These BBQ beef short ribs are baked in the oven, super easy to make, fall off the bone tender, and are finger-licking good!
These short ribs are perfect with BBQ Baked Beans or potato salad! This is sure to become a favorite so print the recipe card below!
I’m super excited I get to share this short ribs recipe with you! Short Ribs sound intimidating, BUT I’m going to show your how easy it actually is!
BBQ Beef Short Ribs
This recipe only takes a couple of minutes to prep, it’s foolproof… And these short ribs taste better than what you’d get at most restaurants!
It only takes a few minutes to season and brown short ribs then place them in a baking dish with a lid, smother them in your favorite BBQ sauce, and bake at 275 degrees F for 4 hours!
Every year for the last few years, we’ve been buying 1/2 to a whole cow from the local ranch, Y-1 Farms. We always get a couple of packages of short ribs after picking it up from the butcher…. My ribs came ready to cook, because the butcher did most of the prep work!
Easy Recipe
How to Bake Beef Short Ribs in the Oven:
First Preheat Your Oven to 274 (for 4 hours of baking), 250 (for 5 hours of baking), or 225 (for 6 hours of baking).
Season & sear bone-in beef short ribs. You can just use salt and pepper, but I like Montreal Steak Seasoning. Use your favorite!
Next, quickly sear your short ribs in a hot skillet on all sides. You do not want to cook your ribs during searing… Just brown the outsides.
Then, lay them in your baking dish and pour the pan dropping at the bottom of the pan in.
Next, smother seared short ribs in BBQ sauce (braising liquid or cooking liquid).
Cover them tightly with a snug-fitting lid or aluminum foil, and bake!
You’ll bake short ribs at 275 degrees F for 4 hours till meat is pulled away from the bones and is fork tender! (You can also use boneless beef short ribs for this recipe:)
(If you have more time you can cook short ribs for 5 or 6 hours. Add 1 hour to bake at 250, or add 2 hours if you cook them at 225.)
Cooking Time
Short Ribs Are A Slow Cooker! Because short ribs are a naturally tougher cut of beef so they need to be cooked slowly at a low temperature to become tender. You can cook them at:
- 225 degrees F for 6 hours,
- 250 degrees F for about 5 hours
- 274 degrees F for 3.5 to 4 hours.
(*Crockpot Option is the best way if you are going to be busy all day: In the morning sear these and add them to a crock pot with the BBQ sauce and 1 cup beef broth. Let them cook all day for 6-8 hours.)
Prepare Short Ribs
If your short ribs still have the fatty membrane on the back side, now is the time to peel that off. You should also cut off the excess fat on the top of the short ribs.
Short ribs should be well-marbled and don’t need the extra fat. In fact, this excess fat will just end up filling your baking dish if you leave it on.
Optional… I Sear Ribs on Medium High Heat First!
The first step in making fall-apart short ribs is searing the outsides to help seal in flavor. I use olive oil or avocado oil to sear these over medium-high heat in my cast iron skillet.
This is also when I season them! But this step is totally optional… They’re delicious without searing too!
Seasonings
Short Ribs taste delicious with seasonings that also taste good on pork ribs. Season before searing with a little bit of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, or black pepper.
Cooking Liquid
The BBQ sauce is the cooking or braising liquid I’m using in this recipe. You could also use tomato paste, brown sugar, one cup beef broth, or beef stock.
Cover Baking Dish With Aluminum Foil or a Lid
Cover your short ribs while they are baking so the steam stays in and keeps them moist. If you make these uncovered they will dry out and will not be tender.
You can bake them in a large Dutch oven, a glass baking dish with a lid, or just a casserole dish covered with aluminum foil.
Short Ribs are done when the internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. The meat will be pulled away from the bone, and fork-tender!
Make Ahead BBQ Beef Ribs
Make ahead: This recipe takes 4 hours to complete so it should be made at least 4 hours before serving. You can also make these the day before and heat up before serving!
The best part is that short ribs cook in the oven for nearly 4 hours without any more work from you!
Leftovers
Short ribs are good the next day too! You can freeze leftover oven-baked ribs and serve them up to 4 months later! To freeze, make sure they’ve cooled completely. Store short ribs in a freezer-safe container, and freezer for up to 4 months.
To reheat, allow the short ribs to thaw in your fridge, and reheat servings in the microwave or slowly on the stovetop!
FAQs
How long does it take to cook beef short bibs In the oven?
For best results, Short Ribs take longer to cook in the oven. If you do not use low heat they will be tough. To get tender ribs, bake them for 3.5 or 4 to 6 hours depending on the temperature of the oven: 225 degrees F for 6 hours, at 250 degrees F for about 5 hours or at 275 degrees F for 3.5 to 4 hours.
What Temp Should Beef Short Ribs be Baked?
Like other tough cuts of meat, short ribs get the best results from slow cooking at 225 degrees F, 250 degrees, or 275 degrees F to make sure they cook slowly and do not become tough.
How to Serve Tender Beef Short Ribs
Whatever you do… Serve these saucy BBQ ribs with plenty of napkins or paper towels… They’re yummy but saucy! Serve with: Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe, Mashed Potatoes, Strawberry Salad, Sourdough Dinner Rolls, Pasta Salad or Potato Salad!
Do you need to sear short ribs before baking?
No, this is an optional step I use to hold in flavor. Browning meat before baking always kicks the flavor up a notch, but it’s totally optional. You could also skip this step, just season ribs, place them in the baking dish, cover them with foil or a snug lid, and bake! Either way, they’re delicious.
Recipe Card
I hope you enjoy this recipe… Don’t forget to print a free recipe card for the next time you make these easy bbq short ribs!
Oven Baked BBQ Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 12 beef short ribs or 6 double short ribs
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- or 2 teaspoons Monteral Steak Seasoning
- 2 cups BBQ Sauce.
Instructions
- Prep your short ribs by removing excess fat on top and membrane on the back.
- Season with salt and pepper or Montreal steak seasoning
- Sear over medium-high heat.
- Place in the bottom of the baking pan.
- Smother in 2 cups BBQ sauce.
- Cover with a tight lid or foil.
- Bake at 275 degrees F for 3.5-4 hours (see blog post for other baking options.
- Enjoy!
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About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
3 comments
Nancy
Hi! Do you think I can add bourbon to the bbq sauce?
juliea
Of course!
Todd Peters
Wow! Awesome recipe. It turned out super tasty and fall off the bone tender.