Oven Barbecued Spareribs & Homemade BBQ Sauces
Vintage oven barbecued spareribs baked with onion and orange juice, then basted with a sweet-and-tangy homemade sauce. This page also includes four additional classic barbecue sauce recipes — perfect for ribs, chicken, or pork.
Recipes on this page
Oven Barbecued Spareribs
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb spareribs
- 1½ cups orange juice (divided)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place spareribs in a shallow roasting pan. Scatter sliced onion over the ribs.
- Pour ½ cup orange juice over the ribs and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- In a saucepan, combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, Tabasco, water, remaining 1 cup orange juice, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pour sauce over the ribs.
- Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes.
Serves: 4
Barbecue Ribs Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Dash of pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour over spareribs or chicken and bake until the meat is tender.
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 5 teaspoons golden mustard
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon onion salt
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2 drops Tabasco sauce
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for about 1 minute.
- Brush on both sides of meat during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Spareribs Sauce 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup molasses
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Let ribs stand in the sauce.
- Line a 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
- ¼ cup salad oil
- 1 small can tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook chopped onion in oil until tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Cut ribs into individual pieces, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes. Drain well.
- Pour sauce over ribs and let stand 1 hour.
- Place in a 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 additional sauce.
Which barbecue sauce is best for ribs?
It depends on preference — molasses-based sauces are richer and sweeter, while others are more tangy or mustard-forward.
Can these sauces be used for chicken?
Yes. Most of these sauces work very well on chicken or other pork cuts.
Do I need to cover the ribs while baking?
The main spareribs recipe is baked uncovered with frequent basting to develop flavor and keep them moist.