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 made these and saw potential, but they didn’t come out as expected. I followed the recipe exactly. It could have been that the beef had been trimmed too much, or was leaner, and wasn’t aided by the normal amount of fat. The sauce left a burnt taste residue. In the future, I would add sauteed veg to protect moisture and keep the sauce from burning.
Absolutely delicious and easy! I am normally not one of those who writes about changes, but in this instance I was one tablespoon shy for the ketchup, so I added sriracha…I’m a tad OCD about following recipes. Added a bit of a kick to the BBQ sauce. I do plan on using this BBQ sauce for other recipes as well! Thank you!
Love this recipe Jen!!! For an extra layer of flavor, we often put a few cinnamon sticks in among the ribs. Marinating with the broth (made from the meat/fat) the flavor just elevates to another level!
I have a question Jenn. I have kids who are notoriously picky eaters, so before I go all in on a new recipe, particularly one with a large portion like this, I like to try it in smaller doses to make sure they will eat it, and if not, so there is not so much it is unmanageable for the adults to eat without help. I was going to start off with about 1 pound of short rib, but was curious if you thought that would change anything for the cooking time? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Chris, I’d strongly encourage you to make more than 1 lb. because these shrink A LOT! But if you do use less than 4 lbs, the cooking time may be a bit shorter. Just make 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!
Does it matter if the fat side is up or down with short ribs?
Hi Dake, No, it doesn’t matter. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
One word…O-M-G, AMAZING. OK, that’s two words. This recipe is amazing. I made it as specified except that I very generously salted and peppered the short ribs all over. Sauce: AMAZING perfect balance of sweet and savory; Ribs: meltingly tender and flavorful. Also this made FINGER LICKIN GOOD sandwiches the next day (I had to hide the leftovers). Perfection!! I served it with Jenn’s Chesapeake Corn with Tomatoes, German Potato Salad and Broccoli Salad with Bacon Cheddar and Almonds. The crowd went wild. Thank you Jenn!
We just made this tonight (except we did half the meat as it’s only two of us, but we still made a full recipe of sauce) and it was AMAZING. I’m very picky about my BBQ sauce and this one was perfect. The perfect balance of sweet & spicy (we did use a little less brown sugar as ½ cup was plenty). The meat was full of flavors and falling apart it was so tender. Best meal we have made in a while and we definitely plan to tell everyone about it!
Love these ribs! Today I’m making a double batch. One for friends and one for us. Any change to the cooking time?
Hi Jill, Glad you like them! The cook time should be about the same or just a bit longer; just keep an eye on them. Hope your friends enjoy too!
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times with short ribs from costco. Yesterday, I accidentally picked up a package of BEEF LOIN TRI TIP strips instead of short ribs. Great marbling and same size/shape. Once I realized my mistake, I turned to the internet, but couldn’t find any consistent cooking recommendations for the cut. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking! I decided to risk it and still use this recipe. Not sure if I got lucky, but it worked great!
This was absolutely perfect!! I will always continue to do the shortribs exactly as you so nicely instructed. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise! I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
Made this twice now with simmering short ribs from Costco.
Freakin amazing. A big hit
Thanks for making me look good!
Agree on the postitive comments on the Sauce for other uses.