+15 votes
Need exact time for pork ribs at 180C. Doing meal prep for 3 days. Using basic suprmarket ribs. Want them tender but not dry. Lmk your opinion. :)
in Recipes and Cooking by

6 Answers

+2 votes
Best answer
Hello k_sharma, happy to help you with your meal prep!

For standard supermarket pork ribs cooked at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit), the ideal baking time is between 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the specific cut and thickness. If you have baby back ribs, 90 to 100 minutes is usually the sweet spot. If they are spare ribs or St. Louis style, expect them to need closer to 2 hours to become tender.

To keep the meat juicy and prevent it from drying out over three days of meal prep, I recommend using a tight foil packet method. Season your ribs thoroughly with your dry rub, then wrap the rack tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Adding a tablespoon of liquid such as apple juice, apple cider vinegar, or stock inside the foil pouch helps generate gentle steam, breaking down collagen without draining moisture from the meat.

Bake the foil packet at 180 degrees Celsius for 90 to 110 minutes. Afterwards, carefully unwrap the top of the foil. If you enjoy a caramelized crust or barbecue sauce finish, brush on your sauce and return them to the oven uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Since you are prepping these for three days, proper cooling and storage are vital. Allow the ribs to cool completely before portioning and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge. When reheating a portion, cover it loosely and add a small sprinkle of water or extra sauce to maintain that tender texture. Best of luck with your batch cooking!
by leon-bernard (39.9k points)
selected by chef
+9 votes
Bake pork ribs at 180C for 2 hours wrapped in foil! This makes them tender for 3 days of meal prep. Do not skip the foil cover??
by
+9 votes
Hello! For standard supermarket pork ribs at 180C, baking them wrapped tightly in foil for about 2 to 2.5 hours works best to get them tender for meal prep. Then open the foil for the last 15 minutes if you want a bit of a crust. Let me know if you need any adjustments!
by chef (131k points)
+5 votes
When I do my weekly batch cooking with supermarket reduced-to-clear ribs, I usually pop them in the oven at 180C. Based on my usual meal prep routine, baking them for about 90 minutes covered in foil works well to keep things moving. However, I often skip checking the internal temperature because I am in a rush. Just make sure you store them properly in your meal prep containers for those three days. It is a great way to save money and get your proteins sorted for the week ahead without spending hours in the kitchen every single night.
by
+4 votes
back in my day we didn't need all these fancy meal prep guides and air fryers, we just cooked things properly in a regular oven. if you are using cheap supermarket ribs at 180c, just bake them for two hours wrapped up tight, though honestly nobody really knows if three days in the fridge will ruin the texture without freezing them first, eh. just keep them covered and hope for the best.
by
+2 votes
I always bake mine at 180C, but I am not sure about the exact hours for meal prep... Usually it takes around two hours? It always turned out fine for me...
by