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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DELISH! This is my kids most requested meal. I have used this sauce on chicken and salmon and it never disappoints.
Can you use bottle bbq sauce and spice it up a little?
Hi Sankey, Yes, that will work just fine 🙂
Hi, going to make these tomorrow, only problem is that I have bone in Short Ribs.
Please can I ask your advice on cooking time / oven temp?
Can’t wait to try your lovely recipe.
Thanks kindly.
Hi Nichola, Cook temp will be the same. They might take a bit longer, but not much. Enjoy!
Your recipes are outstanding. I feel so fortunate to have stumbled upon your website! Whole Foods in my area said they only carry chuck boneless because they are less fatty, and they precut them. The man said he would order them uncut for me and I can tell them how I would like them cut. Would 8 lbs of this chuck style still serve 8 people, like the cut you use, and how wide/long should they be cut? Same cook time and temp? Thank you!
Hi Kelly, Yes, 8 pounds will be more than plenty. I would have him cut them like short ribs (about 2 inches wide x 4 inches long). Cook time and temp would be the same. Please let me know how it turns out.
Thank you for the recipe…I have family coming over and I planned to cook bone-in spare ribs but I didn’t like the looks of it, so I purchased boneless beef short ribs instead and was unsure how to cook. Since everyone is expecting charred spare ribs, how do I modify the recipe to bake in the oven and then end with cooking on the grill to get some char?
Hi Tanya, You can throw them on the grill at the last minute — just brush them with some of the sauce and cook until charred.
Would this recipe work for pork back ribs?
Hi Karen, Unfortunately, it won’t. Sorry!
Delicious! A firm favorite in our house. Easy to make as well.
The recipe looks tasty and I’ll probably try it, but in smaller quantities – I mean, how can you think about putting out a recipe that is 1300 calories per serving? Before you even add potatoes etc?
I’ve made these a couple times now and they’ve come out perfect every time! Tender, juicy, just perfect! Definitely have to save the recipe to use over and over again.
Hi there! I’ve made these short ribs before and loved them. I’m preparing to make them for my whole family and am going to double the recipe. Should I cook longer than 3 hours at 300? Or would it be about the same. Thanks in advance!
Hi Erin, Use two pans; cool time and temp will be about the same. Hope everyone enjoys!