Dutch oven ribs are an easy but impressive dinner for home or when you’re out camping! Get the step-by-step directions for both coal and oven dutch oven use and make these BBQ pork ribs today!
Making dutch oven ribs is one of our favorite camping meals. They taste amazing every time and are so easy to put together!! We definitely prefer the bone-in ribs as opposed to the country-style ribs, which don’t have bones.
What kind of pork ribs should I use?
You can purchase baby back ribs or St. Louis style ribs – either will work but make sure you pay attention the to total weight. St. Louis style ribs are typically larger and will take longer to cook. Either will turn out delicious!
How to Make Pork Ribs Tender
The reason these dutch oven ribs turn out so delicious and tender every time is because you essentially braise them in the dutch oven. They are cooked in the BBQ sauce for a long time over lower heat.
You can accomplish this easily in a dutch oven or traditional oven. For a dutch oven, simply arrange the coals evenly over the top and bottom of the dutch oven. This will allow the heat to distribute evenly.
How to Cook Pork Ribs in the Oven
If you don’t have a cast iron dutch oven for outdoor use, you can easily make these ribs in the oven. The recipe preparation will be the exact same, the only difference will be the cooking method.
- Season ribs.
- Slice into 3-4 rib sections.
- Layer with BBQ sauce in the dutch oven.
- Place dutch oven in a preheated oven at 300ºF for about 1 hour, or until the meat starts to pull away from the bones.
- The final cook time is going to depend on the size of the ribs and how many you have cooking in the dutch oven.
What if you don’t have a dutch oven?
If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can still make these easy BBQ ribs in the oven. Season them and slice them the same way, but layer them in a 9×13 baking dish and cover it with foil.
This method will give you the same braising cooking effect that baking them in the dutch oven does. Both methods will lead to perfectly delicious BBQ ribs every single time!