Oven-Baked Beef Back Ribs

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These tender, fall-off-the-bone oven-baked beef back ribs are glazed with a sweet and savory sauce, making them the perfect addition to your next dinner party or game-day spread.

Oven baked beef ribs stacked on a white table top.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy beef rib dinner, this beef back rib recipe is the way to go! They take right at two hours to cook, and they’re delicious!

Like finger licking delicious, which reminds me, you are going to want some paper towels with this one. The barbecue glaze does not disappoint.

Table of Contents

Why you will love this recipe

It’s such an easy recipe with little hands-on time required.
Its delicious smokey flavor will satisfy your longing for the backyard BBQ year round.
It is so sticky and smokey that you can enjoy the smokehouse flavor anytime you want from the comfort of your home.

Juicy beef ribs with caramelized bbq sauce.

What goes into this recipe

Beef back ribs: Look for high-quality ribs, preferably locally raised.
Dry rub: I make my own rub with salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground pepper, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. You can easily leave out the cayenne pepper if you don’t prefer the extra kick.
Barbeque sauce: Any barbecue sauce will do here. I typically go for Sweet Baby Rays.
Apple cider vinegar: I actually mix this into the barbecue sauce to add a little moisture to the ribs.

Oven-baked beef back rib recipe

A knife cutting the membrane from the back of the ribs.

Step 1: Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs.

Beef back ribs on a round cutting board with a dry rub coating it.

Step 2: Combine dry rub spices and generously coat the ribs.

A barbecue brush brushing on barbecue sauce onto the ribs.

Step 3: Combine barbecue sauce and apple cider vinegar and paint onto all sides of the ribs.

Baked beef back ribs cooling in a cast iron skillet.

Step 4: Place the ribs bone side down in a large cast iron skillet. cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional fifteen minutes or until the sauce carmelizes.

Tuck a napkin in your shirt and enjoy!

Stretch these tender beef ribs further by serving with juicy dutch oven pulled pork and a side of cast iron cornbread.

Expert Tips:

Tightly wrap any leftovers in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Then, reheat in the oven at 225° until warmed through.
Choose high-quality meat from a reputable source. I buy my meat locally so I can know exactly where my meat is coming from.
Baste the meat before cooking it in your favorite BBQ sauce.
Leave the aluminum foil on to trap the steam, keeping the meat nice and tender.

Cutting beef back ribs with a sharp scissors.

Recipe FAQs

What are beef back ribs?

A beef back rib is a relatively long curved bone slab of meat cut from the upper torso area. Essentially, it’s what is leftover after cutting away the prime rib.
Because most of the meat stays with the prime rib (understandably), you will be left with just the meat between the bones.

Are beef ribs inexpensive?

Beef back ribs are typically less expensive than the meatier beef short ribs.

beef short ribs vs. back ribs

Short ribs are cut from the underside of the cow with a thick layer of meat followed by a layer of fat on top of the bones.

You’ll find short ribs to be the preferred choice of many cooks because of the amount of meat these ribs come with.

However, there are many, myself included, that prefer the leaner back ribs because of their exceptional flavor.

Please note that this recipe is not intended for short ribs, as the cooking times will be considerably longer for that cut.

These ribs are fall off the bone tender, paring perfectly with homecooked baked beans. Or stretch them further with some stovetop brats!

Best of all, they are made entirely in a cast iron skillet, so you can spend more time eating and less time cleaning.

2 beef ribs on a white plate dripping in bbq sauce.

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If you tried this Oven Baked Beef Back Ribs Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Have made these 3 or 4 times in the past 6 months, “Absoulety” amazing! I did by mistake buy the short ribs once (very greasy). I get mine at Costco and they turn out Perfectly!