How to Cook Boneless Pork Ribs In the Oven

If you’re like many home cooks, you might find yourself craving the deliciousness of perfectly cooked pork ribs without needing to fire up the grill to make them. That’s where this guide comes in handy. We’ll walk you through what you need to know about seasoning, preparing, and cooking boneless pork ribs in the oven, complete with an easy-to-follow recipe and expert tips. It’s time to elevate your pork game.

What are Boneless Pork Ribs?

Despite being called ribs, boneless pork ribs aren’t really from the rib section of a pig. Instead, they usually come from the shoulder area, making them leaner than traditional bone-in ribs that come from the actual rib section. They can also be easier to work with without the hassle of moving around a bone to season or sauce them.

Boneless pork ribs are usually about 1-2 inches thick. They’ve been trimmed entirely of bones and most fat, yet they can be pretty flavorful when cooked properly. They’re also highly versatile because they lack bone, making them usable in various dishes, like barbecue sandwiches, stir-fries, and pasta dishes. 

Boneless pork ribs work great for oven cooking because they don’t take several hours to cook thoroughly and can be pleasantly tender when cooked using the right strategies. 

Tips for the Best Pork Ribs

Even if this is your first time cooking boneless pork ribs in the oven, you can still cook them like a professional with a few helpful tips.

The most important one to keep in mind is that, like regular bone-in ribs, boneless pork ribs favor low and slow cooking. If you have some time to spare and don’t mind waiting a little longer for your ribs, bump the temperature down to around 300-325 degrees to cook them slower. The end results will be worth it when you bite into a tender, juicy rib.

After the ribs are close to reaching their final temperature, use your broiler to crisp them up. If you want to add barbecue sauce to the ribs, do so before you broil them. Then, broil for just 3-4 minutes to caramelize the sauce and give the ribs a touch of crispiness.

You can also baste your pork ribs with barbecue sauce a couple of times during the cooking process to add flavor and keep them moist. 

When they’re done cooking, rest the pork ribs at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. They’ll continue cooking slightly and reabsorb some of their lost liquids during this period.

Prepping Boneless Pork Ribs

Let’s spend a few minutes going over how to prepare boneless pork ribs before cooking them.

First, make sure the ribs are completely thawed out if you’re working with frozen ribs to ensure they cook thoroughly and evenly. Run them under cold water for about 15-20 minutes to quick-thaw them or place them in the refrigerator overnight if you have more time.

Next, trim extra fat from the ribs. Often, most of the excess fat will be trimmed when you buy boneless pork ribs, but if you see any chunks of fat, remove them with a sharp knife. Large sections of fat typically don’t have enough time to break down during the cooking process.

The next step is seasoning or marinating your pork ribs, which we’ll discuss more in the following sections.

About 30-45 minutes before you’re ready to cook the ribs, leave them at room temperature on a clean plate or cutting board to rest, allowing the temperature to rise to ensure a more even cook.

How to Season

There are two main ways you can go when seasoning boneless pork ribs: keep it simple with salt and pepper or go all out with an array of spices. Both ways are correct, as they both add essential flavors to ribs.

If you plan to sauce your ribs during or after cooking, it could be best to keep your spices simple by just adding salt, pepper, and maybe a little garlic powder or cayenne pepper for an extra kick. However, if you want the spices to speak for themselves, try a mixture of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning, as we use in our recipe below.

Whatever spices you use, mix them together before adding them generously to all surfaces of the ribs. Remember to get the sides, too, rather than just the tops and bottoms. 

Boneless Pork Rib Recipe Variations

Although there aren’t many variations in the way you cook boneless pork ribs in the oven, there can be some differences in what you use to flavor your ribs. Our recipe below features just one way to use seasonings, but you can get a completely different flavor profile by using other seasonings or marinades and sauces. 

A marinade can be a good way to add flavor and tenderize the ribs a bit before cooking them, which can be helpful if you don’t have extra time to cook the ribs slowly at a low temperature. This marinade for pork steak is an excellent option.

Or, use sauces, like barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, or a Hawaiian glaze, to add flavor and moisture to the ribs. You can baste the ribs a few times during the cooking process, but give them a final basting near the end, just before hitting them with high heat from the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize the sauce. 

At What Temperature Are Boneless Pork Ribs Done Cooking?

Pork should reach a final temperature of 145 degrees to ensure it’s safely cooked. Try not to go too far past this point, as you could end up with tough and chewy boneless pork ribs. Use the following temperature guide for reference. 

Doneness Level	Final Temperature	Temperature to Remove from Heat
Medium rare	145-150℉	140℉
Medium	150-155℉	145℉
Medium well	155-160℉	150℉
Well done	160℉	155℉

Baked Boneless Pork Ribs Recipe

This simple recipe requires ribs, barbecue sauce—you can use any you’d like or make your own—and some seasonings.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless pork ribs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Dry the boneless pork ribs. Brush a light layer of olive oil on all sides of the ribs. Mix together all other ingredients besides the barbecue sauce. Rub the ribs with the seasoning mixture.
3. Add the ribs to a baking dish and cover the dish with foil. 
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the ribs to the other side, and bake, covered, for another 30 minutes or until they reach 130℉.
5. Turn on the broiler. Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce on all sides. Return the ribs to the oven uncovered, and broil for about 5 minutes or until the ribs reach 140℉. The sauce should caramelize.
6. Enjoy!

How to Store Boneless Pork Ribs After Cooking

Boneless pork ribs are best served fresh, but it’s completely fine to save leftovers if you have them. In most cases, you’ll want to eat them within one or two days to ensure the best quality and reheat them in the oven or an air fryer rather than the microwave, if possible. Add a small amount of barbecue sauce to them before reheating to bring back some moisture.

Store leftover ribs in the refrigerator in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bags. Throw unused ribs away after 3-4 days of storage.

Conclusion

Pork can be a little more finicky than steak to cook, as it has less wiggle room between being cooked just right and being overcooked. To help you monitor the cooking temperature, consider using an oven-safe thermometer to keep in the ribs while cooking. Don’t forget to check out our other cooking guides and recipes, and keep your favorites bookmarked to return to easily when you’re ready to cook.