10 July 4th Tips for Ribs! (Plus, the Only Ribs Recipe You'll Ever Need) (2024)

FAQs

How long to bake ribs at 350 degrees? ›

Larger, fattier ribs need to be cooked longer than baby backs. Shoot for around 2 hours at 350 degrees if the ribs are uncovered, as in our Barbecued Pork Ribs. If wrapped in foil, the ribs can go for up to 3 hours at 300°F degrees, or crank the oven up to 400 degrees for a briefer baking time—1.5 to 2 hours.

It's the best, easiest way to guarantee fall-off-the-bone tender ribs! I bake my ribs in a 275°F oven for two to three hours. This simple recipe guarantees tender ribs every time!

Pretty much every rib recipe out there calls for using a low and slow, indirect grilling method. Grilling them over direct, high heat is a great way to overcook them and have them turn out tough. Indirect, low heat will help create tender meat that will easily tear off of the bone.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil then bake for 3-1/2 hours at 250 degrees.

The best temperature to bake ribs is typically around 275°F to 300°F (135°C to 150°C). Cooking ribs at this temperature allows them to cook low and slow, which helps break down the tough connective tissues and makes the meat tender and juicy.

Cooking any kind of meat for too long will usually leave it dry, tough, and utterly unappealing. In all honesty, cooking BBQ ribs to perfection is something of an artform. It's not something the home chef does very often, and overcooking the ribs is a common way to disappoint yourself when you sit down to eat.

Do you bake ribs covered or uncovered? You can cook ribs either covered with foil or uncovered. Foil is used to stop the meat from drying out but is not essential. If cooking uncovered and you notice the meat is drying out or browning too quickly, you can cover with foil for the remaining cook time.

Baby back rib cooking temperature

We want a temp that is relatively low. We want to keep the smoker at about 250°F (121°C) for the duration of the cook. To help keep that temp on target, you can use Billows BBQ Control Fan in conjunction with Signals.

Wrapping the ribs in foil helps lock in the steam and moisture, keeping them juicy and preventing them from drying out.

Boiling ribs before further cooking makes them very tender and helps them nicely come off the bone. Ribs are naturally a tougher meat, so boiling them turns them into super tender delicacies.

Do restaurants boil ribs before grilling? ›

Since the ribs are fatty, many cooks choose to parboil spareribs for a short time or boil for an extended period of time to tenderize the rib meat. This renders some of the surface fat and makes it easier to remove the inner skin from the ribs before you grill them, too.

Grill all the way

For ribs with incomparably smoky flavor, you have to cook them low and slow on the grill, adding more charcoal and wood chips every so often to keep the temperature steady.

I always smoke mine bone side down (so the meaty side is facing up), for two reasons. First, I want the smoke to penetrate the bone side too, so each and every bite of the ribs is equally smoky and delicious. Secondly, if you cook them bone side UP, the juices will pool in the concave center of the bones.

Since the seasoning cooks into the meat while smoking, you can add another layer of flavor by finishing the ribs with some uncooked spice at the end. Smoke the ribs at 275 degrees for 2 hours with applewood. If the ends begin to overcook (you'll know because they'll get dark), wrap them in foil.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place each rack of ribs on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to completely wrap the ribs (see Note). Brush ribs with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, covering completely, then wrap tightly in foil. Place on rimmed baking sheets and bake 1 hour, or until fork-tender.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Remove the ribs from the package(s) and wrap with foil. (To prevent sticking, spray foil lightly with cooking spray.) Place the wrapped ribs on a rimmed cookie sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season ribs all over with salt and pepper. Stack slabs on a large piece of heavy-duty foil; seal tightly, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until meat is fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

The lower the meat's temperature, the less moisture it loses, but the longer its connective tissue takes to dissolve, too. You can get very juicy ribs by cooking them at 135 degrees, but making them tender takes two or three days. At 160 degrees, you get tender ribs in 10 to 12 hours.