These mouthwatering oven-baked St. Louis ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, seasoned with a flavorful homemade dry rub. Oven roasting is a fantastic way to prepare ribs without needing a grill or smoker. They are perfect to make year round for your next potluck or gathering, these finger-licking ribs are sure to impress!
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Ingredients
St. Louis Ribs - This cut of meat is known for its extra meat between the bones and higher fat content, as it comes from the belly section of the pig. This makes it a flavorful and juicy choice for oven-baking.
Substitute Cuts for St. Louis-Style Ribs:
- Baby Back Ribs – Cut from the upper portion of the rib cage, and also known as loin back ribs, they are a popular choice for their lean and tender cut.
- Pork Spare Ribs – These come from the lower portion of the rib cage, with more meat between the bones compared to baby back ribs. They are fattier, resulting in juicy, flavorful meat
Oven-Baked Ribs Dry Rub Seasoning Ingredients
A flavorful dry rub is key to creating a rich, deep taste as the ribs roast in the oven. This seasoning blend uses mild herbs and spices that the whole family, including little ones, can enjoy.
Seasoning Variations
Spicy blend: Add cayenne pepper, chili pepper or red pepper flakes to the rub for a bold kick.
Sweet and Spicy: add additional brown sugar with a touch of cayenne pepper for a balanced sweet and spicy flavor.
Optional Sauce
Here are some sauce options to complement your oven-baked ribs for a variety of flavors:
- Sweet and tangy sauce
- Smokey flavor sauce
- Chipotle BBQ sauce
- Asian inspired sauce
- Honey mustard sauce
How to make oven baked St. Louis ribs
1). Prepare the Ribs/Remove the rib membrane
Check for a membrane on the bone side of the ribs. If present, this needs to be removed. Use a knife to loosen it at one end and pull it off with a paper towel for grip. This allows better flavor absorption. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and place it on a couple sheets of foil.
2). Season generously
Apply a generous amount of the dry rub seasoning to both sides. Place the ribs on the foil, meat side up.
3). Wrap in foil
Fold the foil over and seal it tightly at the top to prevent any juice from leaking.
4). Slow roast
Preheat your oven to 300°F. Place the wrapped ribs on a baking sheet and oven bake for 3 hours.
5). Add sauce and broil
After 3 hours, carefully unwrap the foil, brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce, and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes. The sauce should caramelize and bubble, giving the ribs a nice char. Keep a close eye so it does not burn!
Tips for fall of the bone oven St Louis ribs
- Cover with foil: Wrapping the ribs tightly in foil helps lock in moisture, keeping the meat tender and juicy, It also prevents messes and makes cleanup easier Covering the ribs with foil will help keep the ribs moist and makes for easy cleanup!
- Remove the membrane: This is a skin lining on the ribs, which can hinder seasoning absorption. Removing it allows the dry rub to penetrate better for flavorful ribs.
- Grill for a smoky flavor: You may also finish the ribs on the grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on each side for a smoky flavor and charred edges.
- Monitor grilling or broiling: Keep careful watch while broiling or grilling the ribs with barbecue sauce. The high heat can easily burn the sauce. Cook until the bbq sauce caramelizes and bubbles.
- Season in advance: The ribs can be seasoned and placed in the refrigerator overnight for up to 10 hours. This will provide a more intense flavor.
- Oven bake low and slow: Bake the ribs at 300°F for 3 hours. This slow cooking process ensures the connective tissues break down, resulting in tender, juicy meat.
What to Serve with baked St. Louis Ribs
Pair some delicious sides to complement these St. Louis oven baked ribs with
Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes with skin, Instant pot mashed potatoes, smashed mini potatoes or some creamy mac & cheese!
Storing and reheating leftovers
Storage - For leftovers ( which is rare!) place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheating
- In the oven: Preheat to 300 F, place ribs on a baking pan and heat for about 20 minutes or until warmed through.
- In the microwave: Use a microwave safe dish, cover ribs with a damp paper towel and heat in 1 minute intervals until warmed through.
St. Louis ribs meal ideas
Looking for more ways to serve your ribs? Here are some creative meals to enjoy using St. Louis ribs:
- BBQ Rib sandwiches - Pull leftover rib meat off the bone and mix with some extra BBQ sauce. Add to a toasted bun, then top it off with coleslaw and pickles for a hearty and flavorful sandwich.
- BBQ rib quesadillas - Add shredded meat and cheese and layer it in between two tortillas. Pan fry in a skillet until golden and crispy. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole for dipping.
- St. Louis rib air fryer taquitos- Use shredded rib meat as taquito filling. Add some extra bbq sauce with cheese and air fry until crispy. Serve with a no cilantro guacamole or sour cream.
- Fried rice with ribs- for a unique fusion dish, add diced st louis rib meat and stir fry it with rice, vegetables like peas and carrots, soy sauce and a scrambled egg.
- Rib nachos -shred the meat and add it over tortilla chips spread out on a baking sheet. Top it with cheese, beans and jalapenos. Oven bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and nachos are crispy. Top it with sour cream and sour cream to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few things you can do to prevent oven baked ribs from drying out, first wrap the ribs in foil to keep in the moisture, and also cook it low and slow to allow the ribs to gradually tenderize.
For St Louis baked at 300 F, cooking them for 3 hours to achieves tender and fall of the bone meat.
Yes, wrapping ribs in foil will prevent the ribs from drying out, keeping the ribs moist and retaining flavor. The foil traps steam and locks the flavor in.
The ribs can be seasoned and placed in the refrigerator overnight for up to 10 hours. This will provide a more intense flavor.
Tough ribs may be an indication that the ribs are undercooked. Make sure they are baked at a consistent low and slow temperature (like 300F) for the recommended time of 3 hours. If ribs are still tough after cooking, they likely need additional time in the oven.
More Oven Baked Recipes to Enjoy
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Oven-Baked St. Louis Ribs (with Dry Rub)
Equipment
- foil
Ingredients
Ribs
- 3 pounds St. Louis pork ribs 1 rack
Dry rub for ribs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ cup barbecue sauce of your choice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If the ribs have a thin membrane on the back of the rack, remove it. See link below on how to remove it.
- Combine all ingredients to make the dry rub for the ribs.
- Line a baking sheet with a couple sheets of foil. Place the rack of ribs on the foil sheets.
- Season both sides of the ribs generously with the dry rub. Turn the ribs meat side up on the foil.
- Fold the foil over, making sure to seal it tightly at the top. This prevents any juices from leaking.
- Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 3 hours.
- Remove the ribs from the oven, use tongs to open the foil and discard the foil. Place the ribs on a clean sheet of foil and roasting pan.
- Optional: Brush ribs with your choice of barbecue sauce.
- Broil for 5 to 8 minutes, until ribs get a char.
- Cut ribs and serve with additional barbecue sauce as needed.
Notes
- Sometimes the rack of St. Louis ribs has a membrane on the bone side that needs to be removed in order for the seasoning to absorb better.
- Covering the ribs with foil will help keep the ribs moist and makes for easy cleanup!
- These oven baked ribs are versatile, eat them right out of the oven with just the dry rub or add barbecue sauce to them!
- You may also finish the ribs on the grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes for a smoky flavor and charred edges.
- Keep a careful watch while broiling or grilling the ribs with barbecue sauce. The high heat can easily burn the sauce.
- If you prefer a more spice, add more cayenne pepper and some chili pepper to the rub.
Nancy
Absolutely delicious, tender, fall off the bone, flavor with the seasoning, Oh, so yummy.
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Ashlee
The recipe in the text and the recipe card call for different cooking and broiling times… which is accurate?
Kaylie
Sorry I will correct it, the cooking time in the recipe card is the most updated and accurate.
Liz
Really delicious. Easy to follow prep & execution. Didn't broil or add BBQ at the end, going to try that next time for added boosts in flavor. Ribs were fall off the bone tender.
Kaylie
Please add the BBQ sauce! It will be so delicious! Thanks for your comment!