YAY! It’s free from gluten/wheat, egg, dairy, all nuts, fish, shellfish and sesame! This does contain soy, but easy substitutions can be made, see Notes below. Note: This post contains affiliate links, so any purchases made on Amazon through the links will help support Yay, It’s Free From This!
These oven ribs, I tell ya, are so incredibly delicious and easy to make! They are simultaneously savory and sweet, plus a subtle tanginess from the ketchup. Wrap each slab up in foil, roast in the oven, slow and steady, and they will satisfy even the pickiest eaters. 😃
I had recently discovered Food Network’s Sunny Anderson and made her Orange Jalapeño Party Rib recipe. I couldn’t believe how flavorful and easy it was that I had to look up her other recipes. These “ketchup” ribs are based on her “Easy BBQ Short Ribs”, but I’ve made several modifications. I did make the original recipe (found here) with the boneless beef short ribs that it called for, but the kids just did not like the rich fattiness of the beef. The flavor was spot on, however, so I thought I’d try it with baby back pork ribs. I took a chance and served it to my kids and some of their friends while they were over for a double playdate and it was a huge hit!
Aside from swapping out the beef for pork ribs, I also replaced the Worchestershire sauce with Tamari soy sauce to make it gluten-free. If soy is an issue, use coconut aminos instead. See Notes below for more substitution tips. And for the ketchup, I like to use Annie’s Organic Ketchup not only because it’s gluten-free, but it has low sugar content. The recipe calls for a good amount of brown sugar, and it seemed to balance it out well.
Prep the Ribs
First, I like to lay each slab of ribs on a large sheet of foil and prep them there. My goal is always less dishes. Then I remove any silver skin on the ribs with a paper towel. The paper towel helps to grip the membrane when pulling it off. (Silver skin is the thin layer of connective tissue on the backside of the ribs. It’s tough and chewy and doesn’t break down no matter how long you cook it.) Then, generously sprinkle each slab with salt and pepper on both sides. Be sure each slab is facing meaty side up.
Make the Sauce
In a large measuring cup or bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Pour the sauce evenly over each slab of ribs, making sure to reserve about half of it for the other side. Use your hands to gently spread the sauce across the meaty side. You don’t want to move the salt and pepper around too much. Flip the ribs and sauce the other side. Now, fold up the foil on each side of the ribs lengthwise, roll down together, pressing snugly against the ribs. Gather and pinch the ends shut and roll down towards the ribs. I find wrapping each slab in foil while roasting cooks them faster and the resulting ribs are more tender and moist.
Oven Roast
Pre-heat the oven to 300ºF. Lay the rib packets on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about two hours. At the end of two hours, remove the ribs from the oven. Set the oven temperature to Broil, or about 500ºF. Carefully open each rib packet, being careful not to burn your hands from the steam. Now you can skip this step, and enjoy the ribs immediately (middle image below), but I highly recommend charring them a bit in the oven before serving. Flip the slabs so the meaty side is facing up. Place it back in the oven to char and glaze the exterior. Do not walk away during this step! Depending on your broiler, the ribs can burn very quickly. See how amazing they are after charring? 🤤
Transfer the ribs to a large cutting board. With the bone side up, cut the ribs into individual pieces with a sharp knife. Place them on a serving platter and pour the hot cooking juices from the foil packet over the ribs. These are ready to serve!
The ketchup and brown sugar combo gives this a tasty and mouthwatering flavor reminiscent of the Chinese Char Siu BBQ pork that I grew up on. So I definitely recommend serving this up with fluffy, steaming hot white jasmine rice and a side of veggies. My kids and their friends did not stop raving about this for days! 😍🤩
Easy Oven BBQ “Ketchup” Ribs (Gluten-Free)
Course: PorkDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
4 lbs (2-3 slabs) baby back pork ribs
4 oz brown sugar
6 3/8 oz Annie’s Organic Ketchup, gluten-free, See Notes
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Tamari gluten-free soy sauce, See Notes
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground dried thyme, See Notes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 300ºF.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, stir together all the ingredients, except for the salt and pepper. Set this aside.
- Lay each slab of ribs on a large sheet of foil, and remove any silver skin on the ribs with a paper towel.
- Generously sprinkle each slab with salt and pepper on both sides. Be sure each slab is facing meaty side up when done.
- Use your hands to gently spread the sauce across the meaty side. You don’t want to move the salt and pepper around too much. Flip the ribs and sauce the other side. Depending on how many slabs you have, try to evenly distribute the sauce.
- When you’re done saucing, be sure the meaty side is facing down.
- Fold up the foil on each side of the ribs lengthwise, roll the foil down together, pressing snugly against the ribs. Gather and pinch the ends shut and roll down towards the ribs. Trapping the heat in the foil while roasting cooks them faster and results in tender and moist ribs.
- Lay the rib packets on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about two hours.
- At the end of two hours, remove the ribs from the oven. Set the oven temperature to Broil, or about 500ºF.
- Carefully open each rib packet, being careful not to burn your hands from the steam. Flip the slabs so the meaty side is facing up.
- Place it back in the oven for about 3-5 minutes to charboil the tops of the ribs. Do not walk away during this step! I find that even within 30 seconds, the ribs can burn badly.
- Transfer the ribs to a large cutting board and place them on a rimmed serving platter.
- Pour all the cooking juices from the foil packets over the ribs and serve immediately!
Notes
- I definitely prefer using Annie’s brand ketchup because it’s gluten-free and also because it’s less sweet. It doesn’t contain any high-fructose corn syrup and pairs perfectly with the brown sugar in this recipe.
- I didn’t have ground thyme when I made this the first time. I used the dried thyme leaves I had on hand and just crumbled it in my palm, and it turned out just as good.
- If gluten/wheat is not an issue, feel free to use Worcestershire sauce. Otherwise, to make it soy-free and gluten-free, use coconut aminos. If coconut, soy, AND gluten is an issue, leave this ingredient out entirely. I honestly don’t think it’ll make a huge difference and will still be amazing.