How Long to Cook Pork Ribs in the Oven at 450 Degrees for Maximum Tenderness

Pork ribs cooked in the oven can be just as delicious as ribs cooked on the grill or smoker. The key is using the right temperature and cook time to get ribs that are tender, fall-off-the-bone, and full of flavor. When cooking ribs in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, you can achieve competition-worthy results with a simple recipe.

Why Cook Ribs in the Oven?

There are several advantages to cooking ribs in the oven rather than solely relying on the grill or smoker:

• Oven ribs are very convenient – no need to monitor a smoker or grill for hours. Just pop them in the oven and let the heat do the work.

• Oven cooking allows you to use both dry heat from the oven and moist heat under foil to get tender ribs

• Oven ribs are great for large batches and holidays when you need to feed a crowd.

• The oven provides a very even, consistent heat unlike the hot spots you can get on a grill.

• For apartment dwellers or those without an outdoor grill, the oven is the perfect solution for ribs.

Choosing the Right Oven Temperature

Most oven rib recipes call for cooking at a low 250-325°F temperature. However, starting the ribs at a higher temp like 450°F helps render fat, crisp up the exterior, and lock in moisture before the low and slow cooking.

The high 450°F temperature gives the ribs a nice caramelized crust. Lowering the temp down to 250-275°F later on allows the collagen in the ribs to break down over time making them fall-off-the-bone tender.

How Long to Cook Ribs at 450 Degrees

Most racks of pork ribs will take right around 2-3 hours total cook time in the oven with part of that time at 450°F and the rest of the time at a lower 250°F temp.

Here are general guidelines for cook times:

• Preheat oven to 450°F

• Place ribs in pan bone-side down and cook for 30 minutes at 450°F. This helps render fat and develop a nice crust.

• Flip ribs over and cook for another 15 minutes at 450°F.

• Wrap the ribs tightly in foil and reduce oven temperature to 250-275°F. Let ribs cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until tender and meat easily pulls away from the bone.

• Carefully remove foil and coat ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. Place back in oven at 450°F for another 10-15 minutes to caramelize the sauce.

The most foolproof way to test for doneness is using a meat thermometer. Pork ribs are done between 195-205°F internal temperature when measured in the thickest part of the meat.

Tips for the Best Oven Ribs

Follow these tips for foolproof, finger-licking oven ribs every time:

• Choose the right ribs – Look for racks of baby back or loin back ribs with nice marbling throughout the meat. Avoid bony spare ribs for oven cooking.

• Remove membrane – That papery membrane on the back of the rack needs to be removed prior to cooking. Use a knife to carefully scrape it off.

• Season generously – Flavor your ribs before cooking with a dry rub or spices. Go heavy on the salt and pepper.

• Use a rib rack – A vertical rib rack helps fit more slabs in the oven and exposes more surface area to heat.

• Steam ribs first -Cooking ribs for 45 mins wrapped in foil with 1 cup of apple juice, stock, or beer steams them before roasting.

• Wrap in foil – The Texas crutch method of wrapping ribs in foil halfway through locks in moisture.

• Brown with sauce – Unwrap ribs near the end and coat with sauce. Broil to caramelize.

• Let rest before cutting – Once out of the oven, let ribs sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Oven Baked Rib Recipes

There are endless ways to adapt oven ribs to suit your preference. Here are just a few popular oven-baked rib recipe ideas:

Basic Oven Ribs

• Dry rub ribs with a spice blend
• Cook for 45 minutes bone-side down at 450°F
• Wrap in foil, reduce to 275°F and cook for 2 hours
• Unwrap, brush with barbecue sauce and broil

Beer and Brown Sugar Ribs

• Marinate ribs in beer, brown sugar, garlic, and spices
• Bake on a broiler pan, flipping halfway
• Brush with sauce last 10 minutes

Hoisin Oven Ribs

• Marinate ribs in hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste and ginger
• Roast in oven at 450°F for 30 minutes
• Wrap in foil and cook at 300°F for 1 1/2 hours
• Glaze with hoisin sauce and broil

Chili Lime Oven Ribs

• Dry rub with chili powder, cumin, coriander and lime zest
• Roast for 45 minutes at 450°F bone-side down
• Wrap in foil and bake at 275°F for 2 hours
• Glaze with lime juice and cilantro

Memphis Dry Rub Oven Ribs

• Apply Memphis style dry rub (brown sugar, paprika, garlic, mustard)
• Roast at 450°F for 30 minutes per side
• Wrap in foil and bake at 300°F for 1 1/2 – 2 hours
• Glaze with barbecue sauce and broil

No matter which oven rib recipe you choose, following the tips above for high heat roasting followed by low and slow foil-wrapped cooking will result in perfect ribs every time. Pork ribs come out moist, tender and full of smoky depth when cooked for the right length of time in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.