Oven Barbecued Spareribs & Homemade BBQ Sauces
Oven Barbecued Spareribs & Homemade BBQ Sauces — A vintage, oven-friendly way to get barbecue flavor at home. Start with classic spareribs baked with onion and orange juice, then finish with a sweet-and-tangy sauce that’s basted while the ribs bake.
This page also includes four extra homemade barbecue sauce recipes—great for ribs, chicken, or brushing on during the last minutes of cooking.
Recipes on this page
Use the links below to jump directly to each recipe.
Barbecued Spareribs
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb spareribs
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan. Slice onion and scatter over ribs.
- Pour 1/2 cup orange juice over ribs and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, Tabasco, water, remaining orange juice, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pour sauce over ribs.
- Bake 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes.
Serves 4.
Barbecue Ribs Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Dash of pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Pour over chicken or spareribs and bake until meat is done.
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 5 teaspoons golden mustard
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 drops Tabasco sauce
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender for about 1 minute.
- Brush on both sides of meat during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Spareribs Sauce - 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves minced garlic
Preheat oven 325°F
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Let ribs stand in sauce.
- Line pan with aluminum foil, add ribs and sauce.
- Baste often and bake at 325°F for about 3 hours.
Spareribs Sauce - 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1/4 cup salad oil
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven 325°F
Instructions
- Cook onion in oil until tender.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.
- Cut ribs into individual pieces, cover with water, and boil.
- Reduce heat and cook 30 minutes; drain well.
- Pour sauce over ribs and let stand 1 hour.
- Place in casserole and heat at 300°F for 45–60 minutes.
FAQ
Can I make oven barbecued spareribs ahead of time?
Yes. Bake the ribs, refrigerate, then reheat covered with sauce.
Which barbecue sauce is best for ribs?
That depends on taste—molasses-based sauces are richer, while mustard or vinegar styles are tangier.
Can these sauces be used for chicken?
Yes. Several of these sauces work well on chicken or pork.
Do I need to cover ribs while baking?
This recipe bakes uncovered but bastes often to keep ribs moist.