Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
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BBQ short ribs make an easy dinner that pleases kids and adults alike.
For easy, family-pleasing comfort food, you can’t beat meltingly tender short ribs in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Inspired by Sunny Anderson’s BBQ short ribs, this simple recipe requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep, and then the oven does the rest. Unlike many roast or stew recipes, it’s not necessary to sear the meat first. Instead, you season the meat with salt and pepper and slather them with a quick homemade BBQ sauce – a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning. Then you put the dish in the oven to bake for 3 hours, go about your day, and let deliciousness ensue. Serve with mashed potatoes or cornbread and a roasted vegetable.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
Count on about one pound of boneless short ribs per person. I know it seems like a lot but they shrink significantly while cooking, and people tend to eat generous portions. If you can only find bone-in short ribs, they will work but may take a bit longer to cook.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cutting the short ribs in half and seasoning them with salt and pepper. Place them in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Next, make the homemade BBQ sauce by combining the ketchup, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and spices in a small bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Slather about 2/3 of the sauce all over the meat, and reserve the rest for the finished dish.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for about 2-1/2 hours.
Remove the foil, pour off some of the cooking liquid and cook for 30 minutes more, or until the meat is tender and browned.
Transfer the meat to a platter, leaving the cooking liquid behind, and slather with the reserved BBQ sauce.
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Video Tutorial
Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
BBQ short ribs make an easy dinner that pleases kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
For the Ribs
- 4 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 4-inch long pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1½ tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper, then arrange in a 9x13-inch baking dish (it will be a tight squeeze).
- Combine all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
- Pour ⅓ of the sauce (about ½ cup) over the ribs. Using tongs, flip the ribs over and spoon another ⅓ of the sauce over top. Reserve the remaining BBQ sauce to spoon over the cooked ribs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for 2½ hours. Remove the foil and, if the cooking liquid is covering the meat, use a large spoon or ladle to remove some of the liquid so that the tops are exposed. (Note: the meat will look unappetizing at this stage; don't worry, it will look much better once it's done!) Cook for 30 minutes more, uncovered, until the meat is tender and browned. Cut off any excess fat that remains around the short ribs. Transfer the short ribs to a serving platter. Discard the cooking liquid, as it will be very greasy. Slather the reserved BBQ sauce over the short ribs and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The ribs can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat them tightly covered with foil in a 300°F oven until heated through.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 1,320
- Fat: 87g
- Saturated fat: 37g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Sugar: 54g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 80g
- Sodium: 2327mg
- Cholesterol: 331mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’d like to start out my mentioning that I’ve made some of your other recipes and they’ve turned out beautifully. Unfortunately this one did not. I made the receipe on two occasions and both times the ribs were tough. It seemed like the fat layers did not melt. Should I have left the ribs in for longer? Not sure what went wrong. But, the BBQ sauce was amazing.
Yes, I think it will help if you leave them in a bit longer. They should be really tender when they’re done. Also, make sure you’re getting high quality meat for the best result.
Most tender beef ribs ever and the flavor was so delicious. My mom came over the next day and didn’t want to eat them because she thought they were pork ribs, once I told her they were beef, she still couldn’t believe it. She raved about them for days! Saving this recipe. Such easy prep and the whole family LOVES them!
Do you think I can place the short ribs on top of uncooked carrots so the fat mixes with the carrots while they are cooking?
This looks great and I will be making it soon!
Brian, I’ve never tried putting anything under the short ribs, but it sounds tasty :). If you prepare it that way, let me know how the carrots turn out!
OK Thank you!
The carrots were perfect after half the cooking time. Overall I could cook the meat at a slightly lower temperature for a little longer to make the meat even more tender. Thank you!
I’ve made at least 1,000 meals using recipes found online (including many from your website-all phenomenal), but this is my first review. In fact it’s my first review of anything ever. To say this recipe was a success is such an understatement. My 2 year old tried them and asked for more. Not knowing her you probably don’t know that this is pretty much the best compliment you could receive. She lives off of Raisin Bran, hummus, and pears and gags at the sight of meat. I don’t know if it was the brown sugar in the barbecue sauce or what, but wow!! I was blown away. Thank you so much!!!
I just served these for a party of 10. The butcher at Whole Foods recommended I get 7-8 pounds, given that half of the group were small-eating females. I can’t tell you how many rave reviews I got. Everyone wanted the recipe. And the amount was perfect; I had a few leftover but my husband took care of that problem the next night:) I’m sooooo happy I found this website, Jenn!!
I want to make this recipe for about 14 people, so I am planning on have about 14-15lbs of short rib… How long should I cook it for?
Thanks in advance!
The cooking time can remain about the same! Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you so much for getting back to me, made this for 14 people, last night. Was absolutely delicious! Made small modifications, cooked slightly longer and added a couple other ingredients to the BBQ sauce.. Other than that this recipe was spot on and everyone enjoyed it!
This is an excellent recipe — The result is meltingly tender and unctuous. I froze the left over ribs individually on a parchment lined tray, and then bagged them in a ziplock freezer bag for easy microwaving in the future. Also froze potatoes that had baked along with the ribs — cut them in fat 1″ slices, froze and bagged them. Add a vegetable or salad and you have a wonderful dinner. : )
Excellent recipe my husband love these! So tender
Honestly the best thing I’ve eaten in a while. I uses pork ribs and skipped on the Cayenne Pepper and it was AMAZING!!!
Definitely a keeper!!!
What kind of pork ribs did you use?
Rachel, They are boneless beef short ribs. Hope you enjoy them!
I made these and they are super good!