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    Where Is My Spoon > Main Dish > Meat Recipes

    How to Cook Beef Ribs in the Oven

    Published by: Adina December 2, 2022 · Last modified: February 18, 2023 Leave a comment

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    pinterest image with title of baked beef short ribs.

    Learn how to cook beef ribs in the oven to enjoy the most amazing, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth baked beef ribs.

    Jump to Recipe
    one baked rib of beef smothered in bbq sauce.

    Truly fall-off-the-bone baked beef ribs in the oven covered with an awesome and sticky BBQ sauce; these juicy ribs are soooo goooood! They are slow-cooked in the oven until they become a sticky mess, something you cannot resist. You have to try them!

    If you like meat slathered with BBQ sauce, check out Spicy Butterflied Chicken Legs, or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken. Or try some Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Oven.

    Table of Contents
     [show]
    • The best about this recipe?
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to bake beef ribs?
    • Expert Tips
    • Other cooking options
    • Recipe FAQ
    • How to serve?
    • More slow-cooked meat recipes

    The best about this recipe?

    • First, flavorful meat and unique texture: Delicious, tender, melty, sticky, sweet, and savory.
    • Just a few ingredients: Actually, just the beef short ribs and the BBQ sauce. The spices are great but more or less optional, and we won’t be counting one tablespoon of oil and some water.
    • Hands-off, fool-proof beef rib recipe: Rub the meat and assemble the dish; the oven will take care of the rest. The ribs will need to spend a long time in the oven, but there’s nothing you can do for them during this time except remove the foil and flip them after 3 ½ hours.

    Recipe ingredients

    ingredients for making beef ribs in the oven with bbq sauce.

    Beef short ribs:

    • About 4 lbs/ 1.8 – 2 kg meaty bones. Choose the meatiest ones you can get, as they will shrink slightly during cooking.
    • Short ribs are my favorite cut when it comes to slow cooking. The slow cooking breaks down the meat’s connective tissues, making it incredibly juicy and tender.
    • They are usually sold cut into individual pieces; some are rectangular, some a bit square; it all depends on the thickness of the bone.
    • If you can only get them in one piece (rack), don’t stress about it, it’s super easy to cut the individual pieces. Just take a sturdy, sharp knife and cut between the bones.

    Rub ingredients:

    • Brown sugar, smoked and sweet paprika powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, fine sea salt or Kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
    • This rub is excellent; I usually make a double batch and keep the rest in a jar for the next occasion. It’s perfect for beef, but trust me, if I’m cooking some chicken thighs and this dry rub is available, I don’t hesitate for one second; I put it on everything.
    • However, rest assured that another dry rub of your choice will also be great. Just make sure it is a mixture you like.
    • And if all you have is salt and pepper, that will work too.

    Braising liquid:

    • Your favorite BBQ sauce brand and a little water. You can always use homemade barbecue sauce, and I am sure it would be delicious, but that’s an extra step I am rarely willing to take.

    How to bake beef ribs?

    This is a 3-step recipe.

    • Oven temperature: 300°F/150°C

    Step 1: Season: Mix the spices in a small bowl, coat the ribs with vegetable or olive oil, and season them thoroughly with the rub (1).

    seasoned beef ribs in a bowl.

    Step 2: Bake covered. Pour BBQ sauce and water (2) into a medium roasting pan that would fit the beef ribs in a single layer without too much space between them (3). Place ribs on top and turn them a couple of times through the sauce. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 3 ½ hours (4).

    Step 3: Bake uncovered. Remove the foil. Turn the bbq beef ribs on the other side (they will probably fall off the bone already, so do it gently) and spoon some sauce over the oven-baked beef ribs. Bake for another 30 minutes until the top of the ribs is darker, slightly caramelized, and sticky (5).

    collage of two pictures of bbq sauce and beef ribs in a tin before cooking.
    collage of two pictures of beef ribs in a roasting tin before and after caramelizing.

    Expert Tips

    If you bought a ribs rack, there would be silver skin on their back. Please remove it or ask the butcher to do it for you. Unlike the other connective tissues, the silver skin will not break down during cooking; it will become tough and chewy, diminishing the pleasure of eating these baked beef ribs.

    Pre-cut ribs don’t have silver skin on them; at least, I’ve never had any.

    If there is much excess fat on the oven-baked ribs, I always remove it; I am not keen on eating it. Some pieces might be fattier than others.

    Other cooking options

    Stovetop: Simmer the beef ribs in the sauce on low heat and tightly covered for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Gently stir the sauce 3-4 times in between and turn the ribs halfway. I use a large Dutch oven for cooking tender beef ribs on the stove.

    Slow cooker: Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours or until very tender. Finish in the oven for 30 minutes at 300°F/150°C or broil for a few minutes to help the surface caramelize slightly

    shredded fall-off-the-bone rib on mashed potatoes.

    Recipe FAQ

    How to store?

    Refrigerate leftovers (including sauce) in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
    Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.

    How to reheat?

    Reheat in the oven. Place the ribs and sauce back in a small baking dish, cover with foil and reheat at 360°F/ 180°C until hot (about 15-20 minutes).

    How to serve?

    Mashed potatoes or creamy polenta are always my first choices; I could not say what I love best. However, you can serve the baked beef ribs with boiled potatoes, pasta, or spätzle. Try them with Cast-Iron Cornbread, Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, or Creamed Celeriac.

    And how about grilled, baked, or boiled corn on the cob or pickled vegetables on the side? A hearty German Cabbage Salad or Coleslaw or White Cabbage Salad, Simple Roasted Whole Carrots, Roasted Whole Cauliflower, The Best Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, or French-Style Green Beans are all great dishes for the baked beef short ribs with BBQ sauce. 

    slow cooked beef ribs in the oven with bbq sauce.

    More slow-cooked meat recipes

    • Pulled Turkey (Slow-Cooked in the Oven)
    • Slow Cooked Pork Hocks
    • Oven Slow-Cooked Turkey Leg
    • Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder Recipe
    • Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks
    • Slow Cooker Osso Bucco

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!
    one beef short rib on mashed potatoe with sauce.

    How to Cook Beef Ribs in the Oven

    Learn how to cook beef ribs in the oven to enjoy the most amazing, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth baked beef ribs.
    4.50 from 2 votes
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    Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours hours
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 549kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • Roasting pan
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • 4 lbs beef short ribs meaty bones, 1.2 - 2 kg, Note 1
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

    Dry rub (Note 2):

    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
    • 1 ½ tablespoons fine sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

    Braising liquid:

    • 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce Note 3
    • ½ cup water

    Instructions

    • Season: Mix the spices in a small bowl. Place the ribs in a large bowl and coat them with the oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture on top and season rub the beef ribs all over.
    • Assemble the dish: Mix the BBQ sauce and the water in a baking dish that would fit the ribs in a single layer without too much space between them (they will shrink during baking). Place the ribs on top and turn them a couple of times through the sauce. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
    • Bake covered for 3 ½ hours at 300°F/150°C.
    • Bake uncovered: Remove the foil. Turn the ribs in the sauce (they will fall off the bone already, so do it gently) and spoon some sauce over the ribs. Bake for another 30 minutes until the top of the ribs is darker, slightly caramelized, and sticky.

    Notes

    1. Beef short ribs are usually sold pre-cut in individual meaty pieces. If you can only get a rack or ribs, ensure you remove the silver skin and then cut the rack between the bones into single ribs using a sharp, sturdy knife.
    2. You can replace the homemade rub with your favorite store-bought dry rub for ribs/ beef. Just salt and pepper are fine as well.
    3. Your favorite BBQ sauce brand.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 2663mg | Potassium: 1004mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 901IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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