BBQ Pork Ribs in the Oven with Bourbon BBQ Sauce
The St. Louis cut spare rib is a great meaty cut, but this recipe will work equally well with baby back ribs. If you want to offer a bit of variance to your guests, make the Sriracha-Hoisin rib glaze as well and serve up a sweeter rib (this one) and a spicier rib (the sriracha-hoisin) to please the crowd. For a little extra crispy crust you can finish the ribs under the broiler or on the grill. We'll often cook a batch of ribs ahead of time, then quickly warm & crust them on the grill. So good!This timing will give a nice tender, juicy bite but not be quite fall off the bone soft. If you want the meat that soft, bake covered for an extra 20-30 minutes. Nutrition included calculations with the Bourbon BBQ sauce.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 591kcal
Ingredients
Ribs
- 3 pounds (1.36 kg) rack Pork Spare Ribs St. Louis cut (preferably) but baby back is great too , rinsed and patted dry
- 1 cup (240 ml) Apple Juice
- 1 Tablespoon (18 g) Kosher Salt
- fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups (429 g) BBQ sauce , plus extra for serving (use your own or Bourbon BBQ Sauce below)
Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Apple Juice
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Bourbon
- 1/4 cup (65 g) Tomato Paste
- 2 Tablespoons (24 g) Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce , (or soy sauce or fish sauce)
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) Kosher Salt
Instructions
Sauce Instructions
- *This can be done ahead of time or while the ribs bake for the initial hour. Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan (1/2 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt). On medium-high heat, bring to a simmer then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside until ready to sauce ribs.
Ribs Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- If needed, remove the silver skin from the bone side of the ribs (some butchers will have this already removed for you.) Read our tips in the write up in the above article.
- Cut the rib rack in half and place the ribs, meaty side up, in a 9x11 inch baking dish (or other appropriately sized dish). Pour the 1 cup of apple juice over the ribs and then season both sides with salt & pepper.
- Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil, and brush both sides of the ribs with sauce.
- Return to oven uncovered. Bake uncovered at 350°F (175°C) for another 30-45 minutes or until cooked to your preferred tenderness.
- Remove ribs from oven. Brush the ribs a with a little more sauce, slice & serve (for a little extra crust follow next step before slicing).
- Optional for a little Extra Crispy Crust - Heat oven to broil and place oven rack about 6 inches (15cm) down from the top. Brush ribs with glaze again and broil for 2 minutes or until slightly singed. Slice & serve.
- Optional for Extra Crispy Crust and to serve from the Grill - Heat the grill for direct heat on medium-high (if you have that option). Slice the ribs into serving sizes (usually 1-2 ribs together). Brush with some glaze then sear each side of the ribs for 1-2 minutes or until each side has a little char. Serve warm with additional sauce (either toss the ribs with sauce or serve with sauce for DIY).
Notes
For easier removal of the silver skin, after lifting an edge of the silver skin with a knife, use a paper towel or kitchen towel to grab the silver skin and pull it off.
For an easier cleanup, you can bake the ribs in a foil "boats".
1. Make 2 “boats” out of doubled up sheets of heavy duty foil large enough to enclose each rib section (*refer to sriracha-hoisin ribs photos for visual guide). Place ribs, meaty side up, in boats and pour 1/2 cup of apple juice in each of the boats.
2. Seal foil boats closed around the ribs, trapping the juice in with the ribs and being careful not to break the foil. Place on sheet pans. Bake as directed in the recipe above (however leaving the foil open but with the sides standing up enough to keep the juices around the ribs when it calls to bake uncovered).
2. Seal foil boats closed around the ribs, trapping the juice in with the ribs and being careful not to break the foil. Place on sheet pans. Bake as directed in the recipe above (however leaving the foil open but with the sides standing up enough to keep the juices around the ribs when it calls to bake uncovered).
Nutrition
Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1799mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg