Oven baked ribs

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paneraica

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jul 26, 2020
44
14
Usually I just buy pre-cooked ribs as it's simple to do. Few people tell me that making your own is great, so I decided to try.

Local store had some ungraded ribs on sale for $8.00, so I bought

Had a long lump of meat on the back that wasn't attached, so that removed. Some fat and meat attached and covering the membrane, so sliced what I could off, but still covered in a small area.

The membrane. Every link I checked shows someone sliding a knife under it and just pulling it off. Yeah no. Picking at various spot to get a knife under. Getting 1/4" and nothing more and coming off in strips. PIA

Pulled off everything I could. Added a rub. Will bake wrapped in foil at 275 and 3 hours. After will add some rib sauce and broil for a 4-5 minutes est.

I didn't want to buy expensive ribs at $18 just in case. Will see what's what and how these turn out.

If I'm missing anything. Let me know

Happy New Years to all members

Thanks

DON
 
Removing the membrane is a personal choice. Some say leaving it helps retain moisture. Have always done ribs on the smoker. Never attempted them in an oven. Not certain 3 hours will be enough. Are these Babybacks or St. Louis cut ribs?
 
Removing the membrane is a personal choice. Some say leaving it helps retain moisture. Have always done ribs on the smoker. Never attempted them in an oven. Not certain 3 hours will be enough. Are these Babybacks or St. Louis cut ribs?

Looks like babyback. Checked 3 different recipes and 2 said 275 and 3 hours. 3rd said 250 at 3.5 hours. Pretty much the same I guess.
 
Done and tender checks: Pull back off bones, bend break (tongs hold 1st third rest of rack bends down and you see crack(s) in the meat), toothpick easy in/out. Some are good at getting an IT, looking for 190º - difficult for me as there is not a lot of meat to poke into. Good luck👍
 
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Done and tender checks: Pull back off bones, bend break (tongs hold 1st third rest of rack bends down and you see crack(s) in the meat), toothpick easy in/out. Some are good at getting an IT, looking for 190º - difficult for me as there is not a lot of meat to poke into. Good luck👍
Thanks. I cut the rack in half due to length. Pulled out some foil (didn't pull enough to wrap side by side) and just decided to go back to a single length. Pans I had wasn't long enough to hold the whole length, so bolted 2 separate ones together. Can test and have my pop to check

Thanks

DON
 
So the result

Cooked to 204 degrees. Slather on some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce and under the broiler for 4 minutes

Not bad, but bottom a little charred and chewy.

Thing I should have done (and mentioned in one recipe)

Drain off any oil/grease on the bottom of foil or swapped onto clean sheet

Maybe parchment paper between foil and bottom pan. Thing is. Paper absorbs the heat. Found that when I baked breaded wings on it instead of foil. Didn't seem as well cooked.

It's cheaper to buy the pre-cooked and toss in the oven for 25 minutes. Not as big, but can get a variety of brands when different stores have sales. Less clean up and time.

Couple of months and prime rib time

Thanks for the help
 
Beef is graded, pork is not.

And some racks come with the membrane already removed. Some don't. Just slide a butter knife under an end rib, lift up and use a paper towel between two fingers to pull it off. Comes off like the skin off a catfish--if you're a fisherman, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Back Ribs like 225o for about 4.5 to 5 hr. Spares about 6 hr at 225. Low is best. You can go higher then I would wrap with butcher paper for about an hour less total in both cases.

Don't take offence but from the tone of your posts, you can't be bothered with the smoke routine. Nothing wrong with that but doing it yourself allows those special flavours you can't get with store-cooked stuff.

IMO.
 
Beef is graded, pork is not.

And some racks come with the membrane already removed. Some don't. Just slide a butter knife under an end rib, lift up and use a paper towel between two fingers to pull it off. Comes off like the skin off a catfish--if you're a fisherman, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Back Ribs like 225o for about 4.5 to 5 hr. Spares about 6 hr at 225. Low is best. You can go higher then I would wrap with butcher paper for about an hour less total in both cases.

Don't take offence but from the tone of your posts, you can't be bothered with the smoke routine. Nothing wrong with that but doing it yourself allows those special flavours you can't get with store-cooked stuff.

IMO.
I make a brisket once or twice per year and first time with ribs. Kind of pointless to buy a smoker for that.

Not the best quality ribs and as mentioned. Membrane was tough to remove.

Maybe at the end of the year. I'll try better quality

Thanks

DON
 
Sounds to me like it was spareribs with the reference to the flap of meat on the back. Spares take longer to cook to temp than baby backs, likely why they were chewy. If you get these down you'd never go back to the precooked stuff.
 
I make a brisket once or twice per year and first time with ribs. Kind of pointless to buy a smoker for that.

Not the best quality ribs and as mentioned. Membrane was tough to remove.

Maybe at the end of the year. I'll try better quality

Thanks

DON
Hi there and welcome!

If you get a leave in thermometer you can basically nail oven ribs without hardly trying. Whether it's babyback, St Louis (which are just a cut of spare ribs), or even country style ribs (they are just pork but strips).

You will read a lot of varying things on the internet but in the oven you can simply:

  • Set your oven on 275F-325F
  • Season with light salt (easy to over salt ribs), pepper, onion, garlic, and paprika (SPOG + Paprika)
  • Set the ribs on a rack of some kind and the rack in/over a foil pan or a foil lined pan/baking sheet so that the ribs are elevated off the pan
  • Cook until the ribs internal temp meat temp (IT) is 195-198F using a leave in thermometer to tell you when they hit that temp
  • Test for tenderness by stabbing all over with a tooth pic, it should go in with no resistance unless you hit a bone or cartilage, if it gives resistance then move the thermometer probe to that spot and I bet hit shows a temp lower than 195-198F
  • Remove when they are tender
  • Flip bone side up and you can easily peel the membrane off now. Leaving the membrane on lets the meat retain the juicy goodness and is super easy to remove after cooking like this because it is like a thin sheet of paper that wants to easily tear off

Do this and you will nail ribs every time with very little fuss to prep and cook. Notice there is no foil wrapping, no membrane peeling beforehand, no exotic rubs or prep, and little room for error or guessing.
Also the bark is there and amazing if you like bark that you are not getting from a wrapped set of ribs.

If you like sauce glazed on the ribs then pull them when they are like 1 degree below your preferred internal temp (I like 198F IT), and then add back to the oven for until they hit your temp or however long you want the sauce to cook on it.

I sauce at the table so there is that super easy option as well.

For $18 I'd give this 4 probe remote meat thermometer a try if you don't have one. You don't have to use all 4 probes at once but it's nice to have for multiple meats and testing oven/smoker temp at rack level or just to have some back up probes as they can go bad after a few years of use.
71w-vJn6nQL._SX522_.jpg


I hope this info helps because yeah store bought can be fine but I guarantee you can make ribs that are 10x better in the oven and it's nice to know you can do so when they go on sale for like $1.99/lb or less a few times a year :D
 
Hi there and welcome!

If you get a leave in thermometer you can basically nail oven ribs without hardly trying. Whether it's babyback, St Louis (which are just a cut of spare ribs), or even country style ribs (they are just pork but strips).

You will read a lot of varying things on the internet but in the oven you can simply:

  • Set your oven on 275F-325F
  • Season with light salt (easy to over salt ribs), pepper, onion, garlic, and paprika (SPOG + Paprika)
  • Set the ribs on a rack of some kind and the rack in/over a foil pan or a foil lined pan/baking sheet so that the ribs are elevated off the pan
  • Cook until the ribs internal temp meat temp (IT) is 195-198F using a leave in thermometer to tell you when they hit that temp
  • Test for tenderness by stabbing all over with a tooth pic, it should go in with no resistance unless you hit a bone or cartilage, if it gives resistance then move the thermometer probe to that spot and I bet hit shows a temp lower than 195-198F
  • Remove when they are tender
  • Flip bone side up and you can easily peel the membrane off now. Leaving the membrane on lets the meat retain the juicy goodness and is super easy to remove after cooking like this because it is like a thin sheet of paper that wants to easily tear off

Do this and you will nail ribs every time with very little fuss to prep and cook. Notice there is no foil wrapping, no membrane peeling beforehand, no exotic rubs or prep, and little room for error or guessing.
Also the bark is there and amazing if you like bark that you are not getting from a wrapped set of ribs.

If you like sauce glazed on the ribs then pull them when they are like 1 degree below your preferred internal temp (I like 198F IT), and then add back to the oven for until they hit your temp or however long you want the sauce to cook on it.

I sauce at the table so there is that super easy option as well.

For $18 I'd give this 4 probe remote meat thermometer a try if you don't have one. You don't have to use all 4 probes at once but it's nice to have for multiple meats and testing oven/smoker temp at rack level or just to have some back up probes as they can go bad after a few years of use.
View attachment 710474

I hope this info helps because yeah store bought can be fine but I guarantee you can make ribs that are 10x better in the oven and it's nice to know you can do so when they go on sale for like $1.99/lb or less a few times a year :D
Thanks for the info on cooking. Will save and try it next time, but have 4 precooked in the freezer so will be awhile.

Not sure on the unit. About $65.00 here in Canada and currently have a Thermopop 2 I bought awhile ago. Not sure how your unit would work with an oven if the door can't be sealed (will door close with the wires?) May change the temp range if heat escapes and oven can't tell when set temp is reached

DON
 
Thanks for the info on cooking. Will save and try it next time, but have 4 precooked in the freezer so will be awhile.

Not sure on the unit. About $65.00 here in Canada and currently have a Thermopop 2 I bought awhile ago. Not sure how your unit would work with an oven if the door can't be sealed (will door close with the wires?) May change the temp range if heat escapes and oven can't tell when set temp is reached

DON
Yup. In an oven you just shut the door on the wires. Never had an issue.
 
Thanks for the info on cooking. Will save and try it next time, but have 4 precooked in the freezer so will be awhile.

Not sure on the unit. About $65.00 here in Canada and currently have a Thermopop 2 I bought awhile ago. Not sure how your unit would work with an oven if the door can't be sealed (will door close with the wires?) May change the temp range if heat escapes and oven can't tell when set temp is reached

DON
Yep like Hockey says, you can just shut the doors on the wires and it will be fine and seal tight with the oven gaskets.

Wish it wasn't so expensive for you there. Here's some less expensive ones on Amazon.ca:

4 probe used with your phone $33.29 CAD:
71N4tq7SN+L._SX522_.jpg



Single probe $22 CAD:
https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Thermometer-Stainless-Roasting-Thermometers/dp/B08CKJDYYC/ref=sr_1_47?crid=342KYOEHT9DVH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uQyqjCxAB1QUFc6sbQKbmZWocMsXn173-I2KnzzKxgeEy6iNGpZ9m9o_sUCDObYZbt5CfKuWC-CSR_nKTSN1W3xD103GucAFw5_lHSOqMm47tTWXLNWVeA62E-UsVApbsxB8lXl3MpoBhg1g3JfUYtpRGcdyQr1f1zo5dXb7zuRTBLZrJZXabGfDHewz8lozDbMNo8bFxveARRgIZyjZ3ww2KCIeC894idk73iKTsBPHDrplrDnq_99dyhylGlO5xHYXCi3Q9M-rJa64lMx0ACHUpzZO_55ce21Pa0yY1Y8ttJPfNRAE4fSa82VNfcsgx46Xgoaj0kBxFdv1mY4UaCWM8U8GbCICJkAjd0qSpZkl_AverTzzXhlcW7h9aoKavOiexAqCMAYRcsvcWTIwHwAu2nF-PJujDFVlX6xdRflitmjBUDcDHS8ZKXpTJ80p.KSX97Ns5Y08uyah3MPuuhGMtGnfSqzQW2ZoVsLgaYV0&dib_tag=se&keywords=meat+thermometer+dual&qid=1735866280&refinements=p_72%3A11192170011&rnid=11192166011&sprefix=meat+thermometer+dual%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-47&xpid=PoedPilF8LfBJ

61Tf4mOPbCL._SX522_.jpg



I can't speak to quality of these but they have 4 stars or higher and should fit the bill for any oven cooking where you would greatly benefit from a leave in thermometer.
I hope this helps :D
 
Yep like Hockey says, you can just shut the doors on the wires and it will be fine and seal tight with the oven gaskets.

Wish it wasn't so expensive for you there. Here's some less expensive ones on Amazon.ca:

4 probe used with your phone $33.29 CAD:
View attachment 710539


Single probe $22 CAD:
https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Thermometer-Stainless-Roasting-Thermometers/dp/B08CKJDYYC/ref=sr_1_47?crid=342KYOEHT9DVH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uQyqjCxAB1QUFc6sbQKbmZWocMsXn173-I2KnzzKxgeEy6iNGpZ9m9o_sUCDObYZbt5CfKuWC-CSR_nKTSN1W3xD103GucAFw5_lHSOqMm47tTWXLNWVeA62E-UsVApbsxB8lXl3MpoBhg1g3JfUYtpRGcdyQr1f1zo5dXb7zuRTBLZrJZXabGfDHewz8lozDbMNo8bFxveARRgIZyjZ3ww2KCIeC894idk73iKTsBPHDrplrDnq_99dyhylGlO5xHYXCi3Q9M-rJa64lMx0ACHUpzZO_55ce21Pa0yY1Y8ttJPfNRAE4fSa82VNfcsgx46Xgoaj0kBxFdv1mY4UaCWM8U8GbCICJkAjd0qSpZkl_AverTzzXhlcW7h9aoKavOiexAqCMAYRcsvcWTIwHwAu2nF-PJujDFVlX6xdRflitmjBUDcDHS8ZKXpTJ80p.KSX97Ns5Y08uyah3MPuuhGMtGnfSqzQW2ZoVsLgaYV0&dib_tag=se&keywords=meat+thermometer+dual&qid=1735866280&refinements=p_72%3A11192170011&rnid=11192166011&sprefix=meat+thermometer+dual%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-47&xpid=PoedPilF8LfBJ

View attachment 710540


I can't speak to quality of these but they have 4 stars or higher and should fit the bill for any oven cooking where you would greatly benefit from a leave in thermometer.
I hope this helps :D
Thanks for the link. I'll check them out. Won't be buying another brisket for awhile, so presently. Not a rush. Have a good weekend
 
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