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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Hi Jenn! We made these last night. The sauce is fabulous! Our ribs (that we bought from Whole Foods ) were still quite fatty. We did bot cut them in half (missed that step)—is that why? My husband was thinking we should have cooked them longer maybe?
Hi Rachel, I don’t think not cutting the ribs should’ve caused a problem. It does sound like the probably needed to cook longer as they should be really tender after coming out of the oven.
Forgive me for asking another follow-up question. Can you please be very specific about the exact type/cut of boneless beef short rib you use and what I should ask my butcher for? I went to purchase them and the short ribs I saw looked nothing like what yours do in the photos. Also, are they 4″ and you cut them in half or longer and you cut to 4″? Thanks for indulging my confusion!
No need to apologize, Andi! I would suggest asking your butcher to point out the right cut as I don’t really know other names that these would be referred to by. Perhaps you were looking at pork ribs the last time you were at the store? And, yes, these do get cut into 4-inch pieces once you get home. Hope that helps!
Sorry, left off my rating!
The BEST BBQ Short ribs and so easy to make. I like to serve shredded in flour tortillas and top with honey mustard cole slaw. In a pinch I have used jar bbq sauce and they are still yum!
I’m thinking about Passover too! Will make these as a change of pace. Jen, do you have a matzoh kugel recipe? I’ve never found one that I LOVE…
You are my absolute favorite blog chef! I forward your yummy recipes all the time and can’t wait for the cookbook- which I’ve already ordered.
Hi Jill, thanks for your nice words – you made my day! Unfortunately, I don’t have a proven matzoh kugel recipe – that’s something I’ll have to add to my list of recipes to potentially develop. In the meantime, this one from Epicurious looks good and gets positive ratings. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried this myself.)
I am thinking about serving this for our seder this year (I’m so tired of brisket!). Would you recommend it and, if so, should I still count on 1lb./pp since there is so much other ritualistic food at this holiday?
Thank you!
Hi Andi, Omg how is it already time to start thinking about Passover?! I think this recipe would be delicious and a welcome change from brisket. I’d definitely still count on 1lb per person — this tends to be a crowd pleaser and you don’t want people to feel like they have to ration their portions. Plus, it freezes well if you have leftovers. Hope that helps!
How do you think these would do in the crock pot
I think it would work nicely. LMK how they turn out!
Instant pot time! I have been making this recipe for years and it is a family favorite. Last night I finally tried it in the instant pot and it’s even better. I put the boneless short ribs in the pot, coated with pepper and the bbq sauce. Cooked on manual for 40 minutes, natural pressure release. Served with extra sauce. That’s it, and they are even better than in the oven. No need to brown. Seriously!
Yep! I’d love to know how it turns out.
They were amazing. I cooked them on low for 8 hours. I had just over 5 pounds so I poured most of the sauce over them. Served them with mashed potatoes and herbed Frenched green beans. My husband said they were better than any he’s ever had at a restaurant. A keeper for sure!!
Hi, here’s my review, my name is Danielle from Montreal Canada, bought short ribs from costco and did not know how to cook; so I looked on Pinterst and found your recipe. Did them in the oven and burned them to a crisp ( my oven malfunctionned and I have to have it fixed) so never got to taste them had to trow them in garbage. So bought more and made them in slow cooker, since my oven is still not functionning; oh my god they were so good……. cooked them on high for 2 hours and low for another 2. I didn’t take out the fat that them made when cooked. My husband is very finiky eater, he almost ate the whole plate of ribs, and definatly a REDO.
Thank you for perfect and simple recipe.