This brown paper bag rib recipe is more of a technique then a recipe. It’s super easy and can be adjusted to your preferred rack of ribs cooking style, whether it be the oven, BBQ or smoker.
What this isn’t, is a slow cooked rib recipe. I use the brown paper bag technique when I am cooking the ribs fast with a super high heat. And, while I do love fall of the bone now and then, I prefer my ribs to have a good layer of crispy bark on them. And you don’t need a smoker or BBQ to achieve this, it’s absolutely doable in your oven.
USA pork ribs, otherwise known as baby back pork ribs, are my favourite. I think my brown paper bag rib recipe is the best method for cooking this cut of pork ribs .
Of course, there isn’t much meat on a rack of USA ribs generally and pork is notorious for drying out during the cooking process. So the secret of the brown paper bag technique is that the cooked ribs are sealed in the bag and left to steam after they come out of the oven. The ribs should rest in the bag for at least 10-15 minutes at this stage. They can also happily wait in their bag in the oven at 100°C for up to an hour.
I do not claim to be across the science that occurs in this rib steam bath but, instead of being the usual fare of tough dry pork, the ribs come out super moist and with the bark still crunchy. But I assume it is a combination of the steam produced and the resting, which allows the internal juices to redistribute. You can’t reproduce the same result with just resting the ribs like a joint of meat or steak. So I don’t care if it’s pure witchcraft, it just works!
Preparing the ribs
This brown paper bag rib recipe uses baby back pork ribs but the technique works just as well with pork spareribs and lamb riblets. I would not recommend using beef short ribs as they really need a long slow cook.
USA or baby back pork ribs weren’t popular when I arrived in Australia back in the 1980s. I had to search far and wide for a butcher who was willing to cut a rack for me off their standing rib roasts. But Australians have come a long way over the last 40 years and USA pork ribs are now standard restaurant and BBQ fare.
My favourite cut are the lean USA ribs but I find in Australia those ribs are usually long gone to the restaurants and we’re generally left picking up the ‘leftovers’ from the grocery store. And they’re even called spareribs! The Americans call them St Louis ribs. When the pork ribs are cut from the pig, the spareribs are from the bottom of the rib cage, close to the belly, and the baby back ribs are from the top. This results in the spareribs being fattier and having more cartilage.
Almost no prep work
The ribs with the brown paper bag technique take almost no preparation before cooking. I just pat them dry and season them with salt and pepper.
The most contentious aspect of my technique is that I don’t remove the membrane the covers the underside (bony side) of the ribs. Butchers and BBQ experts make it look easy, as they pull the membrane away in one piece. If you are a gluten for punishment, you can try and remove the membrane. But I have been trying for 40 years and rarely get all the membrane off and absolutely never in one piece. Funnily enough my family quite enjoys the extra crunch of the membrane with this cooking method.
I portion my ribs into three bone pieces with meat on either side of the bone. You can keep the racks whole if you choose. The ribs will come out slightly juicer but will not be as crispy. Cut from the bony side so you can easily find the gap between the bones.
And, if you are like me and are a “well done fries girl” you can cut the racks into individual ribs. The ribs turn out super crispy and are extremely morish. Certainly they are not very juicy this way but, honestly, that’s the point! I see the individual ribs style more as ‘snacking food’ then what I’d serve as a meal.
Hold the BBQ sauce
The most important message about the prep stage is that the ribs should not have been marinaded or brushed with BBQ sauce in advance of the cook. Any BBQ sauce or sticky marinade is brushed onto the ribs at the end of the cook. But it’s OK to use a dry rub on the ribs before they’re cooked.
Turn the heat up!
This is not a low and slow technique. My brown paper bag rib recipe calls for a high heat and very little time in the oven. This means these ribs can make a great weeknight meal.
If you are roasting the ribs in your oven, you want to preheat it to 250°C fan forced. I roast virtually all my meat on the bone at this temperature, with a few exceptions. This allows the meat to form a crispy outer layer while sealing the moisture inside. And the method works exceptionally well when the joint or cut of meat is quite small and thin, just like the pork ribs!
This method works in the oven, BBQ or smoker
Preheat the oven to 250°C Fan Forced.
The oven rack should be at the top third of your oven. Use a heavy roasting pan. Broiler pans work best as they have low sides and allow the air to circulate.
If you are cooking several racks of ribs, you don’t want to crowd the ribs. They need plenty of air circulating around them. In that case, use two roasting pans and have one in the top third and the other in the bottom third of the oven.
If cooking in a BBQ I would crank the heat up to 265°C. The BBQ needs to have a lid to create a fan oven effect. You want indirect cooking for the ribs. This can be achieved by cooking the ribs on a raised rack, in rib rack stands, or by only heating one side of the BBQ and cooking the ribs on the indirect heat side. Shoot me a comment if you have any questions or need advice on how to adapt your preferred cooking method to this technique.
Don’t put your ribs in the oven until it has come up to temperature. You want the full blast of heat.
Place your ribs meaty side down to start with. Roast for 15 minutes or until the bottom side of the ribs starts to crisp up and turn golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven, turn the ribs over (meaty side up). I get a knife and poke some holes in the crispy membrane, as it will allow the fat to escape as the ribs continue to cook. Return the ribs to the oven and rotate your pans, if using two pans, each time you open the oven. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until the ribs start to get crispy edges and are turning a dark golden brown.
Remove the ribs from the oven and baste both sides generously with the BBQ sauce or marinade of your choice.
Return to the oven cook for another 5-7 minutes until the BBQ sauce starts sizzle across the ribs and char at the edges.
The paper bag is the secret weapon!
While the ribs are cooking, get your paper bags ready open on the kitchen bench. You don’t want more than one full rack per bag. I put 4-5 three rib portions into each bag.
Remove the pans from the oven and quickly give the ribs another basting of BBQ sauce. Gently lift the ribs into the bags with tongs, trying not to crowd them as you will disturb the sauce. Make sure you lay the bags flat if the the ribs are super sauced up and then put them into the bag in one layer. Then fold down the top of the bag tightly several times, sealing the air inside. Be sure not to press the bag flat as it will rub off the BBQ sauce.
Let the ribs rest and steam for 10-15 minutes and then serve.
You can get ahead with this pork rib recipe and cook them before your guests arrive. They can stay in a 100°C oven for up to an hour.
The additional benefit of the brown paper bag technique is that the bags will absorb the grease off the ribs while they steam.
My favourite BBQ sauce
If you’re using USA pork ribs why not try my favourite BBQ sauce recipe: Smoky Chipotle BBQ Sauce. This BBQ sauce will give you a great smoky finish to your ribs without lighting up the BBQ.
Try it with a ‘kitchen sink’ salad!
A great hearty summer salad to pair with USA pork ribs is my Pumpkin ‘Kitchen Sink’ Salad recipe.
Brown Paper Bag Ribs
Equipment
- Brown paper bags (new)
Ingredients
- USA style pork ribs
- BBQ sauce of your choice
Instructions
- Remove ribs from fridge 1 hour before starting your cook.
- Preheat oven to 250°C fan forced.
- Portion the racks from the bony side of the rack (see notes).
- Generously salt and pepper the meaty side.
- Place ribs upside down on a broiler pan with low sides. Make sure you keep space between the portions of ribs. You may need more than one pan (rotate the pans through the cook).
- Roast for 15 minutes or until the bottom side of the ribs starts to crisp up and turn golden brown.
- Remove the pan or pans from the oven and turn the ribs over and return to the oven. Swap oven shelves at this point if using more than one pan.
- Roast for another 10-15 minutes until the ribs start to get crisp edges and are a dark golden brown.
- Remove ribs from oven and baste both sides generously with the BBQ sauce of your choice.
- Return ribs to the oven cook for another 5-7 minutes until the BBQ sauce gets glossy and starts to char. Remember to rotate the pans.
- Get out your paper bags and leave them opened up on the kitchen bench.
- Remove ribs from oven and baste them a final time with the BBQ sauce.
- Using tongs, gently place ribs in the paper bags. Do not crowd them.
- Leaving the bags expanded and full of air, tightly roll down the top of the bag a couple of times to seal in the ribs.
- Let the ribs steam and rest for 10-15 minutes and then serve.
