Best Ever BBQ Ribs
Ever since I can remember, my sisters and I have been making BBQ ribs using this recipe. I’m not sure if you can even call it a recipe because it’s just two ingredients. It’s more like a technique. Two ingredients, less than 10 minutes of prep time, leave it alone in the oven for hours and voilá! You’ve got the most amazing, fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs!
One of the keys to this recipe is scoring the underside of the ribs. We used to have to remove the silvery skin that was attached to the underside, but it’s been years since I’ve seen the skin still attached. If you find some ribs with the skin, just peel it off. Then, with a very sharp knife, cut the fatty fibers on the underside on either side of each bone (see my photo above). That’s called scoring.
After that, coat the underside with your favorite store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce, flip them over and drench them with more sauce. That’s key #2. You really want to use a lot of sauce!
And speaking of sauces, I’ve tried many different ones for this recipe, but my favorite of all time is KC Masterpiece Original Recipe. It’s smoky and it has a bit of heat to it. When it bakes for hours and hours, it caramelizes and develops a crunchy exterior. Besides, the house smells amazing while these are baking!!
Key #3: Let these babies bake! They need hours! Depending on how thick they are, 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours is about right. You’ll know because when you put a sharp knife into the meaty part between bones, it will be tender and ready to fall off the bone. If not, give it another 30 minutes or so.
Key #4: If the sauce reduces too much that there’s nothing to baste the ribs with, add more sauce to the top of the ribs, usually 1/2 a cup at a time.
That’s it, my friends…the Best Ever BBQ Ribs!
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Best Ever BBQ Ribs
Makes: 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 hours
Total Time: 2 & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 hours
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork ribs, whole racks
- 4 cups barbecue sauce (KC Masterpiece is my favorite)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil or use a disposable pan.
Remove the silver skin on the back of the ribs if it is present. Score each side of each rib by taking a sharp knife and cutting through the underside of the meat about 1/8-inch deep on either side of the bone (don’t do this on the top of the rack of ribs, just on the underside). This will help the meat fall right off the bones once cooked. If unsure, look at my photo in the blog.
Place rib racks in prepared roasting pan, underside up. Cover with 1 cup barbecue sauce. Turn ribs over and douse the ribs with another 2 cups of sauce. Place in preheated oven and bake for 2 & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 hours. Baste with the sauce every 30-40 minutes. You may need to add more sauce so that you have something to baste with as the initial sauce will caramelize and then be hard to spread over the ribs.
The ribs are done when a knife pierces between two ribs easily. The time will depend on the thickness of the ribs. It should be fall-off-the-bone done!
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