Ribs timer: how long to cook ribs in the oven

Baby back ribs take 2½ to 3 hours at 275°F (135°C), wrapped in foil. Meatier spare ribs take 3 to 3½ hours. Low and slow makes them tender; a few minutes of sauce under the broiler at the end finishes them.

The timers are set to the shorter time. Check then, and give them another 15 to 30 minutes if they are not tender yet. The faster way works, but the meat is a little less tender.

Then sauce and glaze them for about 5 minutes. Start the glaze timer

How to bake ribs

1. Heat the oven to 275°F (135°C).
2. Pull the thin, shiny skin (membrane) off the bone side. A paper towel helps you grip it.
3. Rub the ribs all over with salt, pepper, brown sugar and paprika, or your favorite dry rub.
4. Wrap the rack tightly in foil, meat side up, and set it on a baking sheet.
5. Start the timer and bake.
6. When it rings, open the foil carefully (hot steam). The meat should have pulled back from the bone ends and bend easily when you lift the rack.
7. Brush with barbecue sauce, turn on the broiler, and broil uncovered until the sauce bubbles and sticks, about 5 minutes. Watch it, because sugar burns fast.
8. Rest for 10 minutes, then cut between the bones.

Done and safe

The USDA says pork is safe at 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest. Ribs pass that early but are still tough. They turn tender at about 190-203°F (88-95°C), when the fat and connective tissue have melted.

Making sides too? Run several timers side by side, each with its own name.

Questions

More: Corn timer · Potato timer · Burger timer · All cooking timers
Run several timers at once