This tender and easy oven baked beef back ribs recipe is cooked at 275F for ~ 3 ½ -4 hours. Beef back ribs are then basted with barbecue sauce and broiled in the oven a couple minutes until caramelized.
Look no further for your favorite beef back rib recipe. These beef back ribs come out of the oven falling off the bone and tender as all get out.
How To Cook Beef Back Ribs In The Oven:
This oven baked beef back rib recipe is EASY!
- Salt and pepper the beef back ribs. Snuggle them (bone side up) into two layers of tightly wrapped aluminum foil.
- Bake the beef back ribs package in the oven at 275F ~ 3 ½ -4 hours long or until the meat separates from the bone. Use a sheet pan to bake the ribs on in the oven.
- Open the aluminum (careful - it's HOT!), flip the beef ribs to meat side up, baste with BBQ sauce, and broil on the sauce until it's caramelized.
- Watch this last step carefully if your broiler runs hot. Don't walk away and burn your beef ribs after all the careful attention you've given them in 4 hours.
Oven Baked Beef Back Ribs Recipe Variations
Because beef back ribs are basted with barbecue sauce at the end, I do not put any spices on them other than salt and pepper.
Having said that, feel free to add your favorite spices to the beef back ribs before cooking in the oven. Some ideas are: paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, dry mustard, cayenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder, etc...
Just remember that bbq sauce has a strong flavor and might overpower the spices anyway so it may not be worth the trouble.
General Notes On Cooking Beef Back Ribs In Oven
Beef back ribs are done cooking in the oven when the meat shrinks away from the bone and the meat is tender.
Ribs release fat / grease when cooked. Before basting the beef ribs and broiling, remove them from the aluminum packet, flip them over to meat side up (bone side down) and place on an aluminum lined sheet pan.
This method can avoid a grease fire when broiling barbecue sauce on the beef back ribs (highly unlikely but still advised).
What is The Membrane on Beef Back Ribs?
The membrane on ribs is tough and chewy. Your teeth can't chew it and your body can't digest it. It's a thin skin like layer on the bone side of the ribs that is more well known as silver skin.
Can't figure out how to get the membrane off the back ribs (or even if it's there at all)? Don't sweat it - most people don't remove it anyway. Just cook the beef back ribs and can be pulled away as you're eating if it's there at all.
Are Beef Back Ribs The Same As Beef Short Ribs?
Nope. Beef back ribs are the back ribs nearest to the shoulder of the cow, closest to the spine and tend to be elongated. They are larger than short ribs (which come more to the breastbone or underside/belly of the cow).
The back ribs extend downward towards the much smaller beef short ribs. They are also meatier in between the bones with not a lot going on meat-wise on top or below the visible bones. Beef short ribs are meaty on top of the bone.
Back ribs are what is left over when you cut the bones off a prime rib roast or ribeye steak. Therefore, they are much more affordable (and also well marbled for flavor).
Are Oven Baked Beef Back Ribs Tough?
In general, all ribs are tough if not cooked long enough in the oven at a low heat.
Beef back ribs are TENDER if they are cooked a long time at a low heat (275F ~ 4 hours). Beef back ribs need to be cooked a long time to coax out that delicious flavor and fall off the bone tenderness.
How Many Ribs are In A Rack of Beef Back Ribs?
The entire rack of beef back ribs is generally ribs 6-12 (8 ribs) but they don't always come in one big rack.
In this beef back ribs recipe and video there are two separate half racks (still 8 ribs total) and they are smallish and from nearer to the hind end of the cow. Larger back ribs will come more from the shoulder end of the cow.
Easy Oven Baked Beef Back Ribs Recipe FAQS
Make this beef back ribs recipe keto, low carb, paleo, or whole30 approved by using a barbecue with no or less sugar. Most barbecue sauces are labeled for these diets.
Bake beef back ribs in the oven with the bone side up. Cooking the ribs bone side up allows the meatier side to cook or braise in it's own fat leaving it more tender and moist.
Yup! Cook beef back ribs on low for 8 hours in the crock pot or follow your basic instructions for the Instant Pot for tough cuts of meat like ribs or stew meat like chuck roast. Cut the back ribs in sections if it doesn't fit. Honestly, the oven is the easiest way to cook back ribs.
Beef back ribs take 3 ½ - 4 hours to cook in the oven. Bake back ribs at 275F.
Easy Oven Baked Beef Back Ribs Recipe
This tender and easy oven baked beef back ribs recipe is slow cooked in the oven at 275F for ~ 3 ½- 4 hours, basted with barbecue sauce, and then broiled a couple minutes until beef ribs are caramelized.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 210 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 (2 Ribs each)
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 lb beef back ribs (8 bones)
- ¾ cup bbq sauce (regular, gluten free, keto, or low carb)
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up).
- Pull off the membrane on the bony side of the beef ribs with paper towels (see video). Skip it if you can't figure it out 🙂
- Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the beef back ribs.
- Place ribs bone side up (meat side down) in 2 layers of aluminum foil and cinch. Ribs may be too large for a baking sheet and may need to be cut in half, if not already done by the butcher.
- Place aluminum rib packets on rimmed baking sheet. This ensures that any leaked grease doesn't spill on the bottom of the oven.
- Place beef ribs in the oven for 3 ½ - 4 hours or until meat is visually shrinking back from the bone and tender when done (see pic above).
- Unwrap back ribs, remove from grease if there is a lot, (the last thing you need is a grease fire in the oven if you broil them - unlikely but possible), flip to meaty side up (bone side down) and place back on the aluminum lined rimmed sheet pan (see pic above).
- Baste top (meat side) with desired amount of barbecue sauce.
- Place ribs back in oven on a low broil for 2-4 minutes or until broiling and the barbecue sauce has caramelized. Some ovens broil fast - watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Happy eating! Beckie
Notes
- Beef Back Ribs are done when the meat shrinks away from the bone and the meat is tender.
- Don't want to cook them in the oven? Cool- toss them in a crockpot with the bbq sauce and put on low for 6-8 hours or until tender.
- Can't figure out how to get the rib membrane off? Don't sweat it - most people don't remove it anyway. Just cook the ribs. It's not edible and can be pulled away as you're eating.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this oven baked Beef Back Ribs recipe with a complementary dish like:
You May Also Like
If you like ribs and tender meat falling off the bone, check out these recipes for beef short ribs, rib roasts, and pork ribs:
Things In My Kitchen:
- 13 x 18 "jellyroll" rimmed baking sheet - 2 packs standard size half sheet pan that fits most ovens.
- Silicone baster - Easier to keep clean than the standard brushes.
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