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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Will this recipe apply to country style pork ribs, as well? Thank you.
Hi Nancy, Yes, pork country style ribs should work fine here. Cooking time will be about the same, but taste to be sure they are getting tender after 2 1/2 hours before you remove the cover. If not, cook another 30 minutes and check them again.
Is the calorie count really per serving?! Yikes … hoping that’s for the entire recipe 🙂
Hi Lindsay, I wish it were for the whole dish, but it is per serving. (This dish is a definite indulgence!)
We have a Thermador professional 6 burner stove. Would I need to reduce the temp. so they won’t dry out?
Hi Deb, Maybe I’m misunderstanding your question, but these are baked in the oven (as opposed to being cooked on the stove).
If I want to do just a pound of these what should I cut the cooking time back to?
Hi David, I would encourage you to make more than one pound of these as they shrink A LOT! That said, if you’re using less than the 4 pounds, the cook time may be a little (but not significantly) shorter. Just make sure to use a dish that just fits the ribs/sauce as you don’t want too much extra space in the pan.
Is this recipe really 1300 calories per serving?
It is– It’s delicious but a definite indulgence!!
Oh my gosh! This recipe is SO delicious – and easy!
I made it the first time exactly as per the recipe and it was amazing. The second time I made it, we were camping. My little RV oven doesn’t heat consistently – or well – so I brought my slow cooker and slow cooked it during the day, with the 1/2 hr top off in the oven at the end. It came out just as good as the first time. This will definitely be put in our “go- to” book!
I’ll start by saying i love your recipies and on the whole have great luck so for that, THANK YOU!
Regarding these ribs however…I checked my ribs at the 2 hour mark. The meat was clearly done and very tough. Any ideas why? Maybe to lean? I am following the recipe so they are back in the over to brown which i dont think will help. Whether the butcher didnt know what a short rib was or the meat just wasnt good, this meal will be an expensive mistake. I will say the sauce is great and one i will make again.
Hi Jennifer, Even though they look done much sooner, short ribs really do need to cook for the full 3 hours to get tender. Hope they turned out well in the end!
This was way, way too sweet! Tasted liked candied bacon.
Is it ok to season and add the barbecue sauce in the morning, refrigerate and then put in the oven later that day? I won’t be home and would like my husband to get the ribs started since they take 3 hours to cook. Thanks!
Sure Laura, that would be fine. If there’s time, I would have your husband take it out of the fridge about 45 minutes before putting it into the oven.
What temp/how long would be the equivalent for a crock pot? Thanks!
Hi Laura, I think this recipe is best made in the oven because you need to be able to brown the meat at the end, otherwise it will look very unappealing. You could make the ribs up to that point in the slow cooker, then transfer them to the oven to brown, but that seems to be more trouble than it’s worth.
Not when its 95 out and I don’t want the oven on for 2-3 hours! :o) Thanks for the idea, using the crockpot and oven as a last step is exactly what I’m going to do.
if you do not want to start the oven on such a hot day, the same can be done outdoors… on your charcoal grill… (or gas grill, for those that don’t know how to control heat using coal)
use the snake method using charcoal to achieve a 300ºF temp, place your foiled disposable pan with the beef inside indirect (not over the coals or gas flames) and proceed as described above.
It’s a piece of cake.
Perhaps to sear them in olive oil and a little butter on all sides first and then transfer them to the slow cooker would be successful. You would need to cook them longer in the slow cooker. I am going to try this method myself.