It’s the summer (or the winter!) and you don’t have a grill or a smoker. What do you do? Sit there and lament your grill-less state? No! You buy some ribs, turn on that oven, and make some fall off the bone beef ribs!
The funny thing about “fall-off-the-bone ribs” is that according to rib competitions and the awarded winners, you actually don’t want a rib to fall off the bone. You want tug-off-the-bone. It’s probably because of the idea that you should be able to eat a great rib with your hands and if it fell off the bone right when you picked it up, then that wouldn’t provide the right texture. You also get more meat flavor and less rendered fat flavor when the rib stays intact.
Nonetheless, most lay people who want that tender rib experience just call it “fall off the bone.” If you love fall-off-the-bone ribs that leave a clean bone, but that won’t disintegrate when picked up by hand, then these ribs are for you.
I couldn’t believe my taste buds or my eyes when I saw the final product of these ribs. They smelled and tasted like they were smoked or grilled. I don’t want to overstate it because of course you’ll get more smoky flavor from a smoker, but these are a great alternative for easy ribs at home. In the recipe I used back-ribs, but this recipe will work for any beef ribs. For my equally popular baby back pork ribs recipe, click here and if you’re looking for a barbecue sauce that complements these ribs perfectly, try my homemade barbecue sauce recipe.
Recipes for Complementary Side Dishes
- Chipotle Pinto Beans
- Fried Okra
- Collard Greens with Bacon
- Potato Salad
- Dill Summer Salad
- Buttermilk Cornbread
- Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
- Carolina Vinegar Style BBQ Sauce
Makes about seven ribs at 405 calories per 4 oz. of meat.
Dry Rubbed Fall-Off-The-Bone Beef Ribs in the Oven
Dry rubbed and sauced fall of the bone beef ribs made in the oven.
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds of beef ribs either pre-cut or whole (about 3700 cal.)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (90 cal.)
- 1 tablespoon oil (120 cal.)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- About 2 tablespoons your favorite BBQ sauce (about 70 cal.)
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Ziploc bag or large air-tight container
- Basting or pastry brush
- Spoon
- Optional: latex gloves
Directions
- Optional Step: Remove the silverskin on the underside of the ribs. This can be a huge pain and it isn’t imperative for these ribs to turn out well, but it does let the dry rub get to the meat on the underside of the ribs. Do this by using a sharp knife to get underneath the connective tissue sitting just on top of a bone on the underside of the ribs. Once you have a flap, use your hands (or a paper towel if it’s too slippery) to pull it off. Repeat the process as necessary. Don’t go overboard so that you don’t damage the meat.
- Put all of the spices in a bowl.
- Add in the oil and then mix the ingredients together very well until they form a crumbly paste.
- Apply the spice mixture liberally to the beef ribs and cover each side of the ribs. Use all of the spice mixture.
- Place the spice covered ribs into a ziploc bag or an air-tight container and leave them outside of the fridge for 1 – 2 hours to marinate for same day preparation or overnight in the fridge for next day preparation.
- After 1 hour get the oven pre-heated to 250 or 265 degrees F (I used 250, but it will depend on your oven).
- Put a large sheet of aluminum foil over a large baking sheet and then place the beef ribs on the foil.
- Wrap the ribs up in the foil by either using another sheet or folding the sheet you already have down. You want to create a sealed pouch for the ribs to sit in. Make sure not to pile the ribs on top of one another.
- Put the ribs into the oven on the middle rack, close the oven door, and forget about the ribs for 3 – 4 hours (I went 3.5 hours before pulling them out of the oven).
- After 3 – 4 hours, take the ribs out of the oven open up the pouch and see how the ribs are doing. They won’t look right at first, but you will notice that they are already fall-off-the-bone tender.
- At this point set the oven to broil on the high setting. When the broiler gets hot, place the ribs under the broiler on the middle rack for 5 minutes. The ribs will take on some more color and get a crispier texture on the outside. Be careful and watch the ribs the entire time. The fat from the ribs that ends up on the foil can sometimes catch fire under high heat. Simply remove the ribs, and get rid of areas that may be catching fire and return to the broiler.
- You can now eat the ribs, but I highly recommend taking some of your favorite barbecue sauce (try my own recipe that goes extremely well with these ribs by clicking here) and brushing about 2 tablespoons lightly over all of the ribs. You can use a basting/pastry brush. Apply as little or as much as you want, but this last step is where you get the barbecue flavor. I don’t recommend baking/broiling with the barbecue sauce because it will burn really easily.
- If the ribs were all connected as one rack, you can now cut up the ribs using a large butcher knife before serving. Otherwise, just tear off pieces and enjoy.
- Serve and eat immediately. Be careful moving them around because these ribs really do fall off the bone. In the picture below, I just lightly pushed the meat off of the bone using a fork.
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Nicely done. 🙂
Oh man. I adore fall-off-the-bone ribs. These look incredible! I’ve cooked many ribs in my time but never in a foil pouch. I love the idea – less burnt-on sauce to clean up is a huge plus!
Yeah. At such a low temp, the pouch helps keep the ribs cooking without any burned edges. The pouch also allows you to somewhat cook the ribs a bit faster because it keeps the heat and moisture around the ribs. Sometimes ribs can dry out and that’s no fun. The recipe also works for people that don’t really like barbecue sauce on their ribs (I have a couple of weird friends like that), so you can adjust the amount when you’re done cooking. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Yes, please!!!
My Mouth is watering! I cant wait to try these!
These look incredibly good…I must try these. My mother taught me to roast everything slowly. Her food \was phenomenal…and mine’s not bad…
Amazing!!!! This recipe is so awesome! Will make again & again! You rock!
I bought beef ribs at grocery store yesterday (was honestly surprised to see them this time of year) and thought, why not? Went to Pinterest right away to search for tips on cooking and found a couple, but by far yours stood out! They are now sitting with the rub and will put them in the oven in the next hour… So excited!
I’m excited for you to try them! I hope they turn out well! Please let me know. 🙂
How did they turn out?
So I have them sitting in the rub now, but I realized I left them as a whole rack…should I separate them before cooking? If not, will it take more time to cook?
Hi Ashley. I think they should be fine cooking as a whole rack. The only issue you may run into is if they become very tender after cooking, it will be hard to move them around as a whole rack. You’ll need to separate them before trying to pick them up if they’re cooked. Please let me know how they turn out!
Thanks! So another thing I was thinking about, that I don’t recall your post mentioning, what about the ‘silver skin’ (is that a technical term??? Lol)…my grandfather always kept it on, but some remove it, if I’m not mistaken :p
Removing the silver skin from the bottom (bone side of the rib) is up to you. I know removing it can be a pain although it does allow a marinade/rub to penetrate the rib deeper if you remove it. If you can get it off easily enough, then go for it. Otherwise, it’s not a big deal, especially if you apply some bbq sauce at the end. It won’t affect the cook time. It will only affect how much of the marinade gets to the underside of the ribs.
I made these yesterday, and they were amazing!! Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for trying the recipe! I’m glad the ribs came out so well.
can you cook more than 2.5 lbs at a time without adjusting cook time?
Oh my spelled my name wrong lol… please let me know I intent to make this tomorrow night!
Hi Robert! You can definitely put some more ribs in the oven. I wouldn’t overdo it though. I think you could safely double the recipe without adjusting the cook time. Even more than that might be possible, but I’m not exactly sure. The good news is that the ribs aren’t thick pieces like a roast, so they will cook through regardless. It’s just a matter of making sure they all receive enough low heat to make them tender. I hope that helps!
Thank you! Should I make two separate foil packs or put it all in one?
I would put a double recipe in two foil packs to make them more maneuverable. If you need to drain or dump any liquid, a smaller pouch is easier to handle.
Thanks Again! 🙂
One last question lol.. can I do this with pork?
You definitely can. In this post there is a link to my baby back rib recipe. Or you can just use this link: http://manfuelblog.com/2014/03/19/fall-off-the-bone-baby-back-ribs-in-the-oven/
This is Exactly How I make my Pork Ribs. 3 1/2 hour in foil @275. Then uncover and slather in sauce bump up the heat to 350 for 40 minutes. I Haven’t tried this with the Beef But per your Recipe I am TODAY!! Haven’t done beef ribs in 15 yrs. and had no idea where to start. Thank you so much will post results.
Thanks for checking out the recipe, Steve! Sounds like you already know what makes a good rib! Please do let me know how these turned out for you.
Made these tonight…quite yummy (and so easy)!
Thank you, Man Fuel!
I’m glad they turned out well! Try the baby back rib version too if you can. Personally, I liked those even better than the beef ribs!
If I don’t let them marinate and put them straight into the oven will that interfere interfere with the flavor
No, it shouldn’t be too bad if you don’t let them marinate. It’s better if you do, but they should still turn out well if you don’t. Ribs are very forgiving if the temperature is controlled. Slow and low is the key!
These were beautiful, marinated them with the rub overnight and cooked at 135 deg celcius for 2 1/2 hrs – checked and they were falling off the bone – I was making some chips so just opened up the foil & put the meat on the bottom rack at 220 deg celcius for 20 mins then brushed with the barbecue sauce – just delicious!
Thanks for trying the recipe… and for the temperature conversions to Celsius!
YUM! I have been trying different ribs recipes and I am yet still looking for a better one! Will try yours 🙂
I hope they turned out well!
I am going to make a smaller piece of ribs – just under 1 1/2 pounds – how long should I cook them for? Thanks!
I would guess 2.5 – 3 hours should be safe. I think about an hour and a half per pound is a good rule of thumb for this recipe, but it depends a lot on your oven. The good news is that it’s a forgiving recipe. An extra 30 min. or so won’t overcook the meat because the heat is so low.
Thanks – I am letting them sit overnight, and will roast tomorrow. I’ll let you know the results.
OMG these were perfect! I made a small 1 1/2 pound amount and followed your recipe, including using Sweet Baby Rays’ BBQ Sauce (my favorite) and slow cooked for 3 hours. They were amazing and I will make again for sure.
That’s wonderful! I’m really happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by to check it out and leaving me such nice feedback!
I too love these ribs … and, in case you haven’t tried their close cousin the Short rib… Enjoy 🙂
I just put the ribs in the oven. Fingers crossed 🙂 I am always looking for a good recipe for ribs. I am one of the weird ones that doesn’t care for a lot of BBQ sauce. I can’t wait to eat them.
Hi Seari, I think you’ll enjoy the ribs. The beef flavor really shines and the dry rub just accents the beef. A lot of people don’t like sauce, which is where the dry rub can make up for it. Please let me know how they turn out!
Very good!! Will be making these again for sure 😉 Thanks for the recipe.
Hi LK! That’s great! Thanks for checking out the recipe!
Just had ribs again tonight. I’ve over cooked them a little but still delicious. Now I know how long I need for my oven. 😉
That’s great, LK! Practice makes perfect! So glad you’re able to enjoy these ribs over and over again.
Love this!
Comes out perfect every time!
Two things I do
1. I use Red Robin rub instead of making my own.
2. Instead of putting it under the broiler, I throw it on the grill on med low heat for about 15min while basting w/ BBQ sauce,. turning about 4 times to get boat sides coated and caramelized..
Thanks for listing the directions!
Hi Mark! I’ve never used Red Robin seasoning at home before, but if it works, it works. That’s a great idea about using the grill to crisp up the ribs. As long as you can transfer them to the grill without them falling apart, I bet that comes out really well!
Hi there! Quick question. Your recipe calls for oil. Is that olive oil or vegetable oil. They have quite different tastes so I just want to know which one to use. Thank you!
Hi! Thanks for checking out the blog and asking the question. You can just use vegetable oil. Honestly, the oil isn’t absolutely necessary. It’s good for making a paste from the spices, but if you didn’t have oil, the recipe would still work because the oil isn’t being used for taste. Hope that helps!
Thank you Manfuel!! I was trying to find a way, without grilling, to make good beef ribs. Your instructions were clear and easy to follow. Cross your fingers….I’m starting up the oven now!!!!
Hi!! Thank you Manfuel for having this blog. I’ve been trying to come up with an alternative to grilling beef ribs. Your instructions were very clear, and easy for even me to follow. I just got done with the marinating part of the journey. Now I’m starting the oven!! Cross your fingers…..
My pleasure! Please let me know how they turned out!
They turned out awesome!!! Fall off the bone greatness. I didn’t even have to put on any bbq sauce. I stuck with a hot and spicy dry rub. Thanks a lot Manfuel…I will be sure to make these again with some personalization of my own.
Found this recipe at 1pm, ribs were in the oven (without sitting) by 2pm. Rest of dinner ready by 6pm, ribs were gone by 6:15pm and my 4.75yo still wanted more!
Made 2 mod’s – 1. no onion powder because I’d run out, 2. instead of broiling, basted tops with sauce, baked at 400 for 5-6min uncovered, then repeated basting/baking cycle 1x more to accommodate the need to bake a side dish.
I will be using this recipe again and again and again.
Hi Blanche! I’m happy the recipe not only worked out for you, but that you and your family loved it! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi I am fixing to make these for July 4th- am wondering does a convection oven make a difference?
Hi Bryanna, I don’t know how much difference a convection oven would make, but you could try lowering the heat to 230 degrees and keeping the same cook time. Alternatively, you could cook at 250 and check the ribs after 3 hours. I would recommend the first option though. I hope they turn our well and you enjoy them! Please let me know how it goes.
look delicious, thanks for sharing!
How would this work for country ribs? It sounds good and simple. Anxious to try recipie
Hi Doris! Make them exactly the same way! It should work out just fine. Please let me know how they turn out.
I just made these for my family. First time I’ve ever cooked ribs in the oven, and these were GREAT!!!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for checking out the recipe. If you liked the beef ribs, try the baby back ribs recipe too, which have the same basic concept for cooking. Please let me know if you try anything else from the blog!
These are amazing! !! MY new favorite for ribs.
Thanks Bambie! I’m happy you enjoyed them!
Tried it for the first time and it worked!
The flavor didn’t come out as I hoped but that’s okay. Every recipe needs a few rounds to get it to one’s taste. Important thing here is the process was spot on.
Thank you!
I’ll try making the BBQ sauce. The recipe sound delicious. I’m one of those people who doesn’t put sauce on meat because I don’t like bottled sauce. Homemade is a different story!
Hi Stacy! I appreciate the comments about how the technique worked for you. I’m sorry the taste didn’t come out exactly how you hoped, but if you do make some changes to the recipe, please let me know so I can get a sense of what you mean. I’m assuming that the dry rub perhaps had some ingredients you don’t care for or maybe it was missing something you enjoy. Some people like a rub that is simpler for beef and focuses on salt and pepper mostly as opposed to having a sugar base (in many cases, I’m one of them). As for the BBQ sauce, it’s not as sweet as the store bought stuff. If anything, it’s somewhat like a Memphis style sauce that is lighter and a litter thinner than the usual Kansas style we often buy in the grocery store. I’d love to know your thoughts on it as well! Thanks for stopping by!
Soo tender, tasted like roast beef. My roasts should be this tender!!
Glad you liked them! Thanks!
How many does the 2.5 pounds serve? Thanks!
Hi JEO, in the post I mention that 2.5 pounds of beef ribs for me was roughly 7-8 ribs. Depending on the ribs, it could be more or less than that. Beef ribs tend to run larger than pork ribs, so you get a lower rib-count, but a lot of meat. The number of servings really depends on your appetite. 2.5 pounds of bone-in ribs is probably two very filling servings, one huge serving, or four smaller servings. It’s sort of up to you depending on how many ribs you like to eat. I hope that helps!
My now go to recipe. I also add a little dry mustard, pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg to dry rub mix.
We have a local bottled sauce named Tommy’s Bbq sauce from nearby Red Oak, NC which is similar to the Sweet Baby Rays but even better and use it to finish off with.
Thank you for an awesome recipe. Shared on my recipes page of tried and true with our old family recipes.
Thanks! I never tried adding the mustard to the rub, but I bet that’s great. I’ll also have to try that Tommy’s BBQ Sauce. I have a buddy in NC, maybe he’ll send me a bottle!
This sounds wonderful. I want to try it for a family gathering. I have 13 lbs. of short ribs and 1 large oven. If I can space them out in about 4 or 5 packages, do you think I can cook them all at once?
Hi there. I think you could try cooking them all at once, but you will probably have to make sure to cook for a full 4 hours. As far as short ribs go, I haven’t tried this recipe with short ribs – only back ribs. Short ribs are very fatty and meaty, so they may release a lot more liquid. Make sure to keep a baking sheet underneath the packages. Lastly, I usually recommend braising for short ribs, but this recipe may work. I would love to know how they turn out if you try it!
Haven’t tried this yet. Lots of good reviews. So I’m all in. But isn’t the rule pork loves sweet and beef loves salt? Well, here goes………………..after all, haven’t we all heard the term BBQ beef!!
Hi Steve! Thanks for stopping by and checking out this recipe. You’re right that a lot of people think of salt for beef and sweet for pork, but anyone who has put BBQ sauce on beef is basically putting smoky sugar on their beef. In any event, the rub here has some sugar, but the other spices come through even more. This recipe is more about the technique than the kind of rub or sauce you use. Feel free to mix it up, but the pouch method is what gives you those tender ribs. Please let me know how they turned out for you!
Hi, we are giving your ribs a go today- the recipe looked delicious! One question though..you note to cook at 250..we are in Australia so wondered if that means celcius not Fahrenheit??
Hi Liesl! The recipe is definitely 250 degrees Fahrenheit. That would be 121 Celsius. The idea is to cook them low and slow to get that tenderness. I hope that helps!
Ahhh….My ribs have no bones. How do I need to adjust?
Hi Sarah! You can most likely use the recipe the same way for boneless ribs. Just make sure to lay the ribs side by side and not all on top of one another in the pouch. While this recipe will work, your boneless ribs won’t have some of that flavor that comes directly from the bone while cooking. They also may be meatier than a typical bone-in rib. They will still be tender, but the texture may be a little different than bone in ribs. I hope that helps!
Can I do this same recipe on the grill?
Hi Jo! You could do this recipe on the grill, but you’ll need an accurate grill thermometer to make sure you’re keeping the right temperature. If the temp spikes or drops too much, you could end up with tough ribs. Keep your temp steady and you should be good. Make sure the pouch doesn’t leak either or you’ll end up with a lot of liquid from the ribs all over the grill. When it comes time, crisp up the ribs on the grill instead of in the broiler by cranking up the heat on the grill after removing the ribs from the pouch. I hope that helps!
this was great!!!!! Dry rub has the best taste ever. Gonna try it with soe pork chops tonight.
Awesome! Thanks for checking it out!
I have done this three times using beef chuck ribs (what my local butcher recommended). .. it is absolutely awesome. I have even seasoned the night before if we are having for lunch! LOVE this. Highly recommend!
Thanks, Katie! I appreciate you checking out the recipe and sharing it with others!
This is awesome !
Original post back in 2013, and still going strong!
My roommate and I picked up a rack of beef ribs because we thought WHY NOT, although neither of us have ever man handled that kind of meat before.
Anyway – while he’s at work, I’ve got these bad boys in the oven and I can’t wait to pull them out. Thanks for the great recipe & instructional!
You’re welcome! I hope they live up to the hype!
I just made these, mmmm!!!!!
Awesome!
Awesome recipe! My husband and I loved it!
Thanks, Sah! That’s great!
We are going to try these with 100 lbs of ribs for our weekly feed for the poor. We got 100 lbs from food bank. We will put rub on day before. Have two lg commercial ovens and need to cook all at once as we have a time factor , so will be stacking some pouches. Will let you know how they turn out! We usually feed 150. Will serve with baked beans from scratch, and red cabbage sweet/ sour we have in cans. E are excited! Wish us luck. Bunny
That’s amazing, Bunny! What a fantastic cause and I’m so honored that you chose my recipe for this. I hope it turns out wonderfully. Please let me know how it goes and I’d love to learn more about your weekly program to feed the poor.