Dutch Oven Ribs
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Baby back ribs will melt in your mouth when baked in a cast iron dutch oven! They're juicy, fork-tender and delicious!
The Best Picnic Food
This easy dutch oven recipe is my favorite way to prepare BBQ ribs. They're sticky in the best way, and definitely lip smacking good!
There are several reasons why eating ribs made in a dutch oven are the best you'll ever taste. They're perfect for backyard barbecues, picnics or weeknight meals!
They're also make the best comfort food when served with baked beans, creamy coleslaw and twice-baked potatoes!
Why Make Ribs in a Dutch Oven?
- A dutch oven is the best method to create the most tender barbecue ribs you've ever tasted.
- This is a great recipe for folks who don't have a smoker or grill handy.
- The cooking process bakes tougher cuts of meat in a fraction of the time of a slow cooker or crock pot.
- You'll get extra flavor and experience a shorter cooking time. This comes in handy when you're in a hurry or have a large crowd to feed.
- With just a few ingredients, you can enjoy BBQ ribs in the oven any time you like!
- Use a model made by Le Creuset or Lodge (ad) that maintains a consistent low temperature.
Ingredients
These ingredients can be found at your local grocery store or meat market. See recipe card for quantities.
- baby back pork ribs
- barbecue sauce
Dry Rub
- brown sugar
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- paprika
- steak seasoning
- ground mustard
Instructions
Wipe pork with a paper towel until dry.
Using another paper towel, pull the membrane or connective tissue off the back of pork so the spice rub can penetrate the meat.
Cut meat into 2 sections so they will fit in your pot.
In a large bowl, mix the bbq rub together and sprinkle it on both sides of the meat. Rub spices into the surfaces of ribs with your hands.
Use tongs to place pork in the bottom of the dutch oven that has been lined with foil. Close the lid and bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees.
Open lid. Pour your favorite BBQ sauce over the meat. Broil for a few minutes until sauce is caramelized. It's time to dig in baby!
Enjoy this rack of ribs cooked low and slow in your oven at home. Feel free to use the rub of your choice, or try my recipe for sweet and tangy flavor.
Top Tips
- You can also use this same cooking technique for other types of meat like country style beef ribs, St. Louis cut or spare ribs.
- An oval dutch oven works great, but if you don't have one, a round size gets the job done just as easily.
- A nice thing about this recipe is there's very little clean up involved. Simply add aluminum foil to the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching.
- Store leftover ribs in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- If taking on a picnic, wrap pork in aluminum foil and keep warm until ready to eat.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, be sure to place the lid on before baking. It helps to keep the ribs moist and seals in the juices. It also speeds up the cooking process.
It's best to leave the dry rub on at least 10 minutes, but if you have more time, prepare the pork ahead of time and leave it on overnight in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! Rub those spices in on both sides of the meat for the best flavor!
Sides That Go With Ribs
If you're planning a picnic or celebrating a holiday like Memorial Day or the 4th of July, you just gotta make these sides to go along with your juicy ribs!
- Southern Macaroni Salad
- Red Skin Potato Salad
- Creamy Southern Coleslaw
- Calico Baked Beans
- Skin On Roast Potatoes
Recipe Card
Dutch Oven Ribs
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven (6 to 7 quart size)
Ingredients
Dutch Oven Ribs
- 5 pounds baby back pork ribs
- 1 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
BBQ Dry Rub
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Wipe pork ribs with a paper towel until dry.
- Using another paper towel, pull the membrane or connective tissue off the back of pork so the spice rub can penetrate the meat.
- Cut pork into 2 sections so they will fit in your dutch oven.
- In a separate bowl, mix the bbq rub together and sprinkle it on both sides of the meat. Rub spices into the surfaces of ribs with your hands.
- Use tongs to place pork in the bottom of the dutch oven that has been lined with foil.
- Close the lid on the dutch oven, place in oven and bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees.
- Open dutch oven lid. Pour your favorite BBQ sauce over ribs. Broil for a few minutes until sauce is caramelized. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use this same cooking technique for other types of meat like country style beef ribs, St. Louis cut or spare ribs.
- An oval dutch oven works great, but if you don’t have one, a round size gets the job done just as easily.
- There’s very little clean up involved. Add aluminum foil to the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching.
- View the Google Web Story about this recipe!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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Hi there!
If I am using fewer lbs of ribs (about 2.5), should they spend the same amount of time in the oven?
Thanks so much!
Hi Brittany. I would definitely cook them at least 2 hours at 350 degrees. If you want them to cook faster, you can set them on 400ºF and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
I added some Coca-Cola to the Dutch oven. This is a fantastic rib recipe using a Dutch oven. The rub was great but I didn't have dried mustard so I coated my ribs with regular mustard then put the rub on. They were so good you really didn't need the barbecue sauce!
Amazing! So glad you loved my dutch oven ribs!
I have a Dutch oven and ribs handy, so pinned this to give this a go as we love ribs and this is outstanding looking.
Loved ❤️the recipe. Was super easy to do and very delicious!!! 😋. My husband was so impressed with it he wanted me to make it again the next night. Thank you!!! 😊👍
What great news, Crystal! It always makes me happy when you love a recipe enough to make it twice!
Hi Debi, many of your dutch oven recipes call for a 6 or 7 quart Dutch oven. I have a 5.5 quart round Le Crueset and a 6.75 quart oval Le Crueset. Will one of these work? I can't wait to try all of your dutch oven recipes!
Hi Melissa! Yes, your dutch oven sizes will work perfectly. I just list mine for reference. You might be able to fit an entire rack of ribs in your oval Le Crueset! That model is definitely on my wish list! :-). Have fun cooking in your dutch ovens! I love mine.
We made these and have a few leftover. What’s the best way to reheat them? They came out perfectly!
Thanks Camille! It's best to reheat these ribs in a 350 degree oven. Wrap them well with aluminum foil, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until warmed throughout. You can also use the microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, but don't cook too long or they will turn out chewy.
These dutch oven ribs were delicious! Thank you!
Thanks Regina! So glad you loved them!
Tried this recipe last night and it was a winner with the fam. Used my Lodge dutch oven and it worked great. Didn't even have to line it with aluminum foil. I never thought about using a dutch oven for ribs until this. Cleanup was easy. Will be making this recipe again.
These BBQ ribs look amazing and so flavorful. Love that you baked them in the oven with your Dutch oven!
Thanks Jessica! Using a dutch oven makes these ribs so tender! 🙂
I have never thought about baking ribs in a Dutch oven, but this is brilliant! I can't wait to try this recipe!!
Awesome! I think you'll love using your dutch oven for these ribs! They cook much faster and are so delicious!