This is indoor barbecue at its finest! The sauce is the star of the show. What a great sauce! The peach preserves, brown sugar, molasses, paprika, garlic, onion, bacon, and thyme make it taste so good. Wow! A bowl of creamy garlic mashed potatoes are perfect with these.
This recipe is perfect for a rainy day, because you don’t need an outdoor grill. The homemade barbecue sauce is truly the star of the show. It’s so flavorful– a little sweet, and little tart and packed with flavor.
Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper and a little olive oil before putting them in the oven at 250F for about 1 1/2 hours. In the meantime, make the “killer” sauce:
The sauce was simple to make. You start with a thick slice of bacon, wrapped around fresh thyme and tied with string.
With just a little oil (I use avocado oil), the bacon is cooked long enough to render some fat and give it a smoky taste. Add some onion and garlic and cook until softened.
The rest of the sauce ingredients are brown sugar, peach preserves, molasses, and a few other things I’m sure you already have in your pantry.
The sauce is amazing! The peach preserves, brown sugar, molasses, paprika, garlic, onion, bacon, and thyme make it taste so good. Wow! You should make the sauce ahead of time. If you have any extra, it tastes great on chicken.
Remove the ribs and slather with the sauce. Place under a preheated broiler until crisped to your liking.
TASTING NOTES: The ribs were “good”. Well, slow-cooked ribs outside are pretty hard to beat, but we weren’t complaining—it’s too cold to grill right now. Seriously, the sauce is the star of this show!.
I can hardly wait for our California warmer weather to come, and longer daylight. I will be firing up the Weber and making this sauce for our ribs.
Bacon ribs are a delicious and unique dish that combines the meaty flavor of pork ribs with the smoky saltiness of bacon. While they take some time and patience to make the end result of tender juicy ribs wrapped in crispy bacon is well worth the effort.
If you’ve never made bacon ribs at home before, cooking them in the oven is an easy, hands-off method that delivers mouthwatering results every time Follow this simple step-by-step guide to bake your own platter of perfect bacon ribs right in your oven.
What You Need to Get Started
Before you begin you’ll need to gather a few essential ingredients and tools
- Rack of pork spare ribs or baby back ribs
- Bacon – use regular sliced or thicker cut
- Toothpicks for securing bacon
- BBQ dry rub or sauce
- Aluminum foil
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Meat thermometer
When shopping for ribs, look for racks with long bones and a good amount of meat between them. Avoid skimpy racks that are mostly bone. Plan on 1 pound of ribs per person.
Prep the Ribs for Cooking
Proper prep ensures your ribs cook up tender and flavorful:
- Rinse ribs under cool water and pat dry completely with paper towels.
- Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess hard fat or flap meat.
- Peel off the thin papery membrane covering the backside of the ribs.
- Season ribs all over with a dry rub, salt and pepper, or just drizzle with olive oil to help browning.
Wrap Each Rib with Bacon
Here’s how to get that bacon coverage:
- Take each rib bone and wrap the bacon slice around it.
- Make sure to wrap vertically along the length of the bone.
- Use toothpicks pushed into the meat to secure the bacon in place.
- Try to cover as much of the rib meat as possible with the bacon.
Create Foil Packets for Oven Cooking
To oven-bake your bacon ribs:
- Place a large sheet of foil on your work surface. Lay ribs in the center meaty-side up.
- Bring up the short ends of the foil and fold over a couple times to seal.
- Fold over the longer sides to completely enclose ribs in a sealed foil packet.
- Place packets seam-side up on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake Low and Slow
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- Bake ribs for 2-2 1/2 hours until tender.
- Check temperature periodically and continue baking if under 195°F.
The low slow baking ensures the ribs become perfectly fall-off-the-bone tender.
Finish on the Grill or Broiler
To finish off your oven-baked ribs:
- Carefully open packets and transfer ribs to a hot grill or broiler.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes per side to caramelize the bacon.
- Brush with BBQ sauce during last few minutes if desired.
The high heat crisps up the bacon for that perfect crunch!
Simmer in Liquid for Extra Flavor
For an even more flavorful twist, try this oven method:
- Place ribs in a roasting pan and add water or broth to come halfway up ribs.
- Add aromatics like onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns.
- Cover pan tightly with foil and bake at 300°F for 2 1/2 hours.
- Transfer ribs to grill or broiler to finish.
The steaming liquid infuses the meat with savory flavor.
Helpful Tips for Perfect Results
- Choose racks with long rib bones for easier bacon wrapping.
- Refrigerate ribs overnight after seasoning for max flavor absorption.
- Cook just 2-3 racks per foil packet so bacon crisps evenly.
- Check doneness early and continue baking if under 195°F.
- Let ribs rest 5 minutes before cutting for juicier meat.
With these simple steps and tips, you’ll become a pro at making tender oven-baked bacon ribs right at home. Once you taste these smoky, sweet and savory ribs, they’ll surely become a go-to dish to add to your oven cooking repertoire.
The Ultimate Oven Ribs
- 2 slabs baby back ribs about 3 pounds
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bacon slices
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 cup peach preserves
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Put the ribs on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put the ribs in the oven and cook them slowly for one and a half hours.
- Put kitchen twine around the middle of the thyme sprigs and wrap the bacon around it. This will make a nice bundle. In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Put in the thyme bundle and cook slowly for three to four minutes. This will render the bacon fat and give the sauce a smokey taste. It will take 5 minutes of slow cooking without color after you add the onion and garlic. Add the rest of the sauce’s ingredients, stir it, and lower the heat to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld. Set aside some sauce for basting in a separate bowl, and save the rest for serving.
- Brush the ribs with the sauce, and cook for another 30 minutes, basting twice more. Take the ribs out of the oven when they’re done. They can stay here until you’re ready to eat.
- Set the broiler to high for 5 minutes when you’re ready to eat. Brush the ribs with the sauce as you broil them until they are crispy and a little browned, or until you like them.
Bacon Ribs Recipe | Potluck Video
FAQ
Are bacon ribs the same as spare ribs?
Is it better to bake bacon at 350 or 400?
How long to cook ribs in the oven at 350 degrees?
Should you cover pork ribs when you cook them in the oven?
How do you cook bacon ribs in the oven?
One method for cooking bacon ribs in the oven is to preheat the oven to 250°F. Then, place the ribs on a baking sheet and season them with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Let the ribs bake low and slow for about 1 1/2 hours until they are tender and fully cooked.
How to cook ribs in oven?
1 Heat oven to 275 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. 2 Place the ribs meat side down on the work surface then locate the thin membrane that covers the rack. Since this membrane can become tough when cooked, we prefer to remove it. To remove it, use a butter knife and gently slide it under the membrane.
How do you make bacon ribs tastier?
Remove from the oven and serve immediately. a few tricks to help the ribs been tastier are to soak the bacon rib in water for 30 minutes prior cooking to help remove extra saltiness of the ribs. To remove the lining under the ribs, wait until they are boiled, it will be very easy then by just scraping with the back of a small knife or spoon.
How long do you cook bacon wrapped ribs?
Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the ribs are cooked through. If you prefer a spicier kick to your ribs, you can add some chili flakes to your glaze before brushing it onto your bacon-wrapped ribs.