Recipes

Oven BBQ Beef Short Ribs

By
Anna Olson

Published: 

This is a great make ahead meal with little active effort, just a slow cook time. This recipe has just 10 minutes of kitchen time and a long window of passive, unattended cooking time, meaning I can keep my “get things done” energy going for a few hours while dinner takes care of itself. When I finally sit down, the day stops. This delicious braised roast eats like a pot roast but tastes like a summer barbecue. You can pull apart the meat and enjoy it on a bun like pulled pork, or serve it with Creamy Polenta with Parmesan.

Oven BBQ Beef Short Ribs
PortionsPrep Time Cook Time
Serves 4 to 6Under 10 minutes2 hours, 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4.4 lb (2 kg) boneless beef short rib roast (also sold as boneless chuck flat)
  • 2 cups (500 mL) store-bought barbecue sauce or Peach BBQ Sauce
  • ½ cup (125 mL) cider vinegar
  • ½ cup (125 mL) water
  • Salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
  2. Cut the short rib roast into slabs about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
  3. In a bowl, stir the barbecue sauce, vinegar and water. Pour a third of this into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom.
  4. Lightly season both sides of the beef slabs and lay them in a single layer in the pan—close together is fine. Pour the remaining barbecue sauce overtop. Cover the pan and roast for 2 hours, until the meat begins to break apart when pressed with the back of a fork.
  5. Uncover the pan and roast for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until the beef browns. Spoon off the excess fat (there will be quite a bit) and serve.

Note: The short ribs can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, just thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Reheat, loosely covered, in a 325°F (160°C) oven until warmed through.

Making these ahead of time? Braised beef short ribs tend to let off a lot of fat as they cook. If you are not serving the short ribs the same day you cook them, don’t bother skimming the liquid fat from the pan; instead, just chill the short ribs in the liquid. The fat will set and be much easier to remove once chilled.