Pork Spare Ribs

Rip into these juicy Pork Spare Ribs for a tasty dinner that is worth the wait! Your sticky fingers will be covered in this homemade BBQ sauce, but the mess is part of what makes these ribs so great! The best part is that this oven recipe means you can have BBQ ribs all year round!

I love going to a restaurant and ordering a delicious slab of ribs with lots of barbecue sauce! HOWEVER, these were as good and even better than some I’ve eaten in those establishments. My husband was thrilled, too, and gave this recipe rave reviews!

I was pleasantly surprised at how this pork ribs recipe turned out. The meat was very tender, but not quite at the point of falling off the bone in some spots, and the sauce! It was that good and sticky. It was all-over-the-fingers-good, too. EVERYBODY needed a paper towel.

Spare Ribs Vs. Baby Back Ribs

First of all, know that all pork rib recipes can be swapped out with either type of ribs. That being said, what sets the two apart?

Size: Baby back ribs are smaller than spare ribs and have a steeper curve. Since spare ribs are larger, they take a longer amount of time to cook than baby back ribs.

Location: Spare ribs come from the belly of the animal and are trimmed down. Baby back ribs come from around the loin where the ribs meet the spine.

Flavor/Texture: Baby back ribs are leaner and very tender ribs. Spare ribs have more bone, but also more fat, which makes them very flavorful when cooked properly. You should know that baby back ribs tend to cost more as they are very popular.

Note: Spare ribs are often called St. Louis style ribs, so if you see that on the menu, you’re getting spare ribs.

Ingredients for Pork Spare Ribs

All the ingredients to make your own BBQ pork spare ribs can be found at your local grocery store. Here’s what you need:

• Rack of St. Louis style Spare Ribs (this recipe uses about 4 pounds of ribs)
• Light brown sugar (dark brown sugar is fine too)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Soy sauce
• Apple cider vinegar
• Chili sauce
• Ketchup
• Prepared yellow mustard
• Garlic, peeled and crushed
• Ground black pepper

Cooking Spare Ribs in the Oven

If you’ve only ever grilled ribs, you might wonder why on earth you would choose the oven to make these spare ribs! Let me tell you why I love this method:

Availability: Unless you live in a year-round warm climate, grilling is tough to do for a good chunk of the year. With the oven-baked method, you can have ribs all year round!

Easy, Juicy Ribs: This method guarantees tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs every time with less of a time investment.

Flavor Profile: On the grill, the meat picks up the smoky flavor prevalent on a pellet grill or charcoal grill, which is great. Oven ribs are a different beast, and the barbecue sauce really shines here!

How to Make BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

These oven-baked ribs are tender and delicious! Make them in a few simple steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Line a cookie sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. I like to bend up the edges of the foil to keep any drippings in the pan.
3. I often buy my ribs pre-trimmed, but you can also trim any excess fat at home on your own.
4. Place the rack of ribs on the sheet and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. 
5. Place the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, mustard, ketchup, garlic, and pepper into a blender and mix. Remove the ribs from the oven, discard any drippings, and pour half the homemade barbecue sauce over the ribs. 
6. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours longer, turning the ribs and basting them every 20 minutes until tender and richly browned. 
7. For even better flavor, (which is what’s pictured) you can marinate the ribs in 1/3 of the sauce, bake for the first 45 minutes and then turn off the oven. Drain off drippings, and let them sit in the warm oven for 3-4 hours smothered in the sweet sauce. Then turn the oven back up to 350 degrees and bake for 1½ hours longer as directed, basting with the remainder of the sauce every 20 minutes.

Recipe Variations

• Of course, you can always use your favorite BBQ sauce if you have one you prefer.
• Season both sides of the ribs with a dry rub or kosher salt and black pepper before cooking them.
• Add any herbs or spices to your homemade sauce that you enjoy. Consider a mixture of dry spices, onion powder, chili powder, and more!

BBQ Spare Ribs Serving Tips

Ribs can be messy, and that’s okay! Follow these tips to help slice and serve your spare ribs:

• Let your ribs rest for 10 minutes or so.
• Use a sharp knife to carve the ribs. The easiest way is to cut from the bone side, not the meat side, so you can see where you’re cutting.
• Another option is to stand the ribs on their side and slice down towards the cutting board. Then you can follow the angle of the bones.

What to Serve with Ribs

Vanilla Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish! Alternatively, try these Oven Roasted Potatoes or these Smashed Red Potatoes.

Spare ribs are amazing with a good potato salad! Try this Chick-fil-A Copycat Potato Salad or my Loaded Red Bliss Potato Salad.

Some roasted veggies wouldn’t go amiss! Make Roasted Parmesan Broccoli or Roasted Brussels Sprouts for a flavorful side dish.

Of course, there’s always pork and beans! Make these delicious Baked Beans to go with your pork ribs.

What will you make with your Pork Spare Ribs? Let me know in the comments below.

Want to try making ribs another way?

Here are a few more rib recipes you can try:

• Braised Short Ribs
• Honey Mustard Ribs
• Crockpot Spare Ribs

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