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 recipe looks amazing! The thing is i have boneless short ribs but they are cut way smaller and thinner. What do u suggest I do to as far as cooking time and temperature?
Hi Desiree, The temperature would be the same but they may not need as much time in the oven; I’d start checking after 2 hours.
Add a generous splash of red wine to make a more grown-up flavor.
I am having 35-40 folks over for dinner this weekend, and would like to make these. Can they be made in one or two BIG batches in a roasting pan? If not, would it work to do them in smaller batches and then combine them in a big roaster for re-heating? If so, could I then stack them in layers for re-heating? Thanks for any help or advice you can give me. SG
Hi Steve, You can absolutely make these in big batches. You might have to increase the cooking time a bit; just cook until tender. Hope you enjoy and please let me know how it comes out!
Hi Jenn, I did make these in several batches of the size called for in the recipe, and just prepared and baked all four pans at the same time. Didn’t even increase the cooking time by much, and they came out great. Everyone raved over them. Thanks for a great recipe that’s about as easy as it gets. A real keeper.
So glad it worked out, Steve. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
These scrumptious ribs melt in your mouth. We’ll have to make twice as much next time. They were gone in no time!
I have some st.louis ribs that I need to cook soon. How should I adjust this recipe since they are not boneless?
Hi Kim, I actually think the cooking time would be about the same. Please let me know how they come out!
This was one of my favorite dishes to make—it is easy to make and AMAZING! The bbq sauce is wonderful. My boyfriend and I were licking our plates!!! I will be adding this to my recipe box for sure. I can’t wait to have a dinner party—it is sure to please everyone!
I bought some short ribs & have never made any before. I was looking online for a recipe & found this one, i decided to make it because it was sooo easy to prepare.
I used regular mustard because i didn’t have any dijon, and my hubby loves sweet stuff so i made it a little sweeter. I gotta say this is one of my favorite. My husband absolutely loved it, he said “my mouth is really happy right now”…lol.
Thank you for sharing this delicious dish!!!!
Loved this! Loved it even more when my very picky eaters both ate their serving and then asked for more. Looking forward to finding more yummy delights on your pages. Thanks!
If I am only cooking 1 pound of boneless short ribs should I adjust the cooking time / temp?
Hi Gary, I’d put them in a small pan and cook them at the same temp. You might check on them a bit earlier but cooking time should be about the same.
I’m committed to trying this recipe, but I’m curious, why don’t you brown the ribs first, instead of “exposing” them prior to the end of the cooking time and browning them at that point?
Also, do you use “flanken” style ribs for this recipe or the ones that look like “blocks”?
Hi Alan, Great question. I usually do brown my stew meats before they go in the oven but it’s not always necessary. I tested this recipe both ways and found that browning the short ribs did nothing to improve the flavor — in fact, I actually preferred the taste of the ribs that were not browned. The main reason I expose them to the heat at the end is to make them look nicer…and it’s a whole lot easier than searing the meat beforehand. I use the ribs that look like blocks. Hope you enjoy!