How Long to Cook Beef Back Ribs

An easy recipe for tender, flavorful oven beef back ribs. It's not a quick recipe, but it's truly easy, and the result is so very flavorful!

The oven pretty much does the work for you. All you need is a few hours, and basting the ribs occasionally.

Two beef back ribs served on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

I really like ribs! There's something almost primal about eating tender, flavorful meat right off the bone. I guess they unleash the cavewoman in me. 🙂

This beef back ribs recipe is super easy to make (though not quick), and they come out so tender. Whenever I spot them at Whole Foods, I immediately buy them. We all really enjoy this dish.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Apple cider vinegar: You can also use white wine vinegar.

Hot pepper sauce: It doesn't really make the dish spicy. It merely adds an interesting layer of flavor.

Beef back ribs: I usually get them at Whole Foods. I don't know if they're available in most supermarkets.

Olive oil spray: I love cooking with this delicious oil. But if you'd rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.

Spices: Smoked salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. The smoked salt adds a nice smoky flavor to the dish.

Instructions

Cooking these delicious ribs is surprisingly easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

1. You start by placing the ribs on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Spray them with oil and sprinkle them with spices. Bake them for 1 hour in a 250°F oven.

2. Meanwhile, mix apple cider vinegar and hot pepper sauce and divide the mixture between three small bowls.

3. After the first hour, baste the ribs with a third of the vinegar-hot sauce marinade.

4. Continue baking the ribs for three more hours, basting with the marinade two more times, and washing the basting brush with hot soapy water after each use.

5. At this point, after four hours in the oven, the ribs are fully cooked and tender. But I like to reduce the oven temperature to 200°F and keep them in the warm oven for one more hour, for extra tender meat with a wonderfully caramelized exterior.

A photo collage showing the steps for oven-baking beef back ribs.

Expert tip

If your meat comes already separated into individual ribs, as shown in the video, you can bake them for a total of just four hours instead of five.

Frequently asked questions

What are beef back ribs?

They are what's left after the butcher cuts the ribeye roast off the bones. Since butchers want to maximize profit, they cut as much meat as they can.

So there's not much meat left on top of the bones, but there are big chunks of super delicious, fatty meat between the bones.

What's the best way to cook beef back ribs?

This meat is tough and needs to be cooked low and slow. When cooked properly, the ribs are tender, succulent, and very flavorful. The fatty meat falls off the bones.

So don't try to cook them quickly! Much like other tough meats, such as chuck roast (see this pot roast recipe), brisket (check out my easy oven brisket recipe), or oven-baked spareribs, making this recipe takes time and patience.

But this doesn't mean that making this recipe is difficult. On the contrary, this is an easy recipe, perfect for when you're home anyway, and can baste the ribs once in a while.

My favorite way to cook them is in the oven. I bake them in a slow oven using smoked salt and smoked paprika to give them a smoky flavor.

Should I marinate the ribs before cooking them?

I use a marinade of vinegar and hot sauce to help tenderize and caramelize the meat and give it some extra flavor.

However, I simply brush the marinade on the ribs while they bake. I don't marinate them before cooking.

Serving suggestions

Traditional sides served with ribs are often starchy. But I like to serve this rich, meaty dish with vegetables to balance it out. So I often serve them with one of the following sides:

Cauliflower mac and cheese
Broccoli and cheese sauce
Sauteed mushrooms

Storing leftovers

Leftovers should keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.

Three beef back ribs, served on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
Beef Tenderloin Roast
Oven-Braised Boneless Short Ribs
Oven-Baked Ribs

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Recipe card

Oven Beef Back Ribs

An easy recipe for tender, flavorful oven beef back ribs. It's not a quick recipe, but it's truly easy, and the result is so very flavorful!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 hrs

Total Time 5 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 329 kcal

▢ ½ cup apple cider vinegar
▢ 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce Such as Frank's RedHot
▢ 2 racks beef back ribs 2 lb. each
▢ Olive oil spray
▢ 2 teaspoons smoked salt
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil (for easy cleanup).
In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and the hot sauce. Set aside.
If you wish, remove the thin membrane from the bone side of the ribs. Here's how.
Place the ribs on the prepared baking sheet, bone side down. (Use two baking sheets if they don't fit in one). Spray the tops of the ribs with olive oil and sprinkle them with smoked salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Bake the ribs, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Mix the apple cider vinegar marinade again, then pour it into three small bowls, dividing it evenly. Baste the tops of the ribs with ⅓ of the marinade.
Return the ribs to the oven and bake them for three more hours, uncovered, basting the top with ⅓ of the marinade every hour (make sure you rinse the basting brush after each basting with hot soapy water).
After 4 hours of baking, the ribs should be nicely browned and very tender. At this point, you can serve them. But to make them even better, reduce the oven to 200 degrees F, and keep them in the oven for one more hour. This will ensure extra tender beef with a crispy, caramelized exterior.
Remove the ribs from the oven, cut into six portions and serve.

If your beef back ribs come already separated into individual ribs, as shown in the video, you can bake them for just four hours.

Leftovers should keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.

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