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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Our family loves this recipe!! For left overs, we shred the beef and make sandwiches. Other than the sauce that goes with it, could you recommend any sauce/condiments that would go well with this? My daughter thinks it’s quite sweet even though I’ve reduced the amount of brown sugar.
Hi Beatrice, Glad you like this! I the sandwiches would be nice with grainy mustard or spicy pickle slices. Those would help to temper the sweetness a bit too.
Can you use terrific sauce in place of barbecue sauce?
Hi Chris, I’ve never heard of terrific sauce – can you describe what it is?
These were D-licious! Thank you! You were right-I cut recipe in half and wished I had made the full 4 pounds! 😋
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe for the first time last night and the meat came out tough. All your recipes thus far have been a hit and clearly from the reviews this one is popular as well so I’m guessing I went wrong somewhere. I don’t ever cook beef short ribs so I am not sure how the meat is supposed come out but I doubt its supposed to be tough. Any ideas what I did wrong? Are the ribs supposed to be complete submerged in the sauce?
Hi Tamara, sorry to hear you had a problem with these! They definitely should not be tough. If you cooked them for the time indicated in the recipe, it could be that you need to add a little more time if you try these again. Also, make sure you’re getting high quality meat for the best result. (And the ribs won’t be completely submerged in the sauce when baking.)
The bbq sauce is great, worked well with bone-in short ribs
Hi, there—LOVE this recipe!!!! But, want to know: could you use bone-in short ribs? Sometimes, that’s all my market has. If so, what adjustments would I need to make, if any? Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Glad you like these! It’s fine for you to use bone-in short ribs and the cooking time should be about the same.
Hi, I love your recipes! Can I prepare this the night before, refrigerate and bake the next night? Making soon, let me know.
Thanks!
Julie
Sure – hope you enjoy!
I was able to impress my in-laws with this recipe. It was loved by all.
These short ribs were amazing! I made them when my young adult children were all home and they gobbled them up. As good as any short ribs I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The BBQ sauce would also be great on shredded beef or pork. Will be a new family favorite!
Would it be the same cooking time for half the amount? 2 lbs?
Hi Michael, I would strongly encourage you to make more than 2 pounds because these shrink A LOT! But if you do use less than 4 pounds, the cooking 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. Hope you enjoy!