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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I am visiting my son who does not have an oven. Can these be done in a slow cooker? If so, not sure of timing or any changes. They look delicious😀
Hi Diana, Unfortunately, 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 may want to consider this short rib recipe instead. You can cook it entirely on the stove instead of in the oven (just give it a stir periodically so the bottom doesn’t scorch while simmering). Hope that helps!
I made this today and it turned out great! I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to cook the bbq sauce after mixing it, so I did. It worked out fine. My husband said this is a MUST make again! Thanks!
This recipe is DELICIOUS!! I have made it twice now and my family says its one of the best things I make! I make sure to get the short ribs from a very nice local meat shop. The quality makes all the difference! I love her recipes. I served it with the roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. I did not drain the liquid, it made a great gravy for the potatoes. Will be making this again and again.
I absolutely love this recipe. These boneless beef ribs are to die for. Family & friends love them and they are easy to make.
We are not fans of chili powder. Is there a substitute I can use or can I just leave it out?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Victoria, you could substitute a combination of cumin and garlic powder. Hope you enjoy the ribs!
Hello! Excited to make these this weekend. It’s bbq season so I’m wondering if I can bbq the ribs after baking them for 2.5 hours in the oven? Any recommendations to make sure they’re still soft and delicious?
Sure, Rae – just keep the heat on the lower side so they don’t burn and take them off the grill once a nice bark forms.
Delicious!
Can you make this with a brisket
Sure Adrienne, I think that should work. I’d use the cook time in this brisket recipe and double the sauce. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi Jenn,
I made these for Christmas dinner and they were very tough, looked really good but very hard to eat. All I could buy was bone in short ribs, should I have maybe cooked them an hour longer?
I have made this recipe before with boneless shortribs and it was delicious.
Happy Hanukkah
Hi Mary, So sorry you had trouble with these on Christmas! Yes, you’d need to add more time for bone-in. It’s hard to say exactly how much…I’d just keep them in the oven until tender.
I want to make these for Christmas Eve. Kindly explain about freezing after cooking. I am still unsure…..freeze in the reserved barbeque sauce?? Freeze in some of the cooking liquid?? Freeze in no liquid but add reserved barbeque sauce when reheating??
Hi Patricia, Yes, I would freeze and reheat them in the sauce. Just cover them tightly when you’re reheating them. Hope you enjoy!
What a delicious meal. I too was curious if meat needed to be browned first. We didn’t miss it and the meat was very tender. I had it in the oven for a bit longer.