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! I made this tonight and they came out so tough – what did I do wrong? They were fairly lean boneless short ribs from the butcher. I cut them maybe too small? I had oven at 3)) for the exact time you mentioned. I love all your recipes, so I think I must have made a mistake!! Thanks
Hi Tara, If they were tough, they were likely undercooked. As long as you used the right cut of meat, it should eventually get tender (you really can’t overcook these). Sorry they didn’t come out as expected!
Hi there! This happened to me too! Turned out tough and I followed recipe exactly. If we cook it longer, should we just keep cooking it even last the 3 hours until it’s soft/tender? Thank you! Also I wonder if we can do this in the crockpot
Yes, I would keep cooking them until they are tender. And 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. Hope that helps!
We love this! Easy to make, tender, and the sauce is terrific! Thanks so much! I’ve made this a few times already. I think I may need to try buying the bone-in ones because I think that’s what Costco sells. If so, I guess I’ll try baking them a little longer – what do you think, like 30 more minutes ? Thank you!
Vicky, so glad you like it! The bone-in version should actually take about the same amount of time.
I love this recipe. It’s so simple and delicious. However, when serving for a party, I need the oven to make some other last minute dishes. Is there a cook ahead option that won’t dry them out?
Hi Allie, Glad you like this! You can make them ahead and reheat, but you’ll need the oven to reheat them, so not sure that solves your problem!
This was amazing! Thanks for an easy but company-worthy recipe. The sauce is really good!
Came out perfectly. Easy and crowd pleaser dinner.
I have a question. Can you use already made barbeque sauce from the bottle? Or do you have to make it to have it turn out good? I have cattlemans barbeque sauce.
Sure, store-bought will work if you’d prefer not to make your own. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was incredible! I followed it almost exactly – except moved the ribs out of the pan after onto a rack to cook for the last step as I didn’t want to deal with the draining. I was worried they would dry out but they were PERFECT! Melt in your mouth, savoury comfort food.
Absolutely DELISH!!!!!!!!!
I should have followed my gut when I thought this recipe couldn’t be right. Unfortunately, I didn’t. Now we have no dinner & I ruined my favorite baking dish. Thanks so much for this silly, untested recipe. You should go back to getting plastic surgery. You’re better at it.
What a mean thing to say! There are more constructive ways to say you didn’t like a recipe. I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it is simple and delicious. This is the recipe my adult daughter always requests I make when she comes to visit.
The ribs were delicious. My family gobbled them up. Can’t wait to cook more of your recipes!!
Did you really just post such an unkind remark like that?? Obviously hundreds of us made the dish and it turned out perfect. In a world that is already hurting, perhaps more tact. Jenn, as always, another amazing recipe-in fact, I just gave it to a friend. This will be my 5th time making these and the first two times were spot on perfect. As I am rereading recipe now, I realize MY errors from the last two batches I made, not cutting the meat in half and not paying attention to liquid amounts in the end! I just assumed I remembered the recipe and did it on my own, forgetting those crucial steps hence why cooking took much longer, also I’m pretty sure I assumed the package from Costco was automatically 4lbs when it very well could have been much more. Thanks, Jenn, you and Ina always my go to’s for delicious recipes that I never question if they had been tested and perfected-keep up the great work!!!!!
I made this recipe today.
It was a real hit!
I didn’t use all of the last 1/3 of the sauce, thinking it might be too rich. I think that was a mistake. I will certainly make this again and sauce it up!
What??? Completely uncalled for reaction. This recipe is a favorite of ours. I took the leftovers out of the freezer today and we are looking forward to another enjoyable short rib meal!😋
My first time making short ribs and this recipe was excellent! It was so easy and so good. They came out wonderful. I also made the mashed potatoes and the roasted carrots and it was a perfect easy dinner!
Delicious, easy recipe! This was my first time ever cooking ribs, and my first time eating beef ribs, so this recipe was exactly what I needed. Next time I’m going to try it with pork ribs. The BBQ sauce is a keeper; I’ve been on the hunt for a from-scratch BBQ sauce and this has been the best I’ve come across. I was afraid the cayenne would be too powerful because I have a young child, so I tasted the mixture before adding it and it was lacking. I then added half the cayenne, but it was still lacking, so I added the whole amount per the recipe and it was perfect. Just the right amount of kick but not too much. I can’t say what my kiddo thought because he decided not to try it. 😉 I would love to see your version of a BBQ sauce without ketchup but rather tomato paste/sauce to make it truly from scratch.