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Four slabs of BBQ oven ribs on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
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5 / 2 votes

Oven Barbecued Ribs

Want smoky, bbq ribs, but don't have a grill or wood chips available? Try these tender, oven-roasted spareribs that are smoked over tea leaves.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Chilling time10 hours
Total Time12 hours
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 to 5 servings
Calories: 1611

Equipment

  • Baking stone or cast-iron skillet

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Two racks St. Louis–style spareribs, trimmed of excess fat, membranes removed* (see * Note), and each rack cut in half
  • 1/4 cup finely ground Lapsang souchong tea leaves, (from about 10 tea bags, or 1/2 cup loose tea leaves (20 g), ground in a spice grinder)
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
US - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the ribs

  • In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, ketchup, and garlic. In a separate small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, paprika, chili powder, pepper, and cayenne.
  • Spread the mustard mixture in a thin, even layer over both sides of the ribs. Sprinkle the spices over the mustard mixture, coating both sides of the ribs.
  • Wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.

Cook the ribs

  • Transfer the ribs from the refrigerator to the freezer for 45 minutes.
  • Adjust oven racks to the lowest and upper-middle positions (at least 5 inches [13 cm] below the broiler element). Place a baking stone on the lower rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  • Sprinkle ground tea evenly over the bottom of the rimmed baking sheet. Place a wire rack inside the baking sheet over the tea.
  • Place the ribs, meat side up, on the wire rack, overlapping each piece, if necessary. Cover the baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping edges tightly to seal.
  • Place the baking sheet on the preheated baking stone and roast the ribs for 30 minutes.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (121°C), leaving the oven door open for 1 minute to drop the temperature. While the oven is open, carefully lift 1 corner of the foil and pour the apple juice into the bottom of the baking sheet. Reseal the foil before closing the oven door.
  • Continue to roast the ribs until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from bones, about 1 hour.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and discard the foil. Carefully flip the ribs bone side up.
  • Turn on the broiler and return the baking sheet to the oven on the upper rack. Cook the ribs until well browned and crisp in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip ribs meat side up and cook until browned and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes more.
  • Let ribs cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with plenty of paper napkins.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1611kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 87g | Fat: 130g | Saturated Fat: 42g | Monounsaturated Fat: 48g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 440mg | Sodium: 3416mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g