Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I am visiting my son who does not have an oven. Can these be done in a slow cooker? If so, not sure of timing or any changes. They look delicious😀
Hi Diana, Unfortunately, I think this recipe is best made in the oven because you need to be able to brown the meat at the end, otherwise, it will look very unappealing. You may want to consider this short rib recipe instead. You can cook it entirely on the stove instead of in the oven (just give it a stir periodically so the bottom doesn’t scorch while simmering). Hope that helps!
I made this today and it turned out great! I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to cook the bbq sauce after mixing it, so I did. It worked out fine. My husband said this is a MUST make again! Thanks!
This recipe is DELICIOUS!! I have made it twice now and my family says its one of the best things I make! I make sure to get the short ribs from a very nice local meat shop. The quality makes all the difference! I love her recipes. I served it with the roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. I did not drain the liquid, it made a great gravy for the potatoes. Will be making this again and again.
I absolutely love this recipe. These boneless beef ribs are to die for. Family & friends love them and they are easy to make.
We are not fans of chili powder. Is there a substitute I can use or can I just leave it out?
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Victoria, you could substitute a combination of cumin and garlic powder. Hope you enjoy the ribs!
Hello! Excited to make these this weekend. It’s bbq season so I’m wondering if I can bbq the ribs after baking them for 2.5 hours in the oven? Any recommendations to make sure they’re still soft and delicious?
Sure, Rae – just keep the heat on the lower side so they don’t burn and take them off the grill once a nice bark forms.
Delicious!
Can you make this with a brisket
Sure Adrienne, I think that should work. I’d use the cook time in this brisket recipe and double the sauce. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi Jenn,
I made these for Christmas dinner and they were very tough, looked really good but very hard to eat. All I could buy was bone in short ribs, should I have maybe cooked them an hour longer?
I have made this recipe before with boneless shortribs and it was delicious.
Happy Hanukkah
Hi Mary, So sorry you had trouble with these on Christmas! Yes, you’d need to add more time for bone-in. It’s hard to say exactly how much…I’d just keep them in the oven until tender.
I want to make these for Christmas Eve. Kindly explain about freezing after cooking. I am still unsure…..freeze in the reserved barbeque sauce?? Freeze in some of the cooking liquid?? Freeze in no liquid but add reserved barbeque sauce when reheating??
Hi Patricia, Yes, I would freeze and reheat them in the sauce. Just cover them tightly when you’re reheating them. Hope you enjoy!
What a delicious meal. I too was curious if meat needed to be browned first. We didn’t miss it and the meat was very tender. I had it in the oven for a bit longer.
I have made this several times and the Ribs are tender and delicious. Thank you Jenn for another fabulous recipe. You are awesome!
These were fantastic and so easy to make! YUM! All the guys in my household loved the ribs
Boneless BBQ short ribs. It was a hit. I used bone-in short ribs though. They turned out delicious. I kept them bone on the bottom. This turned out well because my Bbq skills were interrupted by visitors and I let them singe underneath. My partners thought the darkened bits were a real hit though. I only had a direct flame Bbq. But with low heat and hood down it worked fine. I used chili flakes and added some dried oregano as well. Next time on my Bbq I’ll triple wrap the bottom. Not just double foil. Sauce is super tasty.
Jenn is amazing but this particular dish turned out a little dry and tough. But she has about 20 other 5-star recipes on here that I’ll continue to enjoy
Same problem here. Ended up too tough as written. Trying for an extra hour at least. I’m glad I started this early in the day.
My ribs are 8 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1 inch thick. May you please suggest how to cook these? As they look thinner than yours. Thank you in advance Chef!
Hi Scott, I’d start checking after 2 hours for tenderness, but you may still need the full 2.5 hours.
Any reason why you dont brown these prior to baking?
Hi Erin, I typically do brown the meat in these types of dishes but, in testing this one, I found it didn’t make much of a difference in flavor and wasn’t worth the effort. 🙂
We love this recipe – it is now my go to when having company.
Hi Jenn,
My wife needs me to cook without granulated or brown sugar, I can only use honey. My question is, can I substitute the sugar for honey or is it going to burn once I take the tin foil off? I’ve made this several times, always a big hit! Thank you for the recipe! Hopefully I can make the adjustments so we can keep eating this!
Hi Turtle, You can get away with using the equivalent amount of honey here. Please let me know how they turn out with the adjustment!
Can baby back spare ribs be used instead of short ribs? Is there a rub that can be used on spare ribs before baking and adding sauce?
Hi Toni, I wouldn’t recommend going with baby back spare ribs here — sorry! I have that on my list of recipes to develop though, so stay tuned. 🙂
I’d like to make these for a party of about 12 people. Can they be braised the day before (but not browned), refrigerated over night, then finished in the oven right before serving? How would you recommend warming and browning the next day?
Hi Deb, I’d actually recommend fully cooking them the day before–they reheat beautifully. If you’d prefer to wait to do the browning before serving them, I’d take them out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature about an hour before you plan to put them in the oven. Then put them in the oven covered with foil until hot throughout, and then remove the foil and continue with the browning step. Hope that helps and everyone enjoys!
Would you recommend making this in a slow cooker because there is no braising or searing involved?
Hi Renee, I think this recipe is best made in the oven because you need to be able to brown the meat at the end, otherwise, it will look very unappealing. You could make the ribs up to that point in the slow cooker, then transfer them to the oven to brown, but that seems to be more trouble than it’s worth.
So glad that I found your site. I made these short ribs last night and they were delicious. The sauce added at the end really elevated it. I did find it a little sweet so next time I might reduce the brown sugar. I ended up cooking these at 250 for 6 hours and they came out perfect.
My husband raved about them. Served with mashed cauliflower rice.
Love this recipe!! But I was wondering if this recipe could be used for regular bone-in ribs?
Sure, Beatrice – they may take just a bit longer to cook. Enjoy!
Hi! I plan to double the recipe and bake in the oven at the same time. Do you have any suggestions on how on adjust the cooking time? And do I need to swap the dishes at all to ensure even baking?
Hi KJ, The cook time should be about the same or just a bit longer; just keep an eye on it. And it’s always a good idea to rotate the dishes in the oven, especially if your oven heats unevenly (as most do). Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! I made ribs ahead for a family that just had a baby. All they had to do was warm up ribs to reheat. They loved the short ribs & our family did too. Thanks Jenn!
I prepared this recipe for my upcoming Seder and froze the meat, reserving the remaining sauce. Should I reheat the meat dry and then slather with the sauce or pour the sauce on before reheating?
Thanks!
Hi Sherrie, I’d reheat them in the sauce. (Make sure to tightly cover the dish with foil). Hope you enjoy!
I made the Easy Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs for dinner with a small change, and it was a HUGE hit with my picky crowd!! I realized I did not have all of the ingredients on hand to make the bbq sauce so I had to substitute store bought bbq sauce. Cooked it according to the directions, came out perfectly!!
Thanks so much!!! I had never made ribs before and these were a real delight. We will definitely be making them again!
My husband loved these. I did half the recipe since there was only two of us, but maybe could have gone for all of it. We were both little piggy’s with these! I made them exactly as the recipe called for, served with a nice baked sweet potato and slaw…deliciousness
Deliciously tender, tasty meat and SO easy to make! Timings in recipe are perfect. I will definately make this simple “wow” dish to delight family and guests again. Paired with your cornbread and red cabbage/carrot slaw.
Sorry correction: purple cabbage, not red, aka “sweet and tangy citrus slaw”
Hi Jenn,
I cooked the ribs this morning, hoping to reheat them for our party tomorrow night. But when I tested a piece before storing in the fridge, I realized the meat is pretty tough and dry. Did I overcook? How can I save this? There’s not much liquid left in the cooking tray at this point. Should I add some liquid when I reheat tomorrow? Beef broth? Any rescue suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Akiko, If it’s tough, that most likely means it’s not cooked enough. As long as you used the right cut of meat, it should eventually get tender (you really can’t overcook these). I’d add a little water to the pan, cover it tightly, and continue cooking until the meat is fork tender.
These are super easy and tasted great. Would not change a thing.
Can these be made in a glass pyrex dish instead of ceramic? If not, I also have an All Clad roasting pan or a Le Creuset round dutch oven. What do you recommend?
Hi Talia, A glass pyrex will be just fine here. Hope you enjoy!
Our family loves this recipe!! For left overs, we shred the beef and make sandwiches. Other than the sauce that goes with it, could you recommend any sauce/condiments that would go well with this? My daughter thinks it’s quite sweet even though I’ve reduced the amount of brown sugar.
Hi Beatrice, Glad you like this! I the sandwiches would be nice with grainy mustard or spicy pickle slices. Those would help to temper the sweetness a bit too.
Can you use terrific sauce in place of barbecue sauce?
Hi Chris, I’ve never heard of terrific sauce – can you describe what it is?
These were D-licious! Thank you! You were right-I cut recipe in half and wished I had made the full 4 pounds! 😋
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe for the first time last night and the meat came out tough. All your recipes thus far have been a hit and clearly from the reviews this one is popular as well so I’m guessing I went wrong somewhere. I don’t ever cook beef short ribs so I am not sure how the meat is supposed come out but I doubt its supposed to be tough. Any ideas what I did wrong? Are the ribs supposed to be complete submerged in the sauce?
Hi Tamara, sorry to hear you had a problem with these! They definitely should not be tough. If you cooked them for the time indicated in the recipe, it could be that you need to add a little more time if you try these again. Also, make sure you’re getting high quality meat for the best result. (And the ribs won’t be completely submerged in the sauce when baking.)
The bbq sauce is great, worked well with bone-in short ribs
Hi, there—LOVE this recipe!!!! But, want to know: could you use bone-in short ribs? Sometimes, that’s all my market has. If so, what adjustments would I need to make, if any? Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Glad you like these! It’s fine for you to use bone-in short ribs and the cooking time should be about the same.
Hi, I love your recipes! Can I prepare this the night before, refrigerate and bake the next night? Making soon, let me know.
Thanks!
Julie
Sure – hope you enjoy!
I was able to impress my in-laws with this recipe. It was loved by all.
These short ribs were amazing! I made them when my young adult children were all home and they gobbled them up. As good as any short ribs I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The BBQ sauce would also be great on shredded beef or pork. Will be a new family favorite!
Would it be the same cooking time for half the amount? 2 lbs?
Hi Michael, I would strongly encourage you to make more than 2 pounds because these shrink A LOT! But if you do use less than 4 pounds, the cooking time may be a bit (but not significantly) shorter. Just be 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!
I’m not a great cook lol so this may seem like a silly question. I only bought a small package – 1 1/2 pounds because there is only 2 of us. How much would I reduce the cooking time or do I at all?
Thanks so much!! Sounds yummy and can’t wait to try it!!
Not a silly question, Stormy! Although there are only two of you, I would strongly encourage you to make more than 1.5 pounds because these shrink a ton! But if you do use less than 4 pounds, the cooking time may be a bit (but not significantly) shorter. Just be 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!
Great recipe, great flavor, good eats!,
The ribs I have are called boneless country style beef ribs. Will they work as well.
That should be fine, Marlene. Enjoy!
Jenn, Thank you for all the wonderful recipes! Am a cookbook addict and love ur new book. Look forward to another some day! I got confused at the store after talking to the butcher about boneless short ribs. He said what is labeled boneless short ribs is actually the top portion of chuck steak because to remove the bone from a short rib would be wasting too much. Question. I came home with bone in short ribs. Can I make this recipe work? If so, what r your suggestions? Will be making in 3 days for out of town guests. Thanks! Rae
Hi Rae, So glad you’re enjoying the cookbook! It’s fine for you to use bone-in short ribs and the cooking time should be about the same. Hope everyone enjoys!
Made it this weekend, delicious and to have again soon.
These have become my go to recipe Sunday recipe. It’s easy, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and they always turn out tender and delicious. Because my family typically likes a more spicy/tangy bbq sauce, I typically add a little pepper sauce and use a half cup of brown sugar rather than 3/4 cup.
Do not skip cutting the short ribs in half, they cook so much faster. I HEARTILY recommend.
This may be a stupid question, but can I use this sauce on pork ribs? Would I still follow your pork rib recipe the same way if I use this sauce? Thanks!
Not a stupid question! Yes, I think you could use this sauce on the pork ribs with no modifications necessary. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hello! I am planning to make this today. Why do you cut the meat before cooking? More surface area for the sauce? Just wondering what the results will be if I skip that step.
Thanks!
Hi Amy, Yes that’s correct. It’s fine to skip that step but it may take a bit longer to cook. Hope you enjoy it!
Is there a substitute for Dijon mustard
Hi Princess, it’s fine to just omit the mustard – it will still be delicious! 🙂
Made these with kosher beef flanken ribs…..my kids said this may be the best thing I ever made…..not that I’m a chef or anything but I’m ok in the kitchen…
I think the sauce would be great on chicken as well….thanks so much!
I made these (they are delicious!) in advance and froze them. Can you please advise the best way to reheat after defrosting? My concern is that putting them in the 300 degree oven (covered) for 30 min. could really dry them out. Should I cover with sauce to prevent that from occurring, but make extra to pass when serving? Thank you!
Because they are covered while reheating and will be frozen in the sauce that they originally baked in, they really shouldn’t dry out. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can make a little extra sauce and drizzle it over the ribs before reheating (and still have plenty to pass when serving). Hope that helps!