BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
March 2024
No smoker? No problem. This oven ribs recipe is so simple and flavorful, I promise you won’t miss it. And you don’t need to make a smoker out of your oven, either. We’re going to make a spice rub with base of Spanish paprika to give that little hint of traditional smoke, roast the ribs low and slow in the oven and finish with a sweet and tangy barbeque sauce made with Bonne Maman’s Mango-Peach preserves. You’ll spend fifteen minutes at lunchtime prepping the ribs and they’ll be ready by dinner. This recipe makes one rack of ribs and just enough sauce, and it’s easy to scale for more servings.
I’m very particular about barbeque sauce and find that I gravitate toward sauces with a pronounced bite of vinegar instead of a thick tomato-based molasses sauce. I’ve crafted this recipe to have everything I love: mustard, vinegar, a little heat and the sweetness of mango and peach, courtesy of my current favorite, the Bonne Maman Mango-Peach preserves.
The sauce gets slathered on the ribs in the last stage of cooking, so it’s important that all of the ingredients are able to caramelize quickly. The sugar in the preserves accomplishes this with ease, and melds beautifully with the dry rub that’s the foundation of this recipe. You’ll be left with a sweet and tangy sauce with so many layers of flavor.
To prepare the sauce, combine the preserves, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. The hot sauce you use is entirely up to you. I like to use gochujang, which adds a bit of funky umami to the sauce. Use whatever you have on hand – harissa, wing sauce or a classic bottle of red pepper sauce. The measure for this ingredient is a suggestion – add to your preferred taste and the hot sauce you use. For salt, you may find that the soy sauce adds almost enough, so season to taste at the end. Cover the sauce and refrigerate while you prepare and cook the ribs.
I always look for St. Louis-style ribs for this method. They’re a little larger and meatier than baby back ribs, weighing in at around three to four pounds per rack. Baby back ribs work with this method, but since they tend to be smaller at around two to three pounds per rack, hold back the spice rub a bit to prevent over-salting and check them for doneness after slow-roasting for around two and a half hours.
Mix together the salt, sugar and spices in a small bowl and stir in the olive oil until you have a loose paste, then rub the mixture all over the top, bottom and sides of the ribs.
Baby back ribs work with this method, but since they tend to be smaller at around two to three pounds per rack, hold back the spice rub a bit to prevent over-salting and check them for doneness after slow-roasting for around two and a half hours.
Layer three pieces of aluminum foil over a baking sheet. Place the first two pieces against each other on the long end, then lay the third piece lengthwise over the seam, so that the ribs sit on top of a solid piece of foil. This will help prevent any juices from leaking out of the packet you’re about to make.
Lay the ribs top-side down against the foil. As they cook, the olive oil will prevent the meat from sticking to the foil as it cooks. This is why we transformed a traditional dry rub into a wet rub with the olive oil.
You’ll notice that I did not take the time to remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. You certainly can take the time to do that, however I’ve found it to be an unnecessary struggle for very little benefit. You might think that removing the membrane helps the seasoning absorb more evenly, but since the meat isn’t terribly thick, I’ve found there’s no significant improvement in taste. In fact, keeping the membrane attached for this oven method helps the ribs stay together when they’re tender and cooked and you need to flip them and move them around.
Pull the long sides of the foil up and crease them together, then curl in the short sides to make a fully sealed foil envelope. Position one rack of your oven at the middle, and the other rack at the top, about six inches from the broiler. Roast the ribs in the oven on the middle rack at 275° for three hours (or two and a half hours, if you’re making baby back ribs), which will be our first check point.
You’ll notice that I did not take the time to remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. You certainly can take the time to do that, however I’ve found it to be an unnecessary struggle for very little benefit.
After three hours, check the ribs for doneness. Open the foil packet and try to pull the ribs at the middle of the rack apart. If the meat pulls away from the bone easily, they ribs are done. If not, close the packet up and cook in thirty minute increments until the meat is tender.
Remove the ribs from the packet, flipping them over so the top of the ribs is facing up, and place on a dry baking sheet. Turn on the broiler. Slather the ribs with two-thirds of the barbeque sauce and place the ribs uncovered under the broiler for ten minutes, checking frequently. Broil until the ribs become caramelized and brown.
These ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, sticky with sweet and spicy barbeque sauce. They'll be devoured in an instant. You’ll love these for game-day, or any winter afternoon when you’re craving the flavors of summer. You might even find that you’re tempted to make a big batch of the Mango-Peach barbeque sauce to baste on chicken or as a ham glaze.
SLOW-ROASTED OVEN RIBS WITH MANGO-PEACH BARBEQUE SAUCE
Season: Any
Makes one rack of ribs
ingredients for the ribs
Rack of St. Louis Style pork ribs, 3-4 lbs
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp dried rubbed sage
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ancho chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil
ingredients for the sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ tbsp hot sauce, such as gochujang, harissa or classic red pepper sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
PREPARATION
Position a rack in the center of the oven and one rack at the top of the oven (near the broiler element). Preheat the oven to 275°.
To prepare the ribs, combine the salt, brown sugar, paprika, sage, garlic powder, ancho chili powder, cayanne and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and stir, making a loose paste. Rub the ribs with the spices.
Layer three sheets of aluminum foil over a large baking sheet. Drizzle the center of the foil with olive oil and place the ribs top down. Pull the sides of the foil up and seal to create a packet.
Place the baking sheet with the ribs on the center rack of the oven and slow-roast for three hours.
To prepare the sauce, stir together the preserves, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Season with salt to taste and refrigerate.
After three hours, remove the ribs from the oven and test for doneness by pulling apart the two ribs in the center. If they pull apart easily, remove them from the oven. If they still have some give, reseal the foil and continue to roast in 30 minute increments until the ribs are the desired texture.
When the ribs are done, remove them from the foil and flip them over. Place them top up on a dry baking sheet. Baste the ribs evenly with most of the barbeque sauce, leaving about two tablespoons behind for dipping, if desired. Place the ribs uncovered underneath the broiler for ten minutes, checking frequently, or until the ribs are caramelized and brown.
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