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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Would it ork to use bone-in short ribs instead of boneless ribs for your bbq short rib recipe?
Hi Helga, Yes, that should work.
I’ve made your boneless BBQ short ribs a couple of times and both times they were delicious, yet a little tough. I know I need to cook them longer and I’m wondering, am I better off increasing the temperature to 325, or increasing the cook time by 30 minutes (or until tender), and should I have the convection oven on (I did not). We loved them so much. I’m making them again this weekend and I want them to be perfect.
Hi Abbie, I would leave the temperature the same and cook them a little longer (without the convection setting). They should be super tender; make sure you’re getting them from a good source.
Adding 30 minutes did the trick. They were perfectly tender and everyone loved them. I love your website–you have become my go-to source for recipes.
So glad it worked out, Abbie! Thx for letting me know 🙂
Hi, Jenn. I too loved the flavor of this recipe but ended up with slightly tough meat. I cooked them 50 minutes uncovered instead of 30. Do you think I should have cooked them even longer or were they cooked too long? The meat was not tender after 30 min uncovered. The meat was from Costco. I looked to be good quality and was nicely marbled.
Hi Lauren, if short ribs are tough, they likely aren’t done. You mentioned that you cooked them for 50 minutes uncovered. I’m assuming that’s after cooking them covered first, right? Next time, I would try putting them back in the oven for 30 more minutes. I hope this yields better results!
Do you use the Chuck or Plate boneless ribs? Please
Hi Ken, I use plate boneless ribs.
Thanks, I was hoping you said that, as the chuck version is not the same quality.
Can I cook this in a slow cooker?
Hi Margaret, For the first part, yes — but you’d need to transfer it to the oven to brown at the end so not sure it would make sense.
The recipe calls for 4lbs beef short ribs. I am using 2lbs. Should the cooking time be reduced?
Hi Linda, The cook time will be about the same.
I made these short ribs tonight with smashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. This was my first time ever making short ribs and trying any recipe on this site – they were PERFECTION. So good, Rave reviews. I followed the recipe exactly, except a bit of additional mustard to the sauce and some red pepper for heat. Thanks so much. I’m officially a fan – looking forward to trying other recipes.
I had some ribs and it was a very hot day for them to be cooked in the oven, but I know they can be a little greasy for the slow cooker, so I boiled them for about 30 min. to get rid of the grease, then put them in the slow cooker with the sauce. Family loved them and wanted them for the next day, had to hide some of them for the hubby to take to work the next day for his lunch, LOL. Loved, loved the sauce, better than my homemade BBQ sauce, hubby says when we BBQ outside this summer maybe use the same recipe. Since it`s cooked in the oven (or my crockpot) can I still use it for the grill? Thank you for any response.
Hi Pauline, I’ve never tried them on the grill, but I suppose it would work if you cooked them very low and slow. You might also try wrapping them in foil for the first few hours before adding the sauce, so that they cook in their own juices.
Excellent recipe. Followed directions as shown, very simple. Serving with brown basmati rice, roasted beets and sautéed carrots. Will definitely make again.
This is a main course I keep making over and over again as is because my boys love it. It is so easy and flavorful!
I loved these ribs! I made them for my sister and her husband and my family, everyone loved it. My kids are 10, 9 and 5 and we had no complaints from the kids either. I made it with the roasted broccoli and mash potatoes and I also made the sweet potato biscuits with honey butter. My sister said ” oh I don’t like honey butter” I said ” oh have you tried it before, how do you know?” so she rolled her eyes and tried it and loved it! Another great menu… Thank you Jenn I love all your recipes!