Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I have made this several times and the Ribs are tender and delicious. Thank you Jenn for another fabulous recipe. You are awesome!
These were fantastic and so easy to make! YUM! All the guys in my household loved the ribs
Boneless BBQ short ribs. It was a hit. I used bone-in short ribs though. They turned out delicious. I kept them bone on the bottom. This turned out well because my Bbq skills were interrupted by visitors and I let them singe underneath. My partners thought the darkened bits were a real hit though. I only had a direct flame Bbq. But with low heat and hood down it worked fine. I used chili flakes and added some dried oregano as well. Next time on my Bbq I’ll triple wrap the bottom. Not just double foil. Sauce is super tasty.
Jenn is amazing but this particular dish turned out a little dry and tough. But she has about 20 other 5-star recipes on here that I’ll continue to enjoy
Same problem here. Ended up too tough as written. Trying for an extra hour at least. I’m glad I started this early in the day.
My ribs are 8 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1 inch thick. May you please suggest how to cook these? As they look thinner than yours. Thank you in advance Chef!
Hi Scott, I’d start checking after 2 hours for tenderness, but you may still need the full 2.5 hours.
Any reason why you dont brown these prior to baking?
Hi Erin, I typically do brown the meat in these types of dishes but, in testing this one, I found it didn’t make much of a difference in flavor and wasn’t worth the effort. 🙂
We love this recipe – it is now my go to when having company.
Hi Jenn,
My wife needs me to cook without granulated or brown sugar, I can only use honey. My question is, can I substitute the sugar for honey or is it going to burn once I take the tin foil off? I’ve made this several times, always a big hit! Thank you for the recipe! Hopefully I can make the adjustments so we can keep eating this!
Hi Turtle, You can get away with using the equivalent amount of honey here. Please let me know how they turn out with the adjustment!
Can baby back spare ribs be used instead of short ribs? Is there a rub that can be used on spare ribs before baking and adding sauce?
Hi Toni, I wouldn’t recommend going with baby back spare ribs here — sorry! I have that on my list of recipes to develop though, so stay tuned. 🙂
I’d like to make these for a party of about 12 people. Can they be braised the day before (but not browned), refrigerated over night, then finished in the oven right before serving? How would you recommend warming and browning the next day?
Hi Deb, I’d actually recommend fully cooking them the day before–they reheat beautifully. If you’d prefer to wait to do the browning before serving them, I’d take them out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature about an hour before you plan to put them in the oven. Then put them in the oven covered with foil until hot throughout, and then remove the foil and continue with the browning step. Hope that helps and everyone enjoys!
Would you recommend making this in a slow cooker because there is no braising or searing involved?
Hi Renee, 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.
So glad that I found your site. I made these short ribs last night and they were delicious. The sauce added at the end really elevated it. I did find it a little sweet so next time I might reduce the brown sugar. I ended up cooking these at 250 for 6 hours and they came out perfect.
My husband raved about them. Served with mashed cauliflower rice.