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Smoky Tender Ribs: How to Cook in the Oven or Grill

  • EspaƱol
Portions: 4 servings

Calories: 1141kcal

Do you love the taste of smoked fall-off-the-bone tender ribs? Now you can make these smoky tender ribs at home and be surprised that they can be better than restaurant BBQ ribs. I will show you how to cook the best pork ribs in the oven or grill.

Why I ā¤ļø it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Smoky BBQ tender ribs.

Smoky tender ribs.

Why I ā¤ļø it

You can be confident that this tender, smoky ribs recipe has been extensively tested and enjoyed in this home. It's one of the meat recipes that I am proudest of.

You'll love that they are fork tender, gently sweet, with a lovely smoky flavor.

Tender ribs recipe

This free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, and I receive a small commission when you purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you!

Do you love the taste of smoked fall-off-the-bone ribs? Now you can make these smoky ribs with spicy rum BBQ Sauce at home and be merry.

Course: Dinner, Lunch
Inspiration: American
Category: rib bbq sauce recipes, rum bbq sauce recipes, rum ribs, smoky ribs bbq
Author: Clara Gonzalez

Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Total Time4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Utensils and tools

  • Roasting tray with a wire rack
Tender ribs with spicy BBQ sauce.
Tender ribs with spicy BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4 pound [1.81 kg] pork baby back ribs, a rack of ribs
  • 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of smoke liquid

Spicy Rum BBQ Sauce

  • 2 cups of sticky barbecue sauce; we have recipes for spicy rum bbq sauce, guava BBQ sauce, or Tamarind BBQ sauce

Video

Preparation

Before you start, make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Prepare

Preheat oven.
Preheating oven.

Heat oven to 225 ĀŗF [107 ĀŗC].

Using a knife, remove the membrane that sticks to the back of the ribs.

Step 2: Seasoning the ribs

Seasoning the ribs.
Seasoning the ribs.

Place on a baking tray with a wire rack. Season the ribs with salt and pepper.

Pour 6 cups of water into the tray but stop before it reaches the ribs. Pour the liquid smoke into the water.

Step 3: Cooking the ribs

Covering tray with aluminum foil.
Covering tray with aluminum foil.

Cover the tray with aluminum foil as tightly as possible, and roast covered for 4 hours.

The ribs should be cooked in the steam generated by the water.

Step 4: Brushing with sauce

Brushing with sauce.
Brushing with sauce.

Remove the ribs from the oven and uncover them. Discard any water left.

Brush the oven-baked ribs on both sides with the sauce using a brush. Save any sauce left for serving.

Step 4: Roasting or grilling

Rib rack ready for broiling.
Rib rack ready for broiling.

To cook in the broiler: Broil the ribs uncovered at maximum temperature for 5 minutes or until the sauce caramelizes and begins to brown.

To cook on the BBQ: Grill at the maximum temperature on both sides for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce caramelizes and begins to brown.

Top tips

  • You can use spare ribs instead of baby back ribs; you may need to adjust the cooking time because they take a bit longer to cook than baby back ribs.
  • I normally use dark rum for the sauce, but I have also used white in a pinch, and I liked both. Use the rum you have at hand.
  • You can pre-cook the ribs and store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. Slather with the sauce and grill or broil right before serving.
Smoky tender ribs with spicy BBQ sauce.
Smoky tender ribs with spicy BBQ sauce.

Serving suggestions

Serve with oven-fried potatoes, corn on the cob, yuca fries, or creamy mashed potatoes.

If you're looking for more ideas for your summer BBQ party, check out my this Dominican rib recipe, my favorite BBQ sauce recipes, and these great recipes for your cookout.

Nutritional information

Calories: 1141kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 81g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 254mg | Sodium: 3043mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3.3mg

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FAQs

What's the best way to make your ribs tender?

The best way to make ribs tender is to cook them over a long time at low temperature. Some recipes tenderize the ribs by boiling them, some by steaming, some by braising, some by roasting over low heat.

Are ribs supposed to be tender?

Before grilling or broiling ribs need to be already tender, they require long cooking at low temperature, and grilling cannot provide that.

Print card

This is just a printer-friendly summary; some useful details are found in the recipe above.

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Tender Ribs [Recipe + Video] Smoky BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

  • 4 pound pork ribs [1.81 kg]
  • 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper freshly-cracked, or ground
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 tablespoon of smoke liquid (Affiliate Link)
  • 2 cups BBQ Sauce

Instructions

Preparing

  • Heat oven to 225 ĀŗF [107 ĀŗC].
    Using a knife, remove the membrane that sticks to the back of the ribs.

Seasoning ribs

  • Place on a baking tray with a wire rack. Season the ribs with salt and pepper.
    Pour 6 cups of water into the tray but stop before it reaches the ribs. Pour the liquid smoke into the water.

Cooking the ribs

  • Cover the tray with aluminum foil as tightly as possible, and roast covered for 4 hours.
    The ribs should be cooked in the steam generated by the water.

Brushing the ribs

  • Remove the ribs from the oven and uncover them. Discard any water left.
    Brush the oven-baked ribs on both sides with the sauce using a brush. Save any sauce left for serving.

Roasting or broiling

  • To cook in the broiler:Ā Broil the ribs uncovered at maximum temperature for 5 minutes or until the sauce caramelizes and begins to brown.
    To cook on the BBQ:Ā Grill at the maximum temperature on both sides for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce caramelizes and begins to brown.

Notes

I normally use dark rum for the sauce, but have also used white in a pinch and I liked both. Use the rum you have at hand.

Nutrition

Calories: 1141kcal

By Tia Clara, published Jun 5, 2015 on Tia Clara

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  1. Jossie

    October 17, 2019 at 9:37 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, these were amazing, thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
    • Tia Clara

      October 21, 2019 at 12:21 pm

      I am glad you liked them, Jossie. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Francisco

    June 10, 2016 at 5:28 pm

    Is there a way to thicken the sauce? For some reason mine comes out watery.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Tia Clara

      July 13, 2016 at 3:36 am

      It will depend on the consistency of the tomato sauce you use. You can heat it until it gets thicker, if you wish.

      Reply
  3. Anita

    June 10, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    5 stars
    Very good recipe, I didn't put smoke but they were great.

    Reply
  4. naomy ramirez

    June 17, 2015 at 3:32 am

    Which dark sugar do you prefer?

    Reply
    • Tia Clara

      June 18, 2015 at 4:55 pm

      Whichever you have at hand works. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Mar

    June 05, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    What sauce should I use?

    Reply
    • Tia Clara

      June 07, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      There are links to some sauces I recommend. šŸ™‚

      Reply

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Hi, I'm TĆ­a Clara! I have been a recipe developer, and recipe writer for 20+ years, and here I share my easy recipes you'll love.

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