The trick to THE BEST baby back ribs is seasoning them with a dry rib rub then baking them low and slow in the oven before grilling them. Trust me, it works!
In This Post
From steaks and chicken to veggies and shrimp, we grill all week long during the summer. One of the easiest recipes we cook is the best baby back ribs. Some cooks think baby back ribs need to start over an open grilled flame slathered from the beginning with BBQ sauce. Do not fall for this hype! This method only creates dried-out ribs with a crisp-burned carcass.
Instead, we season the ribs with a dry rub that infuses flavor into the meat, then bake them in the oven, low and slow, where all the succulence blooms. But what about the grill? It comes in at the end as the finishing agent when the ribs are coated with BBQ sauce and cooked just long enough to add a smoky flavor.
What’s In the Best Baby Back Ribs?
The main ingredient, naturally, is baby back pork ribs, with:
- Baby back pork ribs (9-12 pounds)
- BBQ dry spice rub — see below
- Apple cider—the sugars in this help tenderize and flavor the ribs, adding steam as they bake
- Your favorite BBQ sauce—any kind will do, as long as you love the flavor. If you’re itching to make your own barbecue, try making my Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce.
Start With A Dry Rib Rub
Most of the ingredients needed for this baby back rib recipe are the spices that make up an epic pork rib dry spice rub. The rub recipe is from my brother-in-law, a Texan with a penchant and passion for grilling and smoking. I think my husband dreams of this rub as he covets my brother-in-law’s ultimate smoker.
Here’s what’s in it:
- Sweet paprika
- Dark brown sugar—I love the rich, molasses flavor it imparts, and it doesn’t burn as quickly as processed white sugar.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Dry mustard
- Celery salt
- Kosher salt
- Cayenne pepper
How to Make These Baby Back Ribs
If you’ve never grilled ribs before, don’t be scared! It’s a straightforward process anyone can master.
Rub-a-dub-dub, make that rub. Whisk together the homemade pork rub and rub it liberally over the surface of the ribs.
Rest and refrigerate. Chill the ribs for at least 4 hours, or overnight. This allows the spice rub to penetrate the ribs and make them super flavorful.
Bake the Ribs Before Grilling
The best baby back ribs don’t go straight to the grill, they start in the oven instead. Baking the ribs prior to grilling is what really makes this recipe so great, low and slow for 3 hours.
Bake the dry-rubbed ribs, low and slow. Preheat your oven to 250°F and place the ribs on a high-edged sheet pan lined with a wire rack (the rack supports the ribs so they don’t puddle in the apple juice). Pour 1 cup of apple cider into the baking sheet and bake the ribs for 90 minutes. Add more apple cider to the sheet pan and bake for another 90 minutes before grilling them.
Ready, set, grill. Grill the ribs over medium-high heat for roughly 10 minutes per side. Remember: you’re just looking to get some color on them, they don’t need to cook any longer.
The final step is brushing the ribs with BBQ sauce. Cook until the sauce is warmed creating a rich, smoky covering.
Tips for Making Ribs
Make sure you’re using apple cider and NOT apple cider vinegar for this grilled ribs recipe. You want non-alcoholic cider that hasn’t been flavored with cinnamon or other spices.
It’s also important that you place a wire rack in the baking sheet, as you want some of the fat to drip off the ribs. Plus, you don’t want them cooking directly in the apple cider.
Finally, when grilling the ribs, heat them on the grill first, then baste with sauce. If you add the sauce too early you’ll be sure to end up with blackened crusty outtards thanks to the potential for burning the sugar in the barbecue sauce rather than the savory and delicious variety we all crave.
Should Ribs Be Wrapped in Foil When Grilling
Some people prefer to wrap their ribs in foil to prevent them from drying out, but there’s honestly no need here. The ribs spend such a short time on the grill, and the slow baking beforehand keeps them nice and juicy and tender.
What to Serve With Your Ribs
- How to Make the Best Potato Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts
- Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
- How to Make the Best Easy Grilled Corn
- How to Make the Best Creamy Coleslaw
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
How to Make THE BEST Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 racks baby back pork ribs , 9 to 12 pounds
- 2 cups apple cider*
- ¼ cup sweet paprika
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Your favorite barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients and generously rub over surface of ribs. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Place room temperature ribs on a high edged sheet pan lined with a wire rack. Pour 1 cup apple cider into the sheet pan, place ribs on the rack, and cook for 1 ½ hours. Add another 1 cup cider and cook for another 1 ½ hours or until meat pulls apart from bones.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill ribs for 7-10 minutes each side, basting with barbeque sauce. Remove and serve.
Notes
- Make sure you're using apple cider and NOT apple cider vinegar for this grilled ribs recipe. You want non-alcoholic cider that hasn't been flavored with cinnamon or other spices.
Nutrition
More Easy Grilling Recipes You’ll Love
- Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Swordfish with Smoked Paprika and Herb Fruit Salsa
- The Best Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe
- How to Grill the Best Ribeye Steak
- Mediterranean Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato Salad
- The Best Grilled Salmon
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Loved these!! Made them exactly as written and were perfect.
We’re so happy you loved them, Courtney!
VERY GOOD! I thought that oven time would differ. So, thank you for adding that it may take longer. Mine took an additional 30 minutes. I put them on the grill as directed. The ribs were tender and AMAZING! I definitely will make these again.
So glad you enjoyed it.
I notice you also have an instant pot recipe for ribs. I have an instant pot and am only doing one rack. Do you think the slow oven method is preferable to instant pot if you have the time to do it? Thanks again for your great recipes
Hi Lisa, the instant pit makes these ribs extra tender. Honestly, I do them both ways depending on how much time I have.
Followed this exactly but not only did the meat NOT fall of the Bone but the meat was Not cooked through. They Looked Great but were not cooked… just put them back into the oven for some more cooking. Will let you know.
Can’t rate recipe yet, didn’t put it in oven yet. Wondering since I cut the spice recipe by 1/4 (only making one rack of ribs) , should I cut down on the apple cider? Also I didn’t have celery salt, I substituted dry dill and a little salt (asked google what to sub).
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Can you explain exactly what you mean with the rack and where you place the ribs with the Apple cider? I’m not understanding that part at all.
Hi Renee! We just mean a cooling rack that you set over a sheet pan.
I have made Baby Back Ribs with this recipe dozens of times and every time, they wow my family. Baby Backs are expensive, so don’t waste your money on any other recipe! This is THE ONE!
I’m glad you enjoyed Kathie!
Love ribs done this way. Just wondering if the pan with the ribs, which goes into the ove, should be sealed with foil, over the pan?
Thank you
Hi Adrienne! We don’t cover them with foil. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
What a surprise to find that baby back ribs can cook so quickly and still be tender and tasty! Thank You
So nice! Thanks Clara.
Delissssh Heidi!! We tried the recipe but with ginger beer and it was amazing! We going to try the apple cider next!
YUMMMM! Thank you Charlie!
This rub recipe is great. I will do this guide for next time im grilling ribs.
The first time I ever made ribs, I did the whole thing on the grill and ended up with charred, tough ribs. The oven to grill method really is the best and I like your idea of baking them in a little apple cider. I hope you guys have an amazing time in the mountains. I am here to vouch for you…you are indeed sarcastic and funny!!!
Theis rub recipe sounds awesome. Ill definitely give it a try next time im grilling ribs.
We COOK w/ WINE, and sometimes we even put it in the food ;-)
Can you cook these ribs on a BBQ as well?
Definitely! Just use indirect heat so you won’t burn’em up and keep a water pan underneath to keep them nice and moist – the GrillBeast
Looks like a great recipe for this weekend after the practice. Grilled Spare ribs? Check. Grilled Corn? Check. Thanks for sharing and keep them coming.
Do I wrap the ribs in foil while baking?
No, you don’t need to wrap them at all. Just pop them in the oven.
Do I wrap the ribs in foil while cooking or just lay on top of the rack with the apple cider below?
Crap! I’m making this now and I used Apple Cider Vinegar instead of Apple Cider! Misread the directions. Will let you know how it turns out….
Well, OMG, this recipe is amazing. This is the first time I’ve used a ‘rub’. The ribs came out with a nice crust and a sweetness that made them so delectable that you could eat them without the sauce.
I didn’t have mustard or paprika or garlic powder, so I just rubbed the ribs with freshly crushed garlic first. I mixed the remaining ingredients and added about 2 tsp of ground ginger.
I cooked at 275 for three hours (because I had to do two pans of ribs for 4 slabs because they were so long) for 3 hours. I did NOT need to put these ribs on the grill, though I totally expected to do so because I normally cook ribs this way. They were beautiful colored (browned with a little redness—from the chili powder and brown sugar, I guess) and tender and juicy.
So….I didn’t ruin the ribs with the apple cider vinegar. Although…..after I found out I screwed up, instead of using the apple cider vinegar in the next 1 1/2 hours of cooking, I used just plain water. Next time I’ll use apple cider. :-)
5 STAR recipe. I usually make great ribs, but my husband thought these were the best ever. He raved about them for hours after the meal. LOL
That would be Fahrenheit, thanks for checking.
Did anybody notice the ambiguity – kosher salt on pork ribs? lol
So this might be dumb, but it occurred to me (as I was drinking a beer cider, apple flavor), does ‘apple cider’ mean the juice stuff, or the beer stuff? And I love the mason jar in the back aaaaand I’m pretty sure I’m making these for father’s day.
I used Apple Cider as in the juice stuff as but you could always add in the booze. What could it hurt :)
Wow, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen ribs look so good! I think these look like the perfect recipe to take the new gas grill out for a spin.
Those are some seriously good looking ribs!
This may be a silly question, are the ribs touch the vinegar? As it says place on rack. Thanks :))
its not Vinegar IT IS APPLE CIDER
Josh would love these ribs! Have fun in the mountains! Enjoy your weekend!
Amazing recipe! I must try this one, looks yummy!!
Oh yum, this sounds and looks fantastic! Thanks for posting!
Fantastic! Grilled ribs are my favourite!
Thank you for the tips you have shared here and I just hope I can make this perfectly on my husband’s birthday.. I am sure he will love this..
I have been looking for a good recipe for ribs. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I love that it uses the oven and grill.
love ribs in the summer! I will pass this on to my son who is in charge of the ribs for my grandson’s birthday next month…
Sharing this with my husband…he does the grilling in our house and he adores BBQ sauce. He will love this!
The first time I ever made ribs, I did the whole thing on the grill and ended up with charred, tough ribs. The oven to grill method really is the best and I like your idea of baking them in a little apple cider. I hope you guys have an amazing time in the mountains. I am here to vouch for you…you are indeed sarcastic and funny!
I learned the hard way that it is best to slow cook the ribs before grilling. When I was first married, we invited some friends over and decided to slurge and grill up some baby back ribs. I asked the guy at the meat store what the best way to cook them would be. He said to just grill them up. Later that night, we put the ribs on the grill and started visiting with our friends. A few minutes later my friends eyes got really big and she said, “Your grill is on fire!” I turned around to see a major inferno. We turned off the propane and blew the flames out that were dancing on the ribs. They were seriously charred. I offered to order up a pizza, but our friends insisted on eating the ribs as they were and even tried to offer up a few compliments, but they were seriously bad. Since then I do the slow cook in the oven and finish them off on the grill. Can’t wait to try the sauce!
Hi Erin! Just read your comment and got a good chuckle out of it!! Same here, before getting into grilling and starting up our GrillBeast.com site, I thought ribs would be barbecued the same way any other meat would have been – I used to think “.. just light the grill, and throw it on, grab a beer then eat!” Oh no, how wrong we both were!! LOL At least your friends didn’t mind so much! (by the way, try using indirect heat as well so you don’t have to pre-cook them before grilling, works wonders and you can find a lot of helpful videos on barbecue ribs on youTube as well – basically, this just means put the hot coals over to one side, and your meat, ribs, etc on the other side, and use a water pan underneath them to keep them nice and moist during the slow cook).
fabulous! Love all that you do!
Lordy! Have I mentioned lately that I have a crush on YOU? Or at least your blog. Holy COW this all looks amazing.
Will have to give this oven-first method a try! These look SO delicious!!!
Gosh, thank you so much for including my galette in your bbq menu – I’m honoured to be in such great company! Ribs are such are favourite in my family but my dad always complains that it’s impossible to find good ribs here in the UK, I don’t think he’s going to let me get away with not making these for him!