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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My short ribs came out delicious as expected and learned that if it’s tough then it needs to be cooked a little longer . Thankful for having read Jen’s reply in several reviews, Mine took an extra hour longer to get tender for whatever reason. I would love to know if I can substitute boneless chicken breasts next time. How would you adjust cooking time ?
So glad you enjoyed them! Unfortunately, chicken breasts wouldn’t work here — sorry!
The ribs ended up super dry and hard…overcooked… The flavor was good, though!
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve made it so many times and it has come out wonderfully every time. I find that bone-in meats work well too. I use this sauce for many bbq events.
I plan to make this for the holiday dinner for a party of 10. If I purchase 10lbs, for how long do I bake?? Thank you very much!
So glad you like it! For 10 lbs. the bake time may be a bit longer, but not significantly. Hope everyone enjoys. 🙂
These were delicious!
Any other meat you recommend that could be used in this recipe?
Lately short ribs are very expensive here and hard to find.
Love the sauce and the very easy cooking method!
Glad you liked them! Beef chuck will work nicely here – just cut it like short ribs (about 2 inches wide x 4 inches long). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Don’t think I’ve commented on this recipe yet! I’ve made this several times a year for the past few years and it’s always a hit! My kids love it shredded on a Hawaiian roll topped with coleslaw. I typically follow the recipe to a T! Past two times I tried to do it in the instant pot and it burned (my fault). Going to attempt it in my slow clay cooker today. Any tips?
Hi Rachel, I don’t have any experience with a slow clay cooker, so unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share — I’m sorry!
Can I use a store bought BBQ sauce that we really like or would it not turn out? Thanks!
That should be fine. Enjoy!
Thanks Jenn! I’m making these tomorrow but they are bone in…should I still cut them? If so, how should I go about it?
Hi Turtle, Yes, I’d cut them into individual ribs. After that, you can proceed with the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious. Had no Worcestershire, so used one tsp. of A-1 and 1 tsp. of Burning Bush Essential Sauce (instead of cayenne also).
Hi Jenn,
I see it only serves 4…. can you double the recipe for a larger crowd? Could you use two 9×13 baking dishes for a longer time period??
Thank you for the best cooking website out there!!!
Hi Lauren, It’s perfectly fine to double it and use two 9 x 13-inch baking dishes. Time in the oven may be a tiny bit longer but not much. (And so glad you like the blog!!) 🙂
We use SO much BBQ sauce in our home, we tried something different. I made beef gravy for the BBQ sauce. It turned out to be a beautiful, rich meal.
I bought bone in beef ribs on a rack.
How do I modify the recipe?
Hi Nidhi, I’d cut the rack into individual ribs. After that, you can proceed with the recipe as written. Hope you enjoy!