Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This recipe is so easy and the ribs are filled with mouth-watering goodness- Fantastic ! Both times I used bone-in short ribs and they were delicious. I even froze some of the left overs ( cooking for one) and they were also perfect after freezing and thawing them !! They would be delicious with polenta or mashed potatoes but I served them with buttered noodles tossed with dill. Yummy ! Thank you , Jenn.
never cooked short ribs before so I was looking for a recipe and saw this. Your pictures make the ribs appear rather thick and mine are more like 3/4″ thick or less. should I reduce the cooking time?
Hi Linda, Yes, you may want to reduce the cooking time just a bit. I’d start checking them after about 2 hours.
Just finished eating these ribs. This is an awesome recipe. The ribs were cooked perfectly and the barbecue sauce was better than anticipated store bought.
I like your recipe’ it’s very similar to mine except I cut back a little on the brown sugar and add a touch of root beer or cola that has sugar not high fructose corn syrup. Adds another layer of flavor and caramelizes nicely. (in my humble opinion 🙂
This was delicious and super easy to make! Loved by my family, adults and kids alike. The BBQ sauce is now my go-to…forget store-bought.
I’ve shared the recipe with friends too. Yummy!
I’ve made this twice. The first time was a few weeks ago with boneless pork ribs, and they turned out great. The second time was for dinner tonight. I used pork loin cutlets in the Crock Pot on low with the sauce, then chopped/shredded them to serve as BBQ pork sandwiches. I made a double batch of the sauce so it could cook with the meat, as well as to spoon over the meat on the sandwiches. That sauce is soooo good! I could eat it with a spoon and skip the meat altogether! Ha ha! 😉 Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe.
Hi Jennifer, can I use bone short ribs? My kids love to hold the ribs’ bone.
Hi Erlina, Yes, you can use bone-in short ribs. The cooking temp will be the same. They might take a bit longer, but not much. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I made these for my family last night, followed the recipe exactly, and my ribs were very dry. They looked extremely overcooked. Not sure where I went wrong. I used a slightly larger pan, so the ribs were not tightly fit. Could that have something to do with it? I bought high quality ribs, so I don’t think that has anything to do with it.
I’ve made SO many recipes from your site….it’s my go to several times a week for dinner ideas. This was the first recipe that didn’t turn out for me. Any advice would be great!
By the way, the BBQ sauce was a HUGE hit, even though the ribs were dry 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Jamie, Sorry to hear the ribs were dry! Yes, I suspect that it was the size of the pan that was the problem. The ribs are supposed to be surrounded (and cooked in) their own juices, so if the pan was too big, that would cause them to dry out. Next time, try using a pan where the ribs just fit.
Amazing!!!! I’ve had boneless ribs from a local supermarket that you cook at home and they were good but very expensive £7.50 a box and it only just serves 2. Made this recipe and my husband and friends all loved it. I couldn’t get hold of short rib, so my butcher recommended that I used ribeye steak instead it worked out perfectly and I’m making it again tonight. Fantastic crowd pleaser that’s easy and fuss free!!
I made the short ribs and they were excellent! The BBQ sauce was really good, my favorite now. My wife raved about how delicious and tender the ribs were. Easy recipe too, we’ll be having these again soon.