Easy Baked Baby Back Ribs in Oven Recipe

Are you looking for the most mouth-watering, succulent Baked Baby Back Ribs Recipe you can cook in the oven? These ribs fall apart, are easy to make and are Keto-friendly and low carb!

Summer grilling season is now upon us, and who is ready for some good ole easy BBQ Ribs? I know I certainly am! When burgers and hot dogs just don’t cut it anymore this summer, Baby Back Ribs are here to save the day! 

For a lot of you out there, I know Ribs are a great summer dish for your family and all your picnic guests, but to be honest, I’ll make these ribs all year around because I just love them so much and they are easy to bake in the oven. The great part is that these baby back ribs are low carb and great for the keto diet too!

My sister-in-law and I decided a while back to make a Family Cookbook compiled of about 20 family members favorite recipes. These amazing oven baked Baby Back Ribs are one of her super yummy recipes.

I’ve made them more times than I can count, and every single time I’ve made them, not 1 rib is leftover! Which is kind of a bummer, since who doesn’t like to have leftovers for the next day? So if you are one of those who doesn’t like to cook 2 days in a row and enjoy having leftovers my suggestion is to double this Rib recipe. 

This recipe is for dry rub baby back ribs. I’m not really a huge fan of really saucy ribs, so this is perfect for those who are just like me. But what I normally do is take a little BBQ Sauce on my plate and dip my ribs into it. But don’t worry for those of you who love more saucy ribs, we’ll talk about that later on. 

These are slow roasted in the oven for about 5 hours on low, which makes them so juicy, tender, and just fall right off the bone. Plus these ribs are super easy to make! I have a feeling once you try these you’ll be hooked for good, just like I was.

Try our Instant Pot Pork Ribs recipe for an even quicker way of making them!

Are Baby Back Ribs from Beef or Pork?

Baby Back Ribs are Pork ribs are cut from the lowest part of the rib section on the pig’s back, and most commonly make smaller portions. They are more tender than other cuts of ribs and less fatty which means more of that juicy meat in every bite!

In most parts of the country, pork ribs are more common than beef ribs and that’s what we’re making in our oven baked ribs recipe.

What are Baby Back Ribs exactly?

Baby Back Ribs are a particular type of Rib that comes from the rib bones that are closest to the pig’s loin. Because of their proximity to the loin, baby back ribs are so tender that they will fall right off the bone when cooked properly. 

I will go into a bit more detail later, but one rack of baby back ribs will weigh somewhere between 3 and 4 pounds and will have about 10-13 ribs per rack. It will depend on how big your appetite is but one rack should feed 2 people, maybe 3. 

How to make the Best Dry Rub for Ribs? Ingredients:

Here are all the simple ingredients to make the perfect Keto dry rub:

• Smoked Paprika – make sure it’s smoked paprika, that’s key for a nice smokey flavor.
• Cumin 
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper – only a tiny bit is needed, you don’t want too much. Ribs aren’t meant to be spicy.
• Salt and Pepper  
• Swerve Brown Sugar – I used to use regular brown sugar, but now that I’m making it Keto I use Swerve Brown Sugar instead, it has ZERO NET CARBS. The ingredients in Swerve products will not affect your blood sugar, so the few carbs it does contain are considered non-impact. 

I love the combo of all of these spices because it has the best flavor and makes the perfect baby back rib dry rub! The brown sugar adds a little bit of sweetness, which I think is perfect, especially if you aren’t loading it up with sugary BBQ sauces. Don’t worry, you can use the swerve brown sugar which has 0 net carbs!

How Long do you Leave a Dry Rub on Ribs?

So this is based on how much time you have but generally the more time you leave a dry rub on ribs, the better. I highly recommend putting the dry rub on the ribs and putting them in the fridge for about 2 hours. It really lets the spices marinate into the meat. But if you can do it even up to 24 hours before it’s better! 

If you run out of time, or forget to do it early, which I have done several times it’s ok. They are still gonna taste delicious. 

How to Cook Baby Back Ribs in the Oven?

The first step in baking baby back ribs in the oven is to take cut 4 equal size pieces of aluminum foil which you need to wrap the ribs in.  Place 2 pieces on the counter and put each rack of ribs on the foil, set the other 2 pieces of foil aside for right now. We’ll use them in a bit.

Grab a small bowl and now let’s make our rib dry rub. Mix the following ingredients together: cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, pepper, and the Swerve brown sugar. 

Divide up your mix between the 2 racks and rub all over the ribs. Make sure you coat the top, bottom, and sides. You should have plenty of spice mix to coat really well.  

Once your ribs are all coated now we need to cover them before putting them in the oven. Grab the other 2 pieces of foil you put aside earlier and cover the tops of the ribs. Seal up all the sides so nothing gets out. 

Place the ribs on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 200 degrees. *both racks should easily fit on one baking tray. 

Cook for about 5 hours. Once the baby back ribs are ready, take them out of the oven. Very slowly and carefully take the foil off the ribs. Be careful because the ribs will literally start falling apart. 

Now that the foil is off, place the ribs back in the oven and put the broiler on high. Keep an eye on them because it doesn’t take long for them to crisp right up. When they look nice and crispy, but not burnt, take them out of the oven and get ready to slice them. They are now done! Easy and yummy baked baby back ribs!

Can I Eat Baby Back Ribs this while on Keto Diet? – 

Ummm…yes!!! 

1 SERVING of these oven baked ribs = 4.3 NET Carbs

This is perfect for those of you who are on Keto, a Low Carb diet, and also good for those who are Gluten-Free. Exciting right? All it consists of is Ribs, spices, and Swerve Brown sugar (if you choose to add it).  

The real brown sugar is the killer for low carb diets usually, but the Swerve brown sugar is great because it’s 0 Net Carbs!  The rest of the carbs in this baby back rib recipe are only in the spices.

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs or St. Louis Spare Ribs?

Now, this is a very controversial matter and causes a lot of debates, but both are easy and you can bake them in the oven just like in this recipe. Let’s figure how which side of the debate you’re on. In order to do that, we’ll talk a bit about each style. 

Baby Back Ribs: Also known as Memphis-Style Ribs. And let me tell you those from Memphis don’t mess around with ribs. They don’t really add a lot of sauces, but instead, they favor dry rubs. They will typically include paprika, a bit of cayenne, and also a touch of brown sugar just to give it a little sweetness. Hence part of the reason they don’t load it up with sugary sauces. 

Baby back (loin back) ribs are taken from the top of the rib cage, close to the loin of the pig. This is why they are a little bit smaller than Spare ribs and don’t have quite as much meat on them, but the meat is leaner and very tender. Because of them being so tender, they tend to be in higher demand than St. Louis-style spareribs and tend to be a bit more expensive. 

A rack of baby back’s will average about 10-13 curved ribs that are between 4”-6” long. One rack typically feeds 2-3 people. (Depending on how big their appetite is) 

St. Louis Style Spare Ribs: Another name for these is Breastbone-off Pork Spare Ribs. These ribs are a very meaty cut of rib from the belly of the pig. Usually, they are trimmed down into the common St. Louis-style spare rib by cutting and taking away the chewy cartilage and hard breastbone, making the slab more of a rectangular shape.  

A rack of these spare ribs are flatter than baby backs, which can be easier to brown them. They have a lot more meat on them, but also they have a higher fat content, which if cooked properly can be so flavorful. 

Give or take a little bit, each slab is around 2 ½ pounds and can feed about 3-4 people. So it definitely can feed more than 1 rack of baby backs can, and they are a bit cheaper per rack as well. 

Cooking either Baby Back, or Spare Ribs in the oven is a very similar process. In order for them to be nice and tender, they need to be cooked on low for several hours. You can cook them both in the oven, grill them or even cook them in a smoker. Depending on where you live you might only be able to find one kind of ribs, if that’s the case don’t worry. 

You can substitute one for the other, but please keep in mind that Baby Backs, are smaller so you will need more Baby Back Ribs if you are using them instead of Spare Ribs. Also because the St. Louis-Style ribs are larger, they will take longer to cook. 

Should I Cook in the Oven or Grill my Ribs?

Yes, the nice part about cooking baby back ribs is that you can cook them in the oven or on a grill (a smoker is even better if you have one), both ways are easy to do and it’s up to you.

I usually don’t put them on the grill because I like to cook them in the oven for at least 5 hours, and at that point, they will literally fall apart once you pick them up. After that I put the broiler on to get them nice and crispy. But a lot of people like the taste of their ribs on the grill, so here is what I recommend: 

Cook your ribs in the oven first at about 300-350 degrees for about 2 hours. Remember though, Spare Ribs will take a bit longer so just check them while cooking. You don’t want them to get so tender that they fall apart.

Before they get to that point, take them out of the oven and place them on a grill that has already been preheated to about medium-high. 

Cook for 10-20 minutes. Side note, if you’re using a BBQ Sauce, I’d recommend you basting the ribs while they are on the grill. That will help them to get nice and crispy without drying out. 

How Long Does it Take to Cook Ribs in the Oven at 200?

I keep my baked ribs wrapped in foil the whole time and keep the temp at 200 degrees. I never cook them less than 4 hours but tend to keep them in for about 5 hours.

It’s good to slow cook them on low, and if you do I promise they will fall off the bone. 

Do Ribs Get more Tender the Longer they Cook?

Simply put yes! It’s good to slow cook them on low in the oven, and if you do that the meat will slide right off the bone the minute you pick them up.  For maximum tenderness you can smoke the ribs in a smoker which will take them to a whole new level.

Some people will choose to parboil their spareribs before baking them or grilling them to try and make them more tender. One of the cons of doing that is it does remove some of the natural flavors, the longer you boil them the more flavors you are going to lose.

You can decide for yourself, but for the best flavor and tender spare ribs, boiling is not recommended, baking the ribs in the oven or smoking them is the way to go!

What should I Cook with my Ribs?

Now to the fun part! There are so many easy things that go well with baby back ribs. For starters Mac and Cheese. Now you might be thinking wait I can’t have pasta on my Keto or Low Carb diet.

Have no fear, I have some good news for you. I have a Keto Mac and Cheese recipe just for you that we just recently came up with. 

But here are some other things to make with your ribs on a Low Carb diet:

• Low Carb Coleslaw
• Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
• Low Carb Keto Cornbread
• Collard Greens

Some ideas for those who aren’t eating Low Carb or Keto would be:

• Baked beans
• Potato Salad
• Pasta Salads
• Corn Pudding

These are just a few ideas, just I’m sure there are several more things we can make to go with our ribs for the next BBQ. Enjoy!

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