My easy rib tips recipe gets you tender and flavorful meat that’s juicy and fall-off-the-bone. I show you how to trim them and prep them, and how to cook them perfectly.
You can cook rib tips this way whether you bought them already cut into little ribs at the store or have some left over after trimming a rack of spare ribs. They are given a dry rub to bring out the most flavor, and they are cooked slowly in the oven until they are tender. Finish them off under the broiler or in the air fryer for some nicely caramelized char.
To learn more about ribs tips and how to prepare and cook them, scroll down. You can also click here to go straight to the recipe.
Pork rib tips, also known as country-style ribs, are a flavorful and inexpensive cut of meat that can be so delicious when cooked properly. But figuring out exactly how long to cook pork rib tips in the oven can be tricky. Undercook them and they’ll be tough and chewy. Cook them too long and they’ll be dry and stringy. So what’s the magic time and temperature for oven-baked rib tips with guaranteed tender, fall-off-the-bone results? I’m glad you asked!
After years of testing, I’ve nailed down a foolproof method for oven-baked pork rib tips that turns out perfect every single time In this article, I’ll share my secrets for exactly how long to cook pork rib tips in the oven along with some tips and techniques for maximizing flavor and tenderness. Let’s get cooking!
Oven Temperature for Pork Rib Tips
The first key to perfect pork rib tips is preheating your oven to the ideal temperature. For tender, juicy rib tips, I recommend preheating to 350°F. This mid-range temperature is hot enough to crisp and caramelize the exterior while gently cooking the interior. Much hotter and the outside will burn before the inside cooks through. Too cool and they’ll take forever to cook, drying them out. 350°F gives you the best of both worlds.
How Long to Cook Pork Rib Tips
Now for the big question – exactly how long should pork rib tips cook in the oven? After testing every time under the sun, I’ve found the magic number to be 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350°F. This gives you rib tips with a crispy browned exterior and an interior that’s fall-apart tender. The collagen has melted into succulent deliciousness without overcooking the meat.
For bone-in rib tips, extend the cooking time to 1 hour 30 minutes. The bones conduct less heat than meat so they take a bit longer to fully tenderize.
Tips for Maximizing Tenderness
Beyond the perfect oven temp and cook time. there are some additional tricks that’ll help ensure the most tender oven-baked rib tips possible
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Season generously – A flavorful dry rub will infuse the meat with taste while also helping break down collagen I recommend a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
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Sear before cooking – A quick sear in a hot skillet before roasting will caramelize the exterior for better flavor and moisture retention.
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Cook in a foil packet – Wrapping the rib tips in foil during cooking essentially steams them as they baste in their own juices. This keeps them incredibly moist and tender. Open the foil for the last 15 minutes to crisp the exterior.
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Let them rest – As with any roast, resting the rib tips for 10-15 minutes before serving allows juices to redistribute so they don’t flood out when you cut into them.
Seasoning and Sauce Ideas
The flavor possibilities are endless when cooking pork rib tips in the oven. I recommend letting the meat shine by keeping the seasoning simple with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. But sauce is where you can get creative. Some of my favorites include:
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BBQ Sauce – Classic, tangy and slightly sweet.
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Asian Marinade – Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar.
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Jerk Seasoning – Spicy and full of flavor.
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Garlic Parmesan – Savory, rich and indulgent.
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Apple Balsamic Glaze – Sweet tang perfect for fall.
So there you have it – everything you need to know for oven-baked pork rib tips with guaranteed tender, succulent results every time. Preheating to 350°F and cooking for 1 hour 15 minutes is the tried and true method. Employ a few extra techniques like searing and cooking in foil, and seasoning creatively, and you’ll enjoy the most mouthwateringly delicious rib tips of your life. Now get cooking! Your tender, juicy pork goodness awaits.
How To Cut Rib Tips
The picture below shows a pork spare rib cut sitting on top of a rack of St. Louis-Style ribs. The rack of St. Louis ribs is literally just the spare ribs trimmed of a strip from along the top.
The picture below shows the rack of spare ribs that has been cut into the St. Louis rack on the bottom, and a strip of rib tips on the top. So then, the rib tips are what is leftover when you cut St. Louis ribs from a rack of spare ribs.
Now that you’ve cut the strip of rib tips off the rack, you can cut them up. You’ll find that sometimes there are bigger bones. I tend to save those for soup or stock. Then cut the rest into bite-sized pieces. There are pieces of bone and cartilage in there, so you should try to get one piece of that in every piece of meat you cut.
What I usually do when buying spare ribs is to cut them into the rack of St. Louis ribs and the set of rib tips. Then I will make one for dinner that night, and freeze the other for another day. The recipe below is what I do when I am cooking rib tips on their own. If you’re cooking rib tips and St. Louis ribs at the same time. Next week, I’ll post my recipe for spare ribs, which has been changed so that you can do both at the same time.
How To Cook Rib Tips
For this pork rib tips recipe, you can either buy 1. 5 to 2 pounds of rib tips from the butcher or grocery store, or you can cut them yourself from a rack of spare ribs like I showed above. When I get spare ribs, I often make them into two meals, one is the St. Louis rib meal, and then one is a snacky rib tips meal.
My tasty sweet and smoky rib dry rub with brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and more is in the recipe below. Sprinkle it on the cut-up rib tips. Wrap the seasoned rib tips in aluminum foil and put on a baking sheet. Bake at 300°F for one and a half hours. Open the foil up to let more heat reach the ribs, and bake for another hour and a half.
Once they’re cooked, you can discard the foil and any accumulated liquid. Brush the rib tips with 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce all over. I love this homemade smoky barbecue sauce, but you can use your favorite store-bought sauce if you prefer. Note that I don’t like a lot of sauce, so that’s why I’ve only called for 1/2 cup. If you like yours saucier, you can use more, or have more on the side for dipping.
Finally, put the rib tips under the broiler or in the air fryer for a few minutes. Then, flip them over and cook for a couple more minutes. You just want to get a little bit of a char on them at the end. It’s harder for me to finish these ribs on the grill than other ribs because they are so small and can get stuck in the grates.
Oven Baked Rib Tips | How to Make Oven Baked Ribs | Rib Tips Recipe
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