Oh boy. Talk about finger lickin’ good! Serious flavours, fall apart meat and though it takes time to cook, these Oven Baked Ribs are very fast to prepare and it’s all made in one pan, even the sauce!
Australia is known for many great foods, but smokey, fall apart, juicy ribs is not one of them. We simply don’t have the equipment needed, nor the generations of experience and knowledge that the masters of barbecuing in the US have.
Real barbecue ribs is an art and it’s not something that everyday home cooks can manage at home.
So to make great homemade ribs at home, I think it comes down to the sauce. Yes, the rub is important, as is the cooking time and method. But ultimately, even if you cook the ribs perfectly, if the sauce is mediocre, it’s so disappointing.
Looking how tender the meat of these ribs are! And the colour of the Chipotle BBQ Sauce glazing the ribs!
Over the years, my family and I have tried and critiqued dozens of BBQ Sauce recipes.
“Too sweet,”, we’d say bluntly. “Not spicy enough.”, “Too thin, it has to be stickier.” “Did you put cinnamon in that?? It tastes weird.” “This tastes flat. You’ve gotta get the balance right.” “There’s something wrong with this, I can’t put my finger on it, but it just isn’t right.”
And the worst – “Is this store bought BBQ Sauce???” (PS It was one of my attempts, and NO it was NOT store bought!!).
I think this Chipotle BBQ Sauce has a great balance of flavours. Sweet – but not too sweet (I find many recipes by American celebrity chefs far too sweet), a bit of tang and kick of spice. The Sauce is poured over the ribs and baked so it becomes deliciously thick and intensifies in flavour because it mixes with the cooking juices. By the end of the roasting time, the ribs are coated with a thick layer of Sauce which becomes a “jam-like” consistency.
I’ve added some notes in the recipe for alternative ways to make this because I use this same recipe to cook the ribs various ways.
Are you ready to get down and dirty and get stuck into these ribs??!!
– Nagi
More rib recipes
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Fall Apart Oven Baked Ribs with Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
Rub
- 1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
Ribs
- 5 lb / 2.5 kg American style pork ribs , cut into individual ribs (to fit into one baking dish)
- 1 bottle dark beer (About 12 oz / 375 ml. Stout, porter or a dark ale)
Chipotle BBQ Sauce ("Sauce")
- 14 oz / 400g can crushed tomato
- 3.5 oz / 100g can Chipotle in Adobo Sauce , chipotle and sauce (1/2 a standard can) (Note 1)
- 1 large onion (brown, white or yellow), diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or 2 tbsp normal white vinegar + 1 tsp sugar)
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce , or other hot sauce. Adjust to taste.
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- Black pepper
To Serve
- Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine the Rub ingredients in a bowl.
- Pat the ribs dry, then rub with the Rub. If time permits, refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Take ribs out of the fridge, place in a large baking dish in a single layer (squished is ok, they will shrink slightly).
- Preheat oven to 160C/325F.
- Pour beer into the baking dish and cover with a lid (use foil if you don't have a lid). Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the Sauce.
- Take out of the oven and remove lid. Pour the sauce over the ribs, then return to the oven (uncovered).
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until the ribs are cooked to your liking. The meat should be very tender and comes off the bone easily, and the sauce should be thick and "jam-like". If the pan starts looking dry, add a splash of water.
- To finish the ribs off, grill/broil for 5 to 10 minutes to get a nice browned finish on top (this is an optional step).
- Serve, garnished with fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and wedges of lime.
Sauce
- Blend or process the canned tomato in a food processor, Chipotle in Adobo Sauce, onion and garlic.
- Stir through remaining ingredients. Set aside until required.
Recipe Notes:
a) Stop at step 5 (ie. after roasting in beer for 1 hour). Then when ready to serve, pour the Sauce over and roast (you can make the Sauce in advance and leave it in the fridge, it won't lose its intensity if kept raw); or
b) Cook the ribs for 1 1/2 hours, covered, just with the beer. Simmer the Sauce in a saucepan for 15 minutes until thickened (you may need to increase salt doing it this way so make sure you taste test). Then dip the ribs in the Sauce and grill on the outdoor BBQ. Because the Sauce is not roasted for a long period of time, the intensity of the Sauce does not seem to fade as much. 3. Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition Information:
Hi Nagi,
Another fantastic recipe!
Simply Delicious!
Loving all your recipe’s as usual and sharing them.
Thanks, Monica
You say 17 min what part of 17 min do you mean from start to finish? Or from getting it out of fridge and cutting it there is no way you can do this so stop the fake recipe and get real and give correct times thanks but no thanks
Sorry Mark! I am human and I do make mistakes!! That’s a typo as the 2 min cook time should be 2 hours – I will get that fixed up. Thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, how would you adapt this recipe for cooking with instant pot?
Do I drain the beer before adding the sauce? Or it will be soupy.
No Nancy – don’t drain the beer! N x
I think that you need to drain the beer… mine are just swimming in liquid…
Just have these in the oven now. Got to the 1 1/2 hr mark, and uncovered the ribs. So much liquid. I re read the recipe, have done everything correct. Read the comments and found that the temp S/be 160 fan forced, but the recipe doesn’t state that. I am going to have to cook longer than I thought to thinken the sauce and tenderise the ribs.
Hi Monica – Step 4 of the recipe says “Preheat oven to 160C/325F” so I am not sure why you did not know the oven temperature? N x
Hi Nagi, I did know the temp as per the recipe it says 160 degs. However, in your reply to another comment you said it was 160 Fan Forced which is another 15- 20 degs higher than the standard 160 setting.
This is the first time I have had a problem with one of your recipes. They normally turn out perfectly.
Hi Nagi,
Just wondering what you might use instead of the Dark ale/stout? I am making the recipe gluten free so I can’t use the beer. Thank you 🙂
Hi Shelby – you could sub slightly less water with some soy sauce or a gluten free beer – it won’t be exactly the same but still good! N x
You need to change the cook time in the reference section. It currently says Prep time: 15mins, Cook time: 2mins.
Sounds nice but I was searching for a quick cook recipe.
I wouldn’t recommend it – it cooks the meat unevenly! N x
I’m making this recipe for the first but doubling the ribs, I’m using 2 baking dishes, do you recommend baking separately or at the same time? thank you!
Hi Nagi. I’m just wondering if there’s a way to tweak this recipe for slow cooked beef short ribs?
Hi Louise, You can definitely do this with beef but you need to oven cook them here as you want that sauce to reduce. N x
The time in the oven and the homemade BBQ sauce are WORTH IT! I had never made BBQ sauce before and the flavor is just amazing! The oven time and multiple times flipping over the ribs and coating with sauce seemed like a to do until it was time to eat and it was worth every second. Made these for the superbowl but definitely making them again for a Saturday or Sunday night dinner!
WAHOO!!! Thanks so much for the great feedback Nicole! N x
No instructions for making the sauce. Do you just mix it all together, or does it need a blitz in the blender?
Hi Michelle, yes just mix all the ingredients together and then pour over the ribs – N x
Do I leave the beer in the roasting pan before I add the sauce? I poured the sauce over the ribs and then turned them. Is this ok?
Hi Carrie, yes cook the ribs in the beer for one hour before adding the sauce (then proceeding to cook as per point 8). I hope you love them!
Slow cooked is the best method, but all good, nether the less. and I agree the crock pot is the best.
Another delicious recipe thanks Nagi. I didn’t have any Tabasco sauce but it didn’t really need it as it was spicy and tender.
I’m so pleased to hear that Lisa! Thank you for trying my recipe! N xx ❤️
These were AMAZING!!!!!
They DO work in the slow cooker. They came out incredibly tender they were falling off the bone!
Fabulous recipe I’ll be sharing and will definitely be using again!!! Thank you!!!
I’m so pleased to hear that Karise, thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi!
Question: I’ve reduced the amount of ribs to 1.5 kilos, does that effect cooking time? I will reduce sauce quantity etc.
Cheers,
Courts
Hi Courts! Nope, it won’t 🙂 Well, you could probably shave 10 minutes or so off the slow cook time but I wouldn’t bother, just stick with the recipe!
Hello- I can across your recipe on Pinterest and planning on making it tomorrow! I’d like to use a crockpot while I am gone do you see any issues with that or any adjustments you’d suggest?
Hi Sarah! I don’t think this will work as well in a slow cooker unless you cook it in the slow cooker THEN bake it briefly to brown it 🙂
Made the ribs today! The Best ever !!!
The only thing I could not find Frank’s sauce. What would the equivalent sauce be?
The Chipotle in Adobo Sauce was just a little too hot & will decreased the amount to 2 ounces next time.
The lime & cilantro topped it of nicely ! Great recipe!
Any hot sauce is suitable substitute! I’m so glad you loved it!! N x