These low and slow BBQ ribs are roasted slowly, on low heat to produce the most succulent BBQ ribs EVER!! They are just as easy and succulent as my Country Style Boneless Style Pork Ribs and most of the work in this recipe is from putting the rub together because the rest of the work is a piece of cake!
***This post was updated January 2025

Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs
I just love how easy these low and slow ribs are to make. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make one rack, or two racks, or as many racks as your oven (and your effort!) will allow! Make sure to have your favorite barbeque sauce on hand so you can finish off these ribs under the broiler for some nice caramelization!
Incidentally, if you’re looking for a rib recipe that’s a lot faster to make, take a peek at my Instant Pot Pineapple BBQ Ribs recipe! These are super popular on the blog, and turn out just as tender as these oven-roasted low and slow BBQ ribs!
Ingredients
- A slab of pork side ribs, typically having about 12 ribs.
- Your favorite BBQ sauce.
- For the Dry Rub:
- –brown sugar: The darker the brown sugar the more molasses it has which adds a lot of great flavor to the rub.
- –garlic powder
- –onion powder
- –thyme: Dried thyme is perfect to use over fresh thyme.
- –mustard powder
- –smoked paprika – I feel the smoked paprika is important here. It gives that subtle smoke flavor you’d get from cooking these on the grill. You don’t need a lot but if you like that smoked flavor, this is a nice ingredient to include.
- –salt and pepper
How To Make Low And Slow BBQ Ribs In The Oven
- Remove the silver skin from the ribs.
- Coat the ribs with your favorite dry rub.
- Bake at a low temperature, covered, until tender.
- Brush with BBQ sauce and bake uncovered to caramelize.
- Slice and serve.




***Please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient amounts, detailed directions along with notes for making this recipe perfect every time.
The Differences Between Side Ribs and Back Ribs
- Ok, first, side ribs are also known as SPARE ribs. Either term is correct. Back ribs are also known as baby back or loin ribs.
- Baby back ribs are shorter than spare ribs, hence the term “baby”.
- They sometimes tend to be meatier, however, the side ribs are bigger and have a higher fat content, so they are usually more flavorful. Fat equals flavor, folks.
- Side ribs will feed more people than back ribs, and usually, back ribs are more expensive than side ribs.
- Also, side ribs come from the side of the pig, near the belly, and back ribs come from the part of the ribs that are closer/connected to the spine.

What Is Silver Skin?
Silver skin is like .. hmm.. imagine lining up a bunch of popsicle sticks, and then laying down a long strip of duct tape on top of them, just to keep them together. You could then lift the whole lot of the sticks and bend them in a wavy way, but the duct tape will keep them together as one unit.
The silver skin basically keeps the rib bones and muscles extra support to stay together and yet allows flexible movement for them.
Most of the time, your butcher will remove the silver skin before you even purchase the ribs. Sometimes, however, it won’t be removed and you’ll have to make the choice to remove it or not.
It’s not difficult to do, but know that it does soften up in a low and slow cooking format such as this. But again, the choice to remove it is yours. You’ll want to CAREFULLY slide a sharp knife under the corner membrane of the skin and separate the skin from the meat.
A lot of times, once you get started and can grab the corner with your fingers, you can just rip (sounds gross, I know) the silver skin from the ribs.
I’ve added a 2-and-a-half-minute video showing you how to do this.
Getting That Smoky Flavor On The Ribs
Ok, so besides the BBQ sauce that you use that might lend a smoky flavor to the ribs, how would you attain it by oven roasting? Because obviously, there’s no ‘smoke’ per se to add it’s flavor to the pork ribs.
So, today we’re going to get that smoky flavor by using smoked paprika. Yes.. I realize it’s not a “wood” smoke flavor, but it does lend some nice smoky flavors that give the nod to a grilled rack of pork ribs!
If you don’t have smoked paprika, another alternative is some liquid smoke. If I didn’t use the paprika, I would use liquid smoke in one of two ways:
– I would take a few tablespoons of chicken broth and add drops of smoke flavoring into the broth and brush it onto the ribs. Then I would season, and continue on with the cooking.
– The second way would be to add drops of smoke flavoring into a few tablespoons of quality butter, and I would also then add the seasonings to the butter and mix it well, then spread it onto the ribs.
Let’s Talk Cooking Temperatures
The technical temperature of doneness for these roasted ribs would be 145 degrees Celcius. However, remember those tough membranes (collagen) that make the ribs chewy? Well, they don’t begin to break down till around 160 degrees or so.
So, I would be tempted to take them out when they reach 165 – 170.
Using a meat thermometer like this one makes the job easy, but if you don’t have one, you can tell that the ribs are done by trying to ‘lift and separate’ one of the bones from the meat. If it is loose and wants to come away easily, they’re done!

Recipe FAQ
This low and slow rib recipe has been on the blog a while now and here are a few questions that I routinely get sent to me, along with the answers.
I suppose in theory you could, but I really wouldn’t.
The cook time would be significantly longer and there would also be a lot of extra moisture (aka flavor) that might pool at the bottom of the foil that comes from the ribs.
Absolutely not! That’s the beauty of cooking these oven-cooked pork ribs low and slow. This method takes longer, yes, BUT it really aids in slowly breaking down those collagen-rich tough membranes making the ribs tender and succulent.
Boiling the ribs helps quicken the cooking process if you don’t have a pressure cooker, but I believe compromises the flavor a bit because a lot of those cooking juices go into the water that we discard.
What Sides To Serve With These Roasted Low And Slow BBQ Ribs
Ohhhhhh the sides! There are so many great ideas on what to serve as sides with these ribs!
Instant Pot Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter
Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
Bacon Roasted Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Mac n Cheese!
Ok, so there you have it my lovelies! Oven Roasted Low and Slow BBQ Ribs! They’re not your normal, grilled-at-a-cookout type of rib, but they’re still mighty delicious and easy to make. Plus,… there are no bugs while you cook. lol.
Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, or shoot me an email at: joanne@thesaltypot.com! I truly hope you have a fantastic day!!
~Joanne

Oven Roasted Low and Slow BBQ Ribs
These low and slow BBQ ribs are roasted slowly, on low heat to produce the most succulent bbq ribs EVER!! Most of the work in this recipe is putting the rub together because the rest of the work is a piece of cake!
Ingredients
- 1 rack side pork ribs
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ t garlic powder
- ½ t onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
- ½ t mustard powder
- ½ t smoked paprika
- as desired, salt and pepper
- 1c BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Rinse the ribs and pat dry.
- *Optional step* - Remove the silver skin.
- Mix together all the seasonings and sprinkle on top, bottom and sides of the rib portions.
- Cut ribs into 2 - 3 rib portions.
- Place into a bag or container and marinate for 6 - 8 hours, or even overnight.
- Preheat oven to 250F
- Wrap the rib portions in foil and place in the oven.
- Roast for 2.5 - 3 hours.
- Remove from the oven when they've come to temperature and take the ribs out of the foil.
- Place the ribs on a rack and brush with the BBQ sauce.
- Broil on both sides to produce some crispy char bits on the outside of the ribs. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Notes
1. I prefer to use side ribs as they are generally cheaper and just as hearty as back ribs. (and a bit larger). But you can use any pork rib you prefer for this recipe, they will both turn out nicely.
2. You don't HAVE to marinate the ribs overnight if you are short on time, but I really recommend you do if you can. Marinating for as long as possible really helps infuse the flavors from the rub into the meat.
3. Don't go using spices you've had in your pantry for 2 years on these ribs! Try and use spices that are as fresh as possible.
4. Using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of deciding when the ribs are ready.
5. When broiling, WATCH those ribs like a hawk because most BBQ sauces have sugar, which will burn super quickly!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 4 ribsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 234Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 1061mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 3g
***DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS OVEN ROASTED LOW AND SLOW BBQ RIBS RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD TO USE FOR LATER!! ***

Stephanie Smith says
I accidentally left out the brown sugar and they were still yummy!
Joanne says
Happy accident! Thanks for commenting Stephanie!
Vickie says
Hi Joanne,
Am I correct in thinking it’s Gas Mark 1 for 3 hours?
Have to check as seems crazy low haha.
Thank you!
Joanne says
Hi Vickie! So I looked online to see the conversion to Gas Mark and it seems that you’re correct. I’m not used to that unit of measurement(temperature). I’m Canadian, so we use Farenheight for oven temps, yet Celcius for weather temperatures. Go figure, I don’t know why either. LOL
So yes, this is a very slow recipe. Be sure to wrap the ribs tight in the foil to hold in the moisture and heat as they cook. The slow cooking allows the connective tissue to soften and some of the fat to render out nicely, making the ribs super tender. Then the last step is broil the ribs for some caramelization if you want. Please let me know how they work out for you if have time!
Sheila Edwards says
Thank you for this guidance, and such a perfect recipe. I have never tried making ribs in an oven before, only on a grill. I followed everything you said and the ribs turned out perfect. 🙂
Joanne says
Oh Sheila, this is just awesome! Thank you for taking the time to comment and I’m so thrilled that you loved the recipe!
helan says
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Joanne says
Thank you Helan!
Marianna says
I made these for my daughter and son in-law, must have pretty darned good because he asked me if I wanted to come back and stay the night next week and watch grandkids. I always leave dinner😜
Joanne says
Well isn’t that fantastic Marianna!!! They ARE delicious, next time, remember to save a bunch for yourself! 🙂 Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Joni says
I love well cooked ribs. They have to be falling off the bones. Well, this recipe did the trick. I cooked 5 lbs of seasoned ribs at 250 for 3 hours and they turned out perfect. After I opened the foil packages, I slathered on BBQ sauce, recovered the ribs with foil and put the foil packs on the grill for about 15 minutes on med/high heat which sealed in the sauce. These ribs were utterly delicious! I’ll definitely prepare them again this way.
Joanne says
Hey Joni, I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe!! The method really does make the ribs so tender, tender, and tender! I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to rate the recipe and leave a comment! You’ve completely made my day 🙂
Bev says
How long does the bbq sauce last in fridge. It was so unbelievable I will make it for all recipes.
Brenda Jakiela-wilcox says
Hi! 👋🏻
I have my ribs marinating, I did not have any paprika, especially smoked. I only had chili powder- so I used that.-Brenda
Joanne says
Sounds delicious Brenda!
Malcolm Inch says
These ribs were amazing our dinner guest said best they ever had 🙂
Joanne says
Wooohoooo! Great job! I’m happy to hear it was a success!
Gail says
Hi Joanne—
Do you cover the ribs while in the oven? Thank you
Joanne says
Hi Gail! Yes, absolutely. Use foil and wrap the ribs in foil pouches and slowly do the cooking. It will trap in the moisture as it cooks slowly. Thanks so much for asking!! I hope you enjoy the recipe – let me know what you think of them!
Sandra says
Love ,love your recipes.and your true self!!! Best Buy to you and your lovely family
Joanne says
Thank you so much, Sandra and the same to you!
Hassie says
I didn’t see where or how much smoked paprika to use.
Joanne says
Hi Hassie! Thanks for bringing that to my attention! I’d start off with 1/2 t of smoked paprika. After mixing up the rub, I’d give it a small taste to test the smokiness. If you wanted more, simply adjust by 1/4 tsp increments. I find that smoked paprika is fairly strong in the smoke flavor so I prefer to err on the side of less. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away!