Easy BBQ Ribs

Easy BBQ Ribs are one of our favorite, make ahead dinner recipes! Super tender, dry rubbed ribs that you can top with your favorite BBQ sauce!

We love rib recipes of all kinds! Be sure and try our Whisky Glazed Deep Fried Ribs or these addicting, finger licking Sticky Root Beer Ribs!

Easy BBQ Ribs are a rib recipe that can be made ahead of time

Easy BBQ Ribs Can Be Made Ahead Of Time!

Ribs are so easy to make for a crowd because you can pre-cook them low and slow in your oven and then finish them off on the grill when it’s time for dinner. You can even cook these barbecue ribs a day or two before your party!

Pre-cook your ribs, let them cool, them wrap them in foil and stash them in your refrigerator until dinner time comes.

The secret to getting super tender, fall off the bone ribs is to cook them in your oven at a low temperature for a few hours before getting them on the grill with your BBQ sauce. Then just throw the ribs on the grill, baste them with your BBQ sauce of choice and these bbq ribs will be done in just minutes!

Easy BBQ Ribs are a rib recipe that starts in the oven and finishes on the grill

What Kind Of Ribs Are Best For Making Barbecue Ribs?

Any type of pork rib will work for these Easy BBQ Ribs. Spareribs are cut from the belly, same place that we get our bacon and pancetta from. This cut is meaty, fatty and super tasty.

Baby Back Ribs are also ribs that are taking from the belly area, but baby backs are taken from the loin. They’re smaller than other types of ribs, hence the name baby back. Baby Back Ribs have lots of lean meat on both sides of the ribs, making this type a fan favorite.

St. Louis Style Ribs are that perfectly rectangle cut of ribs most people are familiar with. They have a little less meat than the other types of ribs but the meat is delicious, fatty and full of flavor.

Easy BBQ Ribs are an easy, make ahead rib recipe

When Do You Put The BBQ Sauce On Ribs?

This is where a lot of people get confused, don’t want to add the sauce to your ribs too early on in the game. Most BBQ sauce has a good amount of sugar in it so if the sauce is on the grill too long it will burn.

Get your ribs on the grill and give them a few minutes to warm through first and then, once they warm up you can start basting the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce. Since the ribs have already cooked in the oven, the only job you’re doing on the grill is warming them up and basting them with sauce to finish.

And yes, we LOVE serving these Easy BBQ Ribs for parties, but we actually make them pretty often just for dinner too!

BBQ Party Ribs are a rib recipe that can be served at parties or BBQ's

How Do You Reheat Leftover BBQ Ribs?

The oven is my favorite option, it warms the meat through again without making the meat tough like a microwave can. Microwaving is also fine, just do it in short bursts of time until the ribs are just warmed through.

You can also throw your leftover ribs back on the grill! Either right on the racks or wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil. When we have leftover racks of ribs, it’s always a party.

Easy BBQ Ribs are a tender rib recipe that can be made ahead of time

What Sides Can I Serve With BBQ Ribs?

Here are a just few of our favorite options, but head over to our Side Dish Menu for many more ideas!

Print

Easy BBQ Ribs

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 hours
  • Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x

These Easy BBQ Ribs are always a hit! Super tender, mouth-watering ribs recipe that worthy of parties and BBQ’s!

Scale

Ingredients

  • (2) 3 lb. pork baby back ribs
  • BBQ Sauce, your favorite kind

For the Dry Rub

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1  1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Add all the ingredients for the dry rub to a small bowl and mix together. Divide the rub evenly between the 2 slabs of ribs and rub generously on both sides.
  3. Wrap the ribs tightly in foil then place onto a baking sheet.
  4. Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until tender.
  5. At this point you can cool the ribs and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before cooking.
  6. When you’re ready to grill the ribs, preheat your grill to medium heat, then place each slab of ribs onto the grill.
  7. Let the ribs warm up for a few minutes, then start to baste the ribs with bbq sauce on the bottom side of the rack. Let the sauce set on the bottom for 2-3 minutes, then flip the racks over to the top and baste with BBQ sauce generously. Close the lid and let the sauce set for 2-3 minutes on the top. Baste with one more layer of sauce and remove the ribs from the grill.
  8. Let the ribs rest for a couple of minutes, then slice into sections (2-3 ribs per sections) and serve with extra sauce on the side if desired.
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: mantitlement, bbq ribs, rib recipes, party food, pork recipes, ribs on the grill, ribs in the oven, barbecue ribs

BBQ Party Ribs has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

You Might Also Like:

22 Responses
  1. Nicole Elliott ~ Client

    Oh yumm!!! Those ribs look so delicious and I love how you’re making it so everyone can have their BBQ just the way they like it! I’m pretty sure I’d have to try all of those sauces!

  2. Wendy

    I would like to make these for Christmas, am I biting off more than I can chew? I live in a cold climate and was wondering if I can start them on the grill to get that flavor a day early and then cook them long and slow in my oven Christmas Day. What do you think?

    1. Dan

      If you oven bake them first they’re pretty much done, so I do think this is an easy recipe for the holidays! If you do all the work the day before, all you’d have to do Christmas Day is get them on the grill for a few minutes and they’d be ready to serve! I think the grill flavor would be lost after they bake in the oven.

Leave a Reply

Recipe rating

Cocktails and Drinks

Side “Bar”

Try some of the cocktails and drinks we’re mixing up this week!

VISIT THE COCKTAIL BAR

Mantitlement collage

Join thousands of subscribers and get new recipes via email!

Never miss another recipe!