These oven-braised boneless short ribs are tender and flavorful. It's an easy recipe - there's no need to brown them first, and the delicious sauce is sugar-free.
Rich, fatty, tender beef - these ribs are a true comfort food! And they are more affordable than ribeye roast, another deliciously fatty cut of meat. They don't actually come from the rib area. They come from the shoulder (chuck), right next to the ribs, and are best cooked low and slow. In this easy recipe, I simply place the seasoned ribs in a pan and bake them for three hours. Yes, it's as easy as it sounds, and the result is superb.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Boneless short ribs: I get them at Whole Foods or Costco.
- Apple cider vinegar: Red wine vinegar works, too.
- Hot pepper sauce: It doesn't make the ribs spicy. It merely adds an interesting layer of flavor.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and dried thyme.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Cut the ribs in half and arrange them in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Season them with salt and pepper. Combine the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme. Pour over the ribs and use your hands to coat all the pieces.
Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake the ribs until cooked through and tender, for 2.5 hours. Carefully remove the foil. Baste the tops of the ribs with the braising liquid and continue baking them uncovered for 30 more minutes, allowing their tops to brown.
An optional step is thickening the cooking liquids and brushing them on the ribs. Alternatively, you can serve the ribs with the cooking liquids on the side for dipping.
I made this today for dinner. It was so tender and delicious. The spouse loved it too. We'll do this again for sure. Thanks for such a well written recipe.
Jeff E.
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Recipe Tips
- Covering the pan tightly with a double layer of foil is very important. If your pan has a lid, you can use it, but only if it seals the pan completely. Not sealing the pan will allow liquids to evaporate, resulting in the meat drying out.
- You can add a cup of beef stock to the pan if you like. I find that as long as the baking dish is tightly covered with a double layer of foil, there's enough liquid, as the meat releases liquid as it bakes. But it's fine to add more liquid to the pan before you cover it and place it in the oven.
Recipe FAQs
You could marinate the ribs before cooking if you wish, but it's unnecessary. Slow cooking tenderizes the meat, and the spices impart lots of flavor. So there's no need for a marinade.
There's no need to brown the ribs in a skillet before baking them. I tried it both ways, and they are just as good when you don't go through the extra step of browning them.
I don't recommend that. Distilled white vinegar is too acidic. In my opinion, it's suitable for cleaning, not for cooking!
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power. This is one of those dishes where the leftovers taste great, as long as you take care not to dry them when reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This is a saucy dish, so I like to serve it on top of something that would absorb the sauce, such as any of the following:
I also add an easy vegetable side dish, such as:
Recipe Card
Oven-Braised Boneless Short Ribs
Video
Ingredients
- 6 boneless short ribs - 4 pounds
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or 2 teaspoons of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Cut the short ribs in half and arrange them in a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Season them with salt and pepper.
- In a small jar, add the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme. Whisk or shake well to combine. Pour the sauce over the ribs and use your hands to toss and coat all the pieces.
- Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake the ribs until cooked through and tender, 2.5 hours.
- Remove the foil (carefully - hot steam will escape). Baste the tops of the short ribs with the braising liquid and continue baking them for 30 more minutes, allowing the tops to brown.
- Serve the ribs with the braising liquid. I like to place a small bowl filled with the braising liquid on each plate. This allows the diners to dip their meat into the yummy liquid.
Optional: thicken the cooking liquids
- When the ribs are fully cooked, transfer them to an oven-safe dish and cover them. Lower the oven to the "keep warm" setting (170°F) and place the ribs in the oven to keep them warm.
- Pour the cooking liquids through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan and heat them over medium-high heat, whisking often, until they thicken, 5-10 minutes.
- You can speed this process up by mixing in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons cold water). Heat, whisking, over medium heat. Remove from the heat as soon as the sauce thickens.
- Brush the ribs with the gravy and serve.
Notes
- There's no need to brown the ribs on the stovetop before baking them. I tried it both ways, and they are just as good when you don't go through the extra step of browning.
- It's very important to cover the pan tightly with a double layer of foil and ensure it's completely sealed. Otherwise, the ribs will dry out in the oven.
- You can add a cup of beef stock to the pan if you like. I find that as long as the baking dish is tightly covered with a double layer of foil, there's enough liquid. The meat releases liquid as it bakes. But it's fine to add more liquid to the pan before you cover it and place it in the oven.
- The nutrition info is for "Beef, chuck, arm pot roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to ⅛" fat, choice, cooked, braised." 6 ounces should be about one boneless rib (two halves).
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them covered in the microwave at 50% power. This is one of those dishes where the leftovers taste great, as long as you take care not to dry them when you reheat them.
Nutrition per Serving
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C.Bates says
Delicious tender a must try.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Jeff E. says
I made this today for dinner. It was so tender and delicious. The spouse loved it too. We'll do this again for sure. Thanks for such a well written recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Jeff! I'm so glad you and your spouse enjoyed it.
Dianne says
Could I use a dutch oven instead of a foil covered pan? I am i only cooking 1/2 the amount of ribs in your recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Dianne,
A Dutch oven might not be as fully sealed as a double layer of foil, allowing liquids to evaporate and resulting in dry meat. If you'd like to try a Dutch oven, I recommend adding a cup of beef broth to the bottom.
Katie Wade says
I added two heaping tablespoons of Korean gochugaru and it is *chef's kiss* amazing. Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed these ribs, Katie! I love the idea of adding gochugaru.
Krisanne says
Hi Vered. I plan on making this recipe on the weekend. I’d like to add carrots to the dish so they bake with the ribs and take on some of that beefy flavor. Any tips on adding carrots to the dish? Thanks!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Krisanne,
I would add the carrots to the baking dish for the last 30 minutes of baking, after removing the foil. Make sure the carrots are covered in the cooking juices.
Lisa says
I have a one year old. Are the ribs spicy with the hot sauce or does it cook out?
Vered DeLeeuw says
I don't find them spicy, but it's been many years since I had to feed a small child. To be on the safe side, replace the hot sauce with unsweetened ketchup.
Red says
Would a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid work instead of the foil?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Only if the lid is truly tight-fitting, and most aren't.
Lincoln says
I scaled down the recipe for only 1 pound of short ribs (for two to split), and it came out wonderful. I simmered the cooking juices over medium-high heat, and it came out wonderfully with a small cornstarch slurry added.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm delighted that you enjoyed this recipe, Lincoln!
Karen says
So good. Made for two. Didn't use proportional salt, used less and it came out salted enough. Since it was two servings, I reduced covered cooking time to 2 hours.
Vered DeLeeuw says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Karen! Thank you for the tips about making this recipe for two.
Marcel says
Absolute perfection.
Made this over and over for my family and some to friends who were on sugar free diet and they were completely blown away how tasty it is. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoy this recipe, Marcel!
Krystal Rodriguez says
Question - I have 5.5lb of short ribs to cook for a larger group, how would I adjust the recipe?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Increase the ingredients by about 50%. If you use a salt other than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, use 1 tablespoon.
Pattie says
I made these short ribs last night and the meat was very similar to brisket... it just fell apart when you chewed it. Fortunately, I was impatient and didn't cook them the entire 3 hours, but maybe my short ribs were smaller than yours and didn't need it, because the outside was a little more charred and dried out than I prefer.
I did cover it with foil twice and spooned the juice over the meat twice, and served the juice for dipping. I forgot to cut the ribs in half, but I'm wondering if they would have dried out more.
Next time I'll try adding my homemade veggie broth to the pan before cooking. My husband LOVED them. Thank you for sharing a recipe with no oil and no sugar!