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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This BBQ short rib recipe is the best I’ve found. I’m always looking for the best of the best for any recipe & this is definitely it. I made them a while back for my son & some of his friends and they mysteriously always know when I’m cooking them so I always buy 3 times the ribs I normally do.
Hi Jenn,
Is there a substiture for sugar in this recipe?
warm regards
Christian
Hi Chris, you can use the equivalent amount of honey here. Hope you enjoy!
Can you leave this in fridge for a few hours before baking? In the sauce
Yes, that would be fine. I would take it out of the fridge about 45 minutes before you put it in the oven.
Just terrific!! Very tender and very easy to prepare! Thanks for another great recipe!!!
What temperature should I cook these ribs? You mentioned to preheat oven at 300 degrees.
Hi Jenn – just wondering if I am unable to get a hold of beef short ribs whether there are any other good options of beef or meat I could use for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer: I read your recipe for oven baked BBQ ribs and it looked so easy that I was certain that it couldn’t be THAT delicious …but, I have tried many of your recipes and they are ALL that delicious ! I was craving some comfort food and gave the short ribs a try last night. They are amazing , so easy , flavorful with melt in your mouth tenderness. They partnered well with noodles tossed with butter and dill. Thanks so much for sharing !
I’ve been searching for the best BBQ sauce and yours is it! Thank you for generously sharing your recipe.
Oh, forgot to mention. I used bison instead of beef and they turned out wonderful.
I too make this is in a smaller quantity (cooking for only 2) using only 1 pound of meat (yes, Whole Foods meat is the best) and by just dividing the sauce quantity amounts by 4 – but cooking time remains the same. It always comes out tender and delicious. This is now a family favorite. Thank you Jenn!
Overall these ribs were outstanding, particularly the BBQ sauce! Another winner from Jenn. My ribs came out a little tough, however. I used high quality ribs, but I wonder if I had to cook them longer? I shortened the cooking time overall because I used 2 lbs instead of 4 lbs of meat and my convection oven tends to cook things faster. They felt tender and looked very brown, so I was afraid they would burn and took them out early. In general, if I use less meat, do you think I should cook them a shorter time?
Hi Samantha, I know it’s surprising, but the cook time would actually be about the same so next time just cook them a little longer until tender. Glad you enjoyed them, though. 🙂