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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Comments
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Please tell us the oven temperature for roasting.
Hi Mo, the oven temp should be 300°F/150°C. Hope you enjoy the ribs!
My ribs were tough at 2.5 hours. Is that normal? Ok, if I Continue to cook them for an extra half an hour?
Yes, I would keep them covered and cook for 30 more minutes.
Mine were very chewy! The sauce was delicious. Cooking time/method must be off. $50 of short ribs wasted.
Made these a couple months ago for my husband and kids…divine!!!!
I have a few leftover that I want to reheat. Do I heat from frozen at 300 or do they need to thaw in fridge first?
Glad you liked them! I’d thaw them prior to reheating.
Oh, these ribs are so good! My husband and I both loved them, and now I’ll make them for guests. The recipe is easy; I followed it exactly (though with fewer ribs) and we have leftovers! And I’ll make the barbecue sauce for other dishes. Thanks, Jenn!
Gave these a try, they were ok but not great. Maybe I messed a step up. Will give them another go.
This is probably a silly question but do I reduce the cooking time if I halve the recipe? Thank you so much!
Hi Becky, I’d encourage you to make the full recipe, because these shrink A LOT! But if you do halve it, the cooking time may be just 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!
Made exactly as directed. Wonderful ! Thank You
So delicious, so easy. I don’t know if I can be bothered braising these ever again. Thank you very much. Followed the recipe except used bought BBQ sauce.
OMG!!! another winning recipe from Jenn’s site!
My husband loves these out, but we’ve never tried them at home before. Saw some on sale & gave it a go – of course, using a recipe from my favorite site: onceuponachef.com.
These were tender & yummy!!! I can’t wait to make this recipe for company.
Served with mashies & aspargus. Hubby may not want to go out for dinner again! – LOL!
Hi Jenn! I’m looking for a short rib recipe without using barbeque sauce. I’m thinking of replacing the barbeque sauce in this recipe with beef broth and corn starch slurry. Any thoughts?
You are my go to for quality meals and desserts!
I’m flattered to be your go to! I wouldn’t recommend that tweak for the ribs. If you’d like to stay away from BBQ sauce, I’d recommend this recipe instead. It’s delicious. 🙂