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Honey Barbecue Ribs from the oven

Honey Barbecue Ribs - from the oven!

Honey Barbecue Ribs - from the oven! A a super simple, no fuss way to make slow cooked oven ribs, with a sweet and sticky, tangy honey barbecue glaze.
Course Dinner
Cuisine North American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 519 kcal
Author Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

  • 3 lb pork back ribs or side ribs

For the dry rub

  • 1 Tbsp paprika or better, smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground thyme
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

For the Honey Barbecue Glaze

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • hot sauce or crushed chili paste to taste optional

Instructions

To make the dry rub

  1. Mix together all ingredients until very well combined.
  2. To prepare the ribs
  3. There is a thin membrane called silver skin on the back of all pork ribs that I like to remove first. If left on, it will shrink during cooking and cause the ribs to curl. It also prevents the spice mix from seasoning the underside of the ribs. I push a butter knife between the silver skin and the first bone on the rack of ribs to loosen the skin, then I poke my finger into the slit the knife has made, grasp the silver skin and pull it off all the way down the length of the rack of ribs.
  4. Liberally rub the spice mix all over the surface of the pork ribs on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for several hours or as I prefer, overnight. The wait time does more deeply season the ribs but in the end it is is optional, they will be plenty flavourful anyway.
  5. Place the ribs, uncovered, on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in a 225 degree F oven for 8 hours or so, depending on the thickness of the ribs. See note about the size for the racks of ribs.

To glaze the ribs

  1. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together well.
  2. In the last 60-90 minutes of cooking time, begin the brush on a layer of the Honey Barbecue glaze on both sides of the ribs, about every 20 minutes.
  3. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

NOTE: After making these ribs quite a number of times, I would say the 8 or 9 hour cooking time is for only the largest thickest racks of ribs. like side/spare ribs or large St. Louis style ribs. Back ribs in my experience can also vary in size a lot. Baby back ribs might take 5 to 6 to hours for example, whereas a large rack of back ribs might go 6 to 7 hours. When you twist one of the bones and it begins to break away, then they are cooked well. I like them at a stage where the meat is very tender, the fat is well rendered but you can still easily cut them in individual ribs and eat them off the bone without them falling completely apart. I have been known to slice a test rib off the end on occasion. :)