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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If using bone-in short ribs, will the baking time be the same? Lol I’m sorry.
Hi P, Yes cook time will be about the same. Enjoy!
Going to make these for NYE – is this okay to do for short ribs with bone on as well?
Sure, Tiffany – that should work.
Made this last night and it was delicious! Even though I think the beef I used was too lean? After the first two hours there was virtually no liquid left. But the beef was so freaking tender and delicious. It was like a very soft jerky! Yum!
Hi Laureen, I’m surprised this didn’t generate a lot of liquid. Did you have the baking dish tightly covered? (Glad you enjoyed it though!)
My entire family is obsessed with this recipe! I buy thick, fat, boneless ribs from Wegman’s and they work perfectly! They are a bit pricey but my goodness they are worth every penny to make this dish. There are NEVER any leftovers. We often spice up the sauce for personal preference. Thank you for such an outstanding recipe. I can’t believe some of the 1 star reviews on here– they are not warranted by any means!
Did I mention these are in the oven right now 🙂 yum!
We loved this recipe!! I only had about a pound and a half of meat so I cut the sauce recipe in half. The meat really does shrink up a lot, but luckily it was only for 2 people so it was just enough. The sauce was amazing and will definitely use it again!
I paired the short ribs with potato au gratin from Lidl and sweet peas. Amazing dinner!
I only have 1.5 pounds of ribs. How can I alter the recipe/ cooking time?
Hi Ally, I would strongly encourage you to make more than 1 pound because these shrink a lot! But if you do use less than 4 pounds, the cook time may be a bit (but not significantly) shorter. Just be sure to use a dish that just fits the ribs and sauce as you don’t want too much extra space in the pan.
Amazing, amazing, amazing! Thank you!
Excellent! Did not need the last 30 minutes in the oven. Less pepper and salt would be better.
It can’t get any better: easy to make and finger lickin’ good. Thanks for making great cooks out of us!
Hi, I have made this recipe several times and they are amazing every time. My Costco no longer carries choice cut anymore, so I had to buy the prime cut (more$$) and they appear to be somewhat thinner, because of the quality. I am a little worried if I follow the cooking time I may overcook them. I know they are forgiving. Still worried. Butcher suggested cutting the cooking time by an hour.. any suggestions?
Hi Pete, That sounds about right. Instead of uncovering after 2.5 hours, I’d check at 1.75 hours. If they are pretty tender by then, you can proceed with the recipe. Hope that helps!
Hey Pete
Did you cook the prime cut of short ribs for 1.75 hrs? How did that work. I am making this weekend with Costco prime cut also. Thanks so much
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was very good and we love the BBQ sauce too. I had the short ribs with the bone in it, but they weren’t very big. It looked ready when I checked 15 minutes early. I just then browned it like you recommended for the half hour. Definitely going to keep making them and now my new bbq sauce recipe too.