Truly the best way to make boneless, fork-tender, fall-apart beef short ribs. These will melt in your mouth with a luscious gravy that just begs for creamy mashed potatoes!
Sundays are meant to be lazy I think however sadly I rarely get a “do-nothing” Sunday or day for that matter. Working two full time jobs (my day job and TKW) leaves very little downtime. Most of you know I’m a girl on the go-go-go who pretty much never sits still let alone takes time for herself. Maybe I’m afraid I’m going to miss out on something awesome life has to offer or perhaps I’m just so used to it that it’s just become part of my ‘norm’. If I had a dollar for how many times I heard “How do you do it? Just listening to what all you do makes me tired! Where do you get the energy??? Can I have some???”
Honestly, I’m not sure. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. Ever since I made a life choice years ago to live a healthier lifestyle that incorporated a better eating plan, exercise (trust me at one point in my life exercise was a 4-lettered word and punishment) and a more positive outlook that seemed to kick things off. Now I’ve always worked insane hours. Again this stems from growing up as poor as we did. Truth be told, being that poor sucks, no one should go without even the little things in life but I’m not one to depend on others to help make my life better. If I want my life better then *I* have to make the change and *I* have to make it happen. My parents always told me “Anything worth doing is worth doing the very best you can” and I have made that my mantra in life.
Now sure I tire and have my days where I honestly don’t think I can take another step but I dig deep down and push through however if my body says “HEY DING DONG! YOU NEED A BREAK!” I’m going to listen. This is the only body I’ll ever have – well again, that’s not true as I have a bunch of fake parts already.. pins, bolts, rods holding bones together and my lovely pig patch in my tummy. LOL But you get the gist. So while I had intentions on getting 9 million things done this one Sunday my body just didn’t have it in it get it done. I needed rest. However, I also knew I needed to make food for dinner and maybe some leftovers during the week (though we all know leftovers are a rarity in my house due to my eating machine husband). Since this was going to be one of those rare days where I actually was going to take a nap while Mr. Fantabulous was at band practice I wanted something so simple that I could get done in 10 minutes and go rest.
Since Friday’s after work is when I hit up Costco (as it’s like 5 minutes from my work but a bajillion miles from my home) I found the most gorgeous boneless beef short ribs. Honestly, they are the only place that has them, not even my local butcher does. Now I’ve made this with bone-in and while bone-in has a deeper flavor I find them a pain in the butt as I want all meat, not just bone. Plus they are the same price (which I still don’t quite understand). 5 pounds of boneless beef short ribs does not equal the same amount of meat in 5 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs. I actually debated this with a butcher once and we left it as I said he was wrong and he disagreed.
Am I wrong on this?
Even though I planned on napping I never nap real long. If I do it tends to wear me out worse and make me feel drained. Since I didn’t want to sleep all day (though I’m sure my body would have loved that) I did have stuff to do. Now if it were stuff Mr. Fantabulous could do he would but this was TKW stuff and since he’s not allowed to touch the pots, pans or anything in the kitchen I have to get it done. So I opted to go with a slow bake with these. Literally these were so simple they pretty much cooked themselves.
All I literally do was put them in a pan, cover them with some bbq sauce, cover with foil and slow bake. And off to sleepyville I went! Let me tell you what folks it was awesome! I had the most amazing dreams too and it’s funny as all I kept dreaming about was bbq and food. However, I think those dreams were influenced by the fact that I had the most amazing beef and bbq sauce scents wafting throughout my house. Now I did have my alarm set however the smells from the oven woke up me. I knew dinner was close to being done as I could smell the ‘doneness’.
As I approached the kitchen the smells were just intoxicating! I removed the foil and let them bake another 30 minutes to get that deep char on top. Once they were done I pulled them out of the oven and plated them. Dear GOD they were GORGEOUS! I brushed them with some of the reserved bbq sauce and then with what was in the pan, I actually poured it into a fat separating container and let it sit for a bit. Once it did, I poured out the good stuff into a pan and let the fat stuff stay behind. I brought that pan to a boil and thickened it up with some more bbq sauce and some cornstarch. No way was I letting those flavors go to waste!
By the time Mr. Fantabulous got home, I had made a pot of perfect mashed potatoes to go with these, some rolls and a nice Caesar salad. As he walked in with his gear you could see him immediately perk up and start sniffing the air like dog. Cutest thing ever when he does that! Immediately came his smile and I swear he ran to bring in the rest of his gear! Dinner was awesome and I was rested. That truly was a fantastic Sunday and one that I think I need more of!
PrintSlow Baked Boneless Beef Short Ribs
- Yield: 4 1x
Truly the best way to make boneless, fork-tender, fall-apart beef short ribs. These will melt in your mouth with a luscious gravy that just begs for creamy mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups ketchup
- 2 Tbl liquid smoke
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup Bacon BBQ Sauce or any BBQ sauce
- 2 Tbl cornstarch
- 2 Tbl water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F with a rack in the middle. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the ketchup, liquid smoke, brown sugar, minced onion, garlic powder, bacon bbq sauce and mix until combined. Cook until thick and bubbly; stirring occasionally. ~10 minutes.
- Season the short ribs all over with salt and pepper. Place in a 13×9″ glass baking dish. This will be a tight squeeze. Pour about 1/2 cup over the short ribs.
- Using tongs, flip the ribs over and spoon another 1/2 cup of the sauce over top. Reserve the remaining BBQ sauce to spoon over the cooked ribs. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the foil and gently flip the short ribs. Spoon more of the sauce over top. Cook for 30 minutes more (uncovered), until the meat is tender and browned. Check the ribs every 10-15 minutes to ensure that they are coated with sauce and that the pan did not go dry. Transfer the short ribs to a serving platter. Baste the short ribs with some of the reserved BBQ sauce. At this point you can discard the cooking liquid or you can pour it into a fat strainer to allow it to separate. (This is what I did). Pour the juices into a medium sauce pan leaving the fat greasy part behind. Add in about 1/4 cup bbq sauce and bring to a boil. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and water and whisk into the liquid to thicken. Use this to thicken the sauce as a dipping sauce/gravy.
Accidentally bought bone in… can i still use in recipe and if so will it alter cooking time?
When you take the foil off to flip the ribs for the last 30 mins, do you replace the foil or leave it off for the last 30 mins?
Hi Amy!
You leave the foil off. That last 30 minutes is what will cause the sauce to thicken. Just make sure it doesn’t dry out and that the meat is coated in the sauce. I’ll update the directions to make it a bit more clear.
Thanks!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
If I make this the day before, please tell me the best way to reheat it in time for dinner. Worried that they will dry out.
Thank you,
can you make this a day ahead and reheat
Absolutely!
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I want to make this for my husband, however, he does not like bbq sauces. By removing the 3/4 cup of bacon bbq sauce, would I need to change the other measurements?
Hi Terri,
The sauce itself is more bbq based since it has 2 cups of ketchup. If he hates bbq sauce you should go with more of a brown type gravy versus a tomato one. I would remove the brown sugar, liquid smoke, bbq sauce, and ketchup completely and go with 3 cups of beef stock, 1 whole onion, minced, 2 bay leaves and 2 tsp Worcestershire and the rest of the ingredients. You can also add 2 cups chopped mushrooms as well. When the beef is done, remove it and place the juices in a pot to make a gravy. Taste for salt/pepper.
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Super easy and super delicious. I didn’t make my own sauce from scratch, but did Dr up some store bought sauce 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much Jenn! Hey there is nothing wrong with doctoring up pre-made!
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If I cut this recipe in half, does that affect the cooking time? Can’t wait to try these!
It may cut the time by a little bit. I will say cut the time down by 30 minutes, test for doneness and then adjust accordingly. Normally when I halve a recipe I don’t reduce the cooking time that much, if at all.
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Absolutely the best, And the most tender Just cook on 325’0. And watch about 2 hours in. And uncover to bake the BBQ sauce in. Also after cooking add more sauce when eating
★★★★★
Thank you so very much William!! I really appreciate that!
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Hello. Can you remove my full name. And just leave William. Thanks
Absolutely 🙂 All done 🙂
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I don’t eat beef or pork, but my boyfriend is a big meat eater. This is the one thing I can make for him and have no problems at all! I don’t have to worry if it isn’t cooked enough (my main issue with cooking meat for him) or if it tastes good (I can’t try it beforehand) because he will honestly eat the whole 2lbs I cook for him! haha I’ve even made it for my family when they’ve been in town to visit and they ate it all. Thanks for the great recipe that I will continue to use over and over.
★★★★★
Could you do this in a pressure cooker?!
Hi Amy!
I have 2 Pressure Cooker short rib recipes posted (https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2019/01/17/instant-pot-korean-gochujang-sticky-boneless-beef-short-ribs/ and https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2016/04/07/pressure-cooker-beef-short-ribs-with-potatoes-and-carrots/). You just have to make sure you cook it. 3 pounds of boneless short ribs take about 35 minutes. You just need to make sure you have about a cup-1 1/2 cups of liquid in the pot and then allow for a natural release. With regards to the liquid in this recipe I would add beef stock and make the cooking liquid a bit thinner as ketchup/tomato products can trigger the ‘burn’ code on a pressure cooker. I would do this – mix up the sauce ingredients but also add beef stock to it (about a 1/2-3/4 cup). Then in the pressure cooker add the meat and 1-1/2 cups of the liquid mixture. When the PC is done, do a natural release, remove the meat, strain the fat from it and then add the remaining liquid to the PC on saute to thicken. Then when the sauce is thick, slather some on the ribs, pop under the broiler for a few and enjoy!
When I get back from my conference I’ll write up an official version of this recipe for the PC but it’ll be a couple of weeks.
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Shoe leather! Waste of time and money! Cooking for additional 30 minutes. Hopefully it’ll soften up. Completely inedible! Was planning to serve it for the Holiday. Ugh!
★
I’m sorry this didn’t turn out for you but meat will only turn shoe leather for one of 3 reasons (and I’m not going into the cut):
1. It dried out – this recipe for a 9×13” pan that must be covered with foil. I see you asked 4 hours before you posted this if you could more than double and use aluminum pans (disposable). Per my response, it is not recommended.
2. Cooked too high of heat – the meat seized. Oven thermostats can fail and it may say your cooking it at 300F but it really could be 325 or higher. This has happened to me.
3. If you doubled the recipe the you it didn’t cook long enough and you didn’t use the right pan.
Make sure you have the recommended pan, there is enough liquid and it sealed tightly. Plus ensure that your oven temp is accurate.
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Can I make these in disposable aluminum pans? Making 2 pans about 9 lbs of ribs.
No I would. It as they are too thin of a cooking vessel. This recipe is for a 9×13” pan. You can use a larger roasting pan provided you make sure you seal it with foil tightly.
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Hi,
If you used 8 lbs, split between to baking dishes….would the cook time be the same?
Thank you,
Yes.
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I hate to be one of those “so I didn’t follow the recipe at all” people but I did a variation I though you might want to know about:
Instead of making the sauce from scratch I used half a jar of Korean kalbi marinade. Otherwise I followed the recipe, including defatting the braising liquid, reducing it by half, and thickening it with cornstarch. It was amazing, I served it over rice with a veggie stir fry on the side and honestly I can’t believe I made something that tasty. I will definitely be trying the original recipe!
★★★★★
Haha! It’s all good JR! In fact I love it when people expand upon the original recipe. My biggest goal in all of this is to get people into the kitchen and just create delicious memories! I actually have a spin on this recipe posted as well – Mexican Short ribs!
But yes, definitely give the original recipe a try as it’s pretty tasty!
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Do you leave the foil off ?after turning the ribs over ?
Yes, step 9 tells you to remove the foil and flip the ribs. You want them ribs and sauce to caramelize.
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Delicious and so easy!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Megan!
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Making this now but got it in the oven later than I wanted. Will it still taste ok if increase oven temp to 325 and reduce cooking time a little?
Hi Ally,
It should be fine but watch to make sure that the liquid doesn’t evaporate it.
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Forgot the rating. It was sooooo good.
★★★★★
Yeah! Thank you! So happy you loved it!
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I really love your personality! Thanks for this amazing simple and delish recipe.
Why thank you very much! That really means so much to me!
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This was a hit in my house will definitely do again…
The only thing I did different was cooked it in the slow cooker.
Thanks for posting
★★★★★
These were AHHHHH-MAAA-ZING!!
★★★★★
Bought the same boneless short ribs from Costco making sure they were nicely marbled and the outcome tasted like brisket that had been cooking all day, not 3 hours! Soo good! I’ll be adding this to the family favourite! My 2 and 4 year old didn’t fight me for once!
Absolutely delicious! I won’t eat boneless short ribs prepared any other way after trying this recipe. The meat was flavorful and fall-apart tender. I didn’t have bacon bbq sauce, so I substituted with my favorite bbq sauce and it was still great! 5-star recipe!!
★★★★★
So happy you loved these Devon! Thank you so much!
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Do you use the same cooking time for half the amount of meat?
If you reduce the amount of meat you should reduce the size of the pan also. I would check the meat after 1 hour 45 minutes though I suspect it will still take another 25 minutes or so as you are slow roasting it at 300F.
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I just made these and they are awesome!!!! For those that were asking about a crockpot, I didn’t use my crockpot but I did use my roaster oven and they were still tender and delish! No boot leather.
★★★★★
Thank you so much Kandy! I really appreciate the feedback!
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The spelling of salt in the recipe is incorrect. You missed by 2 letters and put “sale”. This looks good and I can’t wait to try it.
Oh thank you so much BC!!! I think I got so excited when I posted it as the ribs were on sale 🙂 Seriously thanks a bunch!
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I’ve made these ribs several times ! Always turn out 👌 I wouldn’t change a thing on this recipe 😋
★★★★★
Made this with a couple of variations. For the bacon- bbq sauce I substituted 3/4 cup of bottled strained tomatoes and cooked the onion along with 4 strips of bacon ( remove some fat of fatty) then pulverized it in a small blender before adding it to the sauce. The result? The sauce is not quite as sweet and you have the bacon flavour without the fuss. I did the browning on the bbq and served in whole wheat tacos with slaw. Great summer version.
I am wanting to make this next week, but I am wondering as summer is approaching I am not a fan of running the oven. Do you think these would come out just as well in a slow cooker?
I wouldn’t do the slow cooker. You only need the oven for a few minutes. The slow cooker would be, well, slow and prob turn a beautiful steak into shoe leather. I’ve made this recipe many times ave it’s anazing! I highly recommend following the steps as written.
Thank you so much Jill!!! So happy you loved it!
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You can but it will take about 8-10 hours on low. They won’t get the same braised taste you’d get from the oven but I definitely get the whole heat thing.
Maybe make it super early in the morning when it’s cooler and then you only have to reheat to serve?
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