Ribs in an Electric Roaster Oven

These BBQ Ribs in a roaster oven are the best ribs I've ever had. Slow-cooked with a zesty dry rub and slathered in sticky sauce, they're perfectly soft and tender. And really easy to make.

Serve with Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Tuna Macaroni Salad, and Sweet Jiffy Cornbread for a family dinner, holiday gathering, or summer potluck.

Wondering how to cook ribs in an electric roaster? I got you. And spoiler: it's so easy! 

I make ribs in the electric roaster when my oven's full, or it's just too hot outside to fire up the grill or heat up the whole house. 

I just sprinkle a simple homemade seasoning rub onto the ribs, wrap them in foil, and let the roaster do the work. A few hours later, I blast them with high heat to caramelize the sauce until it's sticky. And that's all there is to it! 

And when my roaster is all booked up with my Roaster Oven Ham or Turkey in a Roaster, I make these Dr. Pepper Ribs in the Crock Pot. So. Good!

🍖Ingredients

• Pork loin back ribs. You may also see them called baby back ribs, back ribs, or loin ribs. Baby-back ribs are shorter than spare ribs, which is where the "baby" comes from, in case you're wondering. You can also use spare ribs or St. Louis style ribs, which are larger and meatier. Just expect them to take longer to cook.
• Dry rub. My rib dry rub recipe is filled with rich, smoky flavor from mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. For a bit of kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can use this or any rib dry rub recipe you like.
• BBQ sauce. Use your favorite barbecue sauce. We like Sweet Baby Ray's, my homemade Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce, or this easy No-Cook BBQ Sauce.

Equipment

Probe thermometer. I highly recommend a wired probe thermometer. I don't think mine is available anymore, but here's a similar one. It makes it so easy to check the temperature without removing the lid. See more about that below.

Electric roaster. My Hamilton Beach 18 qt roaster was a gift from my grandparents many years ago and is still going strong. This model isn't available anymore, but this NESCO 18-quart electric roaster is highly recommended. Let me know if you try it!

👩‍🍳How to Make Dry Rub Ribs in an Electric Roaster

Before you begin:

• Let the ribs sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Prep the roaster oven. Set the removable roasting pan and the roasting rack inside the electric roaster. Pour 3 cups of water into the bottom of the pan. Preheat the electric roaster to 350 degrees.

Step 1: Prep the ribs. Remove the membrane, that slippery silver skin, from the back of the ribs.

Use your fingers or a butter knife to get underneath the membrane, then grab onto it with a dry paper towel and rip it off.

Some ribs come with it already removed. This is what it looks like when it's removed.

Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs into your desired portion sizes and to fit your roaster.

I cut the rack in half. This way I can remove thinner racks earlier and let thicker ones continue to cook.

Step 2: Make the dry rub and season the ribs.

In a small bowl, stir the rib rub ingredients together until completely combined.

Prepare sheets of aluminum foil large enough to wrap each portion of ribs.

Place one portion of ribs in the center of a foil sheet, bone side up.

Rub about 2 teaspoons of rub onto the ribs. Flip it over and repeat on the other side. Wrap up the foil packet and place it on the roasting rack in the roaster pan.

Repeat with the rest of the ribs.

Step 3: Cook the ribs.

Cook the ribs for 20 minutes at 350.

Turn the heat down to 300 degrees and slow cook ribs in electric roaster until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 190-200 degrees, 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours.

190-200 degrees is the ideal temperature for ribs that are soft and tender and stay on the bone. For fall-off-the-bone ribs, check them at about 205 degrees to make sure they aren't mushy or dry. 

Step 4: Add BBQ sauce and cook at high heat.

Use the rack to lift the foil packs out of the roaster.

Careful -- there will be liquid in the foil packs. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any liquid.

Remove the insert pan from the roaster, put the lid back on, and turn the heat up to 425.

Pour any liquid out of the insert pan, wipe it dry, and place it back into the roaster oven.

Remove the ribs from the foil packs and place them on the rack.

Brush warm BBQ sauce on top of the ribs and place the rack with the ribs back into the roaster.

Cook for 30 minutes at 425 to bake in the sauce. Serve with additional warm BBQ sauce.

♨️How Do You Know When Ribs Are Done?

It can be a bit tricky to know exactly when ribs are done. Try one or more of these simple tests to tell you when your ribs are perfectly fork-tender.

• Bone test. When ribs are done, the meat will pull back and expose about ¾ inch of the rib bone.
• Bend test. Fully cooked ribs are bendable, but don't fall off the bone. To try the bend test, hold a rack of ribs with tongs. The end should bend down at about a 45 degree angle. You should see cracks in the dry rub, but the ribs shouldn't fall apart.
• Bite test. Competition BBQ judges use the bite test to tell if ribs are done properly. If you take a bite and you can see your rounded bite mark in the rib meat, they're done!

🔥At What Temperature Are Ribs Done?

Using temperature as a guide can be a bit of a challenge because the meat is so thin and there are so many bones. Insert a meat thermometer into a meaty section of the ribs.

• Ribs are technically done at 145 degrees, though most agree that ribs should be cooked to anywhere from 185 to 205.
• 185 will produce chewier ribs, and 205 will be closer to fall-off-the-bone tender.
• We prefer 190-195, which creates the most succulent, fork-tender ribs we can pick up with our hands without the meat falling off. If you like fall-off-the-bone ribs, check them at 205 to make sure they don't get overcooked, mushy, and dry.

🌡️How to Use a Wired Probe Thermometer in a Roaster Oven

Checking the internal temperature of ribs can be tricky because there is so little meat and a thermometer can give inaccurate readings if it's too close to bone. Still, I use a wireless thermometer to give me an idea of what's happening inside the roaster without opening the lid too many times.

This meat thermometer has 4 wired probes you can insert into various locations of the meat. I use multiple probes if the meat varies in thickness so I don't overcook thin pieces.

The probes connect to a transmitter (see photo below) that gives the temperature of each probe. There's also a wireless receiver so you can keep an eye on the temperatures from up to 500 feet away.

You can even set an alarm to go off when each probe reaches a certain temperature range. My exact thermometer is no longer available, but here's a similar one at Amazon.

In the photo above, the yellow and blue probes were inserted into ribs. The blue one was at the perfect temp of 192, so I took it out while the yellow one at 189 continued cooking. In case you're wondering, the green probe wasn't poked into anything (so no, I didn't cook my ribs to 223!).

💡Roaster Oven Ribs Troubleshooting Tips

• Ribs aren't tender enough. If the ribs are tough, they need more time. Continue cooking them at 300°F, checking the temperature and tenderness every 20-30 minutes. Baby back ribs can vary quite a bit in size and thickness.
• Ribs are dry. Dry ribs are most likely overcooked. To prevent this, keep the ribs wrapped in foil during the slow-cooking portion and use the temperature as a guide. For juicy, tender ribs that still hold onto the bone, I like 190-195°F.
• The ribs are falling apart. Ribs that fall off the bone have been cooked past the stage where they're sturdy enough to pick them up. If you prefer ribs that stay neatly on the bone and are still fork-tender, pull them when they come to 190-195°F. 
• My ribs aren't done at the recommended time. That's okay. The size and thickness of the rack, how many racks you're cooking, and even how accurately your roaster maintains temperature can affect the cooking time. Cook until the ribs reach the desired tenderness rather than relying solely on the clock.
• My thermometer gives different readings. Ribs are thin and surrounded by bone, so thermometer readings can be tricky. Insert the probe into the thickest meaty section without touching the bone. If your rack has pieces of different thicknesses, check more than one spot.
• The BBQ sauce isn't getting sticky. Make sure you remove the water from the roaster and raise the temperature to 425°F before adding the sauced ribs. The final 30 minutes at high, dry heat bakes the sauce onto the ribs until it's sticky and caramelized.
• I have more than one rack of ribs. You can cook multiple racks in the roaster by wrapping them individually in foil and layering the packets. Rotate the top and bottom packets occasionally, and expect them to take longer than a single rack.

❓FAQs