How to Make a Finger Linkin’ Good Marinated Pork Spare Rib Like a Pro

Who says only pitmasters can do justice to the pork ribs recipe? Grilling is the first thing that comes to mind at the sight of a luscious, marinated pork ribs BBQ.

But this recipe entails cooking the best barbeque you have ever had in an oven. You are probably wondering: is it possible to cook ribs in an oven? Absolutely!

You’ve got to give your oven more credit. Don’t even get us started on the delicacies you can whip up using your oven. But one crucial factor that defines the texture and quality of your oven grilled rib is the temperature.

What temperature delivers the flavorful, fall-off bone’s tenderness? And what’s the best-Marinated pork sparerib recipe?

Keep reading to discover the secrets to a savory oven barbecued pork rib!

Why You Should Consider Cooking Ribs with Your Oven

You know how you get this negative feeling about a recipe until you try it and realize it’s mind-blowing. This recipe is one of such. Pork meat is slightly tough and requires patience for the ultimate tenderness. The best way to achieve this without ending up with frizzy pork is by using an oven.

It allows for slow and steady cooking. Placing the ribs on a rack ensures the heat circulates and penetrates from all sides. After a while, you will have succulent pork that is delicious enough to make you lick your fingers!

Types of Pork Ribs

While this factor may seem inconsequential to your pork’s taste, it’s not! The three main pork types have different and have varying cook times.

Back Ribs

These ribs are smaller, fatter, and weigh about 1-2 pounds. The back ribs come from the upper loin. And it gets done quickly.

Country-style Ribs

The country-style ribs cook faster than expected. It comes from the shoulder side of the loin. These ribs are perfect for shoulder steaks and blade chops. This rib cooks fast.

Spareribs

They are directly from behind the shoulder. They are slim and longer than other kinds. Expect their weight to be about 2-4 pounds per rack with a much slower cooking period. Spareribs are usually called the St Louis style ribs, side ribs.

How Long Does It Take to Cook Ribs in an Oven?

Ribs can take forever to cook or take a relatively short time depending on the type of pork ribs in question and the temperature. With the cruciality of temperature in cooking, you need to be sure you are cooking at the best temperature.

Let’s check out a chart to determine the baking time and temperature for each pork rib type.

Pro tip: Remove the ribs from the refrigerator an hour before you cook. This hastens the cooking time and shortens the waiting time by improving the heat circulation.

Given these conditions, the quality of pork ribs you get out of this recipe isn’t always about the cooking time alone. You need to check the doneness in case any of these factors have reduced or increased the cooking time.

You can stick a temperature chart magnet on the refrigerator or grill, to check the temperature at any time.

An Unrivaled Step by Step Guide for Cooking Pork Rib in the Oven

The best part of grilling your pork ribs in an oven is that after preparing the ribs, you can put your ribs into the oven and complete other tasks. Like, preparing to host family and friends a ravishing treat.

It doesn’t require insistent monitoring. Learning the foolproof way to make the marinated pork rib isn’t rocket science. All you need is the vital ingredients. And the strict adherence to the cooking rules for juicy, rich, and succulent pork ribs.

Step 1

Brining

Although this isn’t necessary for this recipe. But it erases every possibility of ending up with oven-dried pork spareribs.

Ovens have a track record of drying things. However, bringing is a remedy for this. So, brine the racks of your pork spare ribs one hour before.

Wondering how to brine? It’s easy as pie.

How to Brine

• Put your spare ribs in a container that would fit into your refrigerator with ease and fill it with cold water
• Mix in ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of salt; kosher salt should be 1 cup
• Spice it to taste. This is optional, and the spices to use include; sage, garlic, oregano, rosemary, etc.
• Seal the container with plastic and refrigerate it for one hour

Brine Recipe

Note that this recipe is subject to change to suit your needs. Simmer the following ingredients together for about 10 minutes

• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of peppercorn
• 4 cups of water
• ¾ cup seas salt
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Add 20 cups of water till it cools, then out the pork and refrigerate.

Step 2

Dry Rub

A dry rub adds flavor to your pork spine rib barbeque. The best dry rub and the most potent way to dry rub is to allow it to sit on the meat for hours or overnight before cooking.

Pork Spare Ribs Dry Rub

• 3 tablespoons of smoked paprika
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoon oregano
• 2 tablespoon garlic
• ½ tablespoon fresh cracked white pepper or black pepper

If you don’t want to make a dry rub from the scatch, try readily-made ones. Check the spice section in a grocery store to pick one up.

How to Dry Rub

• Remove your pork from the brine and pat dry once you have the dry run ready
• Rub all the sides of the meat with your dry rub generously and place the ribs on a foil
• Wrap the ribs in the foil and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight

Step 3

Add Moisture

This moisture is pretty much dependent on your discretion and preference. But whatever you do, ensure you moist the meat to further preserve the texture. Add a braising liquid and preheat the oven to 250°F (121°C).

Note these braising liquid ingredients:

Smoke flavor: What’s the barbeque without the subtle smoky flavor? Try a liquid smoke.

Base liquid: This is vital. It can either be beer, chicken stock, or anything that appeals to you.

Sweet liquid: It ranges from orange juice to maple syrup to sugar if needed.

Add acid: Anything acid includes vinegar — white or apple cider vinegar.

Braising Liquid Recipe

• ½ white wine
• ¼ maple syrup
• ¼ white vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Bring these ingredients to a boil and ensure it cools before you add them to the rubs. Open the foil slightly pour about ¼ of the braising liquid, and seal it back immediately.

Step 4

Low Temp and Slow Cook Time

Put the pork ribs in the oven and cook at 250°F (121°C). For marinated pork spare ribs, this should take about 5 hours. You may increase it slightly for a faster cook time.

But the slow and low baking method breaks down the pork’s collagen to achieve a delectable suppleness. Open the foil slightly and test the pork with a food thermometer or fork.

Step 5

Glaze  

You can glaze with the braising liquid or a homemade barbeque sauce of your choice.    

• Take out the ribs from the oven
• Unwrap the foil packets and pour out the residue juices
• Boil the remaining braising liquid till it starts simmering
• Let it thicken
• Glaze the ribs with the liquid or maple syrup or a commercially made barbeque sauce
• Put the glazed ribs back into the oven for a while
• Remove it when the glaze starts bubbling

Nothing beats the ability to make a scrumptious barbeque at will. Try this recipe, and let us know what you think!