the ribs are tender finish them up by grilling them using the broil function of the oven

Should I cover my ribs when I bake them in the oven?

First, cover the ribs while baking, so they cook without drying out. Then, uncover the ribs and broil them for a beautiful color.

What To Serve It With

You can serve Baked Dry Rub Ribs with a variety of side dishes including:

More Easy Dinner Recipes

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating below. We love hearing from you!

3 baked ribs on a white plate.

Baked Dry Rub Ribs

5 from 4 votes
The tastiest Baked Dry Rub Ribs you will ever have! Made with a simple dry rub, these pork ribs are easy enough to make for weeknights and fancy enough to make for the holidays or special occasions.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 4 pounds spare ribs St Louis Style
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ginger powder
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ Tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Prepare the ribs: Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Place them in a large mixing bowl. If the ribs are not separated, remove the membrane at the back of the ribs then cut the rack into individual ribs.
  • Add the olive oil to the rib portions and toss to combine.
  • To the ribs add the salt, chicken bouillon powder, black pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, and dried thyme.
  • Mix everything together well with clean hands while ensuring that the seasoning gets all over the ribs.
  • Place the ribs in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and cover tightly with foil.
  • Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook for 90 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet (18 by 13 inch) with aluminum foil. Add a baking rack to the sheet if you have one. Note: If you don't have a baking rack, brush the aluminum foil with oil or spray it with cooking spray. You'll place the ribs directly on the foil. If you have a baking rack you'll place the ribs on the rack instead so the drippings can go to the foil.
  • Remove ribs from the oven, drain them from their cooking liquid (they'll release liquid as they cook), and place them on the baking rack or directly on the foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Set oven to high broil. Place the ribs back in the oven and let them broil for 5 minutes. Remove them and flip each rib to the other side and let them broil for another 5 minutes.
  • Remove ribs and serve warm with your favorite side dishes.

Notes

Ribs: You could either get a 4-pound rack of ribs or 4 pounds of individual ribs. Both styles would work well. Also, consider substituting with beef ribs.
Rosemary: Rosemary goes well with pork so add some if you have some on hand.
Spicy: To make the ribs spicy, consider adding some cayenne pepper to the seasoning.

Nutrition

Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 725mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Western
Calories: 640
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!

About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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4 Comments

  1. Precious, THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!! Itโ€™s EXACTLY what weโ€™ve been looking for!!! We followed Your recipe to the T and it is SO PERFECT!!!!!!! May God bless You and Yours!!!!

  2. Awesome! I love dry ribs but wonโ€™t deep fry so these oven baked ribs are a great alternative! I followed the recipe with the exception of adding a tablespoon of hot paprika. I also sprinkled on a touch more of the seasoning prior to broiling. Would highly recommend these.

    1. Hi Beverly! Adding more seasoning before broiling is such a great idea. So glad you loved it. Thank you for sharing.