• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Maven Cookery
  • Game Day Recipes
  • Recipe Collections
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • Dinner Ideas for Two
    • Dinner Party
    • Freezer-Friendly
    • Make-Ahead
    • Holidays & Celebrations
  • Recipes by Type
  • Air Fryer
  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Grilling & BBQ
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Main Course
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Chicken
    • Fish & Shellfish
  • Mexican Recipes
  • Oven Roasted
  • Salad Recipes
  • Sauces & Dips
  • Seasoning Blends
  • Side Dishes
  • Soups & Stews
  • How-To
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Main Dishes
  • Air Fryer
  • Game Day
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Air Fryer
    • Game Day
    • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Recipes by Type / Main Course / Oven-Baked Dry Rub Ribs Recipe

    Oven-Baked Dry Rub Ribs Recipe

    by Marilyn · May 28, 2022 · Updated: May 28, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Yummly
    • Twitter
    dry rub ribs recipe p1

    This Oven-Baked Dry Rub Ribs recipe is mouthwatering, to say the least. We use a Memphis-style dry rub recipe for Baby Back Ribs in the oven. This dry rub ribs recipe transforms an ordinary rack of baby back ribs into something scrumptious and finger lickin' good using this homemade dry rub.

    With so many ways to prepare your racks of ribs, I know this dry rub ribs recipe will be an outstanding performer in your kitchen.

    dry rub ribs recipe served with side dishes this Recipe for Later
    Dry Rub Ribs Recipe With Side Dishes
    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Dry Rub Ribs Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • What Does It Mean To Mop Your Ribs?
    • How To Make The Best Memphis-Style Dry Rub Ribs
    • How To Know When Your Ribs Are Done
    • Top Tip
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recommended Side Dishes:
    • Variations
    • 📋 Recipe

    Why You’ll Love This Dry Rub Ribs Recipe

    • Incredibly flavorful and easy recipe
    • Outrageously tender meat
    • The recipe can easily be increased to feed a large gathering
    • Especially good ribs during the summer months, but can be enjoyed any time of year

    Ingredients

    • Baby Back Ribs: You want about 1-½ to 2 pounds total. Remember that baby back ribs are leaner, with shorter bones, and are more tender ribs than spare ribs. While both kinds are delicious, there's something superb about this dry rub all over a rack of baby back ribs.
    • Kosher Salt: I use kosher salt in most of my cooking and strongly recommend it here. The large crystals in kosher salt give you more control over how it is dispersed over the ribs. Because of their size and crystal-like shape, they are more readily absorbed into the ribs. This recipe uses Morton kosher salt. If you plan to use another brand or type, see the conversions in the recipe card.
    • Dry Rib Rub: This is a homemade spice mix that takes your ribs to another level. You may choose to swap out the spice rub for a store bought one if needed. Just know that making your own dry rub for ribs is super easy and much more cost-effective.
    • Rib Mop: A combination of distilled white vinegar, water, ketchup and some of the rib rub to mop onto the ribs during cooking.

    What Does It Mean To Mop Your Ribs?

    When you mop your pork ribs, you're using a specific basting technique to cover your ribs without losing the dry rub already on. You use a dabbing up and down motion to slather the rack of ribs in the rub.

    dry ribs rub on baby back ribs
    Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs

    How To Make The Best Memphis-Style Dry Rub Ribs

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Use aluminum foil to line a rimmed baking sheet and place a baking rack on top. Set aside until later.
    2. Remove the silver skin thin membrane from the back of the rack of ribs, pat the ribs dry with paper towel, and season the ribs with kosher salt.
    3. If you don't already have some dry rub for ribs ready-made and stored in Mason Jars or airtight container, you will need to prepare your dry rub ingredients now.
    4. Make an amazing rib mop by adding some of the dry rib rub, the white vinegar, water, and ketchup to a small bowl and mix well. Use a basting brush to generously brush all sides of the ribs, including the back of the ribs, with the rib mop.
    5. Put the rack of ribs, meaty side up, on the lined baking sheet and rack. Cook in the oven, basting with the mop every 12 to 15 minutes, for 1 hour or until the ribs are flexible but don't fall apart. (See tips below for checking doneness.)
    6. When the ribs are done, place the ribs on a serving platter and brush one more time with the rib mop. Use the remaining rib rub to sprinkle all over the juicy ribs.
    sliced baby back ribs with dry rib rub and bbq sauce
    Dry Rub Ribs Carved and Served With Sauce

    How To Know When Your Ribs Are Done

    1. Always check the internal temperature of your ribs before eating them. The easiest way to do this is inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the ribs, without touching the bone, and making sure the temp reaches between 180°F and 195°F.
    2. The bend test method. Use tongs to pick up the slab of ribs near the center. Gently bounce the ribs. If the slab bends nicely and the meat begins to crack on the surface, your ribs are ready. If there is only a small crack, cook the ribs longer.

    Top Tip

    The Memphis style dry rub recipe that is used for these dry rub ribs does not contain any salt. If you decide to use another dry rub recipe that contains salt, decrease the amount of salt you use to season your rib racks.

    Don't want to turn on the oven for your baby back ribs? Try these Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs or use the smoker out back and make these Smoked BBQ Ribs. And keeping up with the other small kitchen appliances you can use to prepare your ribs, I love our Instant Pot Tender Meaty Baby Back Rib recipe. Did you know you can also make smoky ribs in the slow cooker?

    Serving Suggestions

    • Add this homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce as a condiment for your dry rub ribs.
    • Lots of napkins!

    Recommended Side Dishes:

    Potatoes are always a welcome addition to BBQ Ribs. Try these Roasted Baby Potatoes, Instant Pot Potato Salad, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges.

    Macaroni and cheese is a traditional side to dry rub ribs so try this Instant Pot Creamy Mac & Cheese dish. You won't be disappointed.

    These fan favorite Mexican side dishes, such as Elote or Charro Beans, work great too. After all who can resist corn on the cob or a hearty bean dish.

    dry rub rubs recipe with french fries
    Dry Rub Ribs Recipe Served With French Fries

    Variations

    • While not necessary, salt ahead of time to get a better dry brine on the ribs. Season the ribs with the salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to give the ribs time to absorb the salt. 
    • If you like Montreal steak seasoning you'll love our other homemade barbecue dry rib rub recipe that would work here.
    • If this dry rib rub sounds like something you'd love, I bet you would love this Kansas City style Jack Stack copycat dry rub ribs recipe.
    • Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the rib mop to make a spicy sauce.
    • You can use this dry rub ribs recipe with St. Louis Ribs, country style ribs, and even pork chops.

    📋 Recipe

    stack of dry rub ribs with side dishes

    Oven-Baked Dry Rub Ribs Recipe

    Take a walk through Memphis to find a BBQ rib joint and you are going to find some of the best ribs you have ever experienced. Memphis is famous for their "dry" ribs. In other words, not masked under a BBQ sauce, but pure ribs with the most amazing dry rub. At the Rendezvous in Memphis, where this recipe is adapted from, the ribs get mopped with a combination of the seasoning rub, vinegar, and a small about of ketchup. This recipe can easily be increased for more than 2 servings.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Course Main
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2
    Calories 792 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Ribs

    • 1 rack baby back ribs about 1-½ to 2 pounds total
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt set notes
    • 3 tablespoons dry rib rub divided

    Rib Mop

    • ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
    • ¼ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons ketchup

    Instructions
     

    Ribs

    • Preheat oven to 400°F.
    • Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Par the ribs dry with paper towel. Sprinkle the kosher salt all over the ribs.
    • Line a sheet pan with foil and place a baking rack on top. Set aside.

    Rib Mop

    • In the small bowl add 1 tablespoon of the dry rib rub, the white vinegar, water and ketchup; mixing well. Using a basting brush, generously brush all sides of the ribs with the rib mop.
    • Place the ribs, meaty side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Cook, basting with the mop every 12 to 15 minutes, for 1 hour or until the ribs are flexible but don't fall apart. (See Cook's Tips for the Bend Test)
    • When the ribs pass the bend test, place the ribs on a serving platter and brush one more time with the rib mop. Sprinkle all over the with the remaining dry rib rub.

    Cooks Tips

    How To Know When Your Ribs Are Done
    1. Always check the internal temperature of your ribs before eating them. The easiest way to do this is inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the ribs, without touching the bone, and making sure the temp reaches between 180°F and 195°F.
    2. The bend test method. Use tongs to pick up the slab of ribs near the center. Gently bounce the ribs. If the slab bends nicely and the meat begins to crack on the surface, your ribs are ready. If there is only a small crack, cook the ribs longer.
    The best way to salt ribs:
    1. I prefer to use kosher salt in most of my cooking and strongly recommend it here as well. The large crystals in kosher salt give me more ability to control the amount of salt and how it is dispersed throughout the dish. Because of their size and crystal-like shape, they also absorb readily into whatever you are cooking.
    2. This recipe uses Morton kosher salt. Morton kosher salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt have very different volumes because of the size of their crystals. The ratio is approximately 1-½ Morton to 2 for Diamond Crystal. For the 2 teaspoons of Morton kosher salt in this recipe, you would use 2-¾ teaspoons of Diamond crystal.
    3. While not necessary, if you can salt ahead of time you will get a better dry brine on the ribs. Season the ribs with the salt, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to give the ribs time to absorb the salt. 
    4. The Memphis style dry rub recipe that is used for these ribs does not contain any salt. If you decide to use another dry rub recipe that contains salt, decrease the amount of salt you use to season your ribs.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 792kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 58gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 196mgSodium: 1560mgPotassium: 1047mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1307IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 535mgIron: 18mg
    Collections BBQ, Memphis Style, Pork, Ribs
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was @MavenCookery or tag #mavencookery!

    More Main Course Recipes

    • intant pot country style ribs 12x
      Mouthwatering Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
    • chuck steak recipe 12x
      Tender Beef Chuck Steak Recipe
    • air fryer italian sausage 12x
      Easy Air Fryer Italian Sausage and Peppers
    • air fryer country style ribs boneless 12x
      Air Fryer Country Style Ribs (Boneless)

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    As Featured In...

    Media where Marilyn Haugen's recipes have been featured.
    Marilyn Haugen - Cookbook Author and Founder of Maven Cookery

    Hi, I am Marilyn

    I am a best-selling cookbook author, recipe developer, and mom to an amazing lady. I am crazy about eating, cooking, and celebrating with family and friends. Maven Cookery was developed to share my recipes and help make delicious comforting meals easier to make for the home cook.

    Dinner Ideas for Tonight

    • air fryer brats 12x
      Easy Air Fryer Brats With Johnsonville Bratwurst
    • thick cut pork chops 12x
      Juicy Thick Cut Pork Chops, Pan Seared and Oven Baked
    • baked cod panko crusted sq
      Easy Crispy Panko Crusted Baked Cod
    • green chili chicken enchiladas garnished 12x
      Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas (Air Fryer + Oven)
    • brisket flat recipe sandwich 12x
      Brisket Flat Recipe
    • air fryer shrimp 12x 1
      Easy Air Fryer Shrimp in Minutes
    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Air Fryer
    • Game Day
    • Cookbooks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    © All Rights Reserved

    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy

    Get The Latest

    Sign Up for my latest recipes. You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Want More Recipes

    Check out My Cookbooks on Amazon for hundreds of tried and tested recipes.

    Copyright © 2022 Maven Cookery a Food Blog by Marilyn Haugen