These oven-braised boneless short ribs are so tender and flavorful. It's an easy recipe - there's no need to brown them first, and the delicious sauce is sugar-free! As is often the case with slow-cooked meat, the leftovers are excellent if you reheat them gently.
These delicious ribs are oven-braised. Rich, fatty, tender beef - a true comfort food! And they are more affordable than ribeye roast, another deliciously fatty cut of meat. In this easy recipe, I simply place the seasoned ribs in a pan and bake them for three hours at 300°F. Yes, it's as easy as it sounds, and the result is superb.
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- 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.
Variations
- Add ½ to 1 cup of beef broth to the bottom of the pan. This will help ensure the ribs don't dry in the oven, although using a doubler layer of foil is enough, in my experience.
- You can add more spices. The ones I tried and liked are ½ teaspoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
- As mentioned above, red wine vinegar is an acceptable substitute for apple cider vinegar, but in my experience, apple cider vinegar tastes better in this recipe.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Cut the ribs in half and arrange them in a lightly greased 13-by-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.
Remove the foil (carefully - hot steam will escape). 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 simply serve the ribs with the cooking liquids on the side for dipping.
Expert Tip
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
No! I tried it both ways, and they are just as good when you don't go through the extra step of browning them first in a skillet.
These ribs don't actually come from the rib area of the animal. They come from the shoulder (chuck), right next to the ribs. They are best cooked low and slow, so I cook them in a slow oven, tightly covered, for three hours until the meat is very tender.
You could, but it's unnecessary. The slow cooking tenderizes the meat, and the spices impart lots of flavor. So there's no need for a marinade.
Serving Suggestions
This is a saucy dish, so I like to serve it on top of something that would absorb the sauce, such as mashed cauliflower, mashed butternut squash, mashed pumpkin, cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or baked spaghetti squash.
I also like adding a vegetable side such as steamed broccoli, microwave broccoli, sauteed spinach, cauliflower fritters, or butternut squash souffle.
Storing Leftovers
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 out when you reheat them.
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Recipe Card
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: thickening 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 heat as soon as the sauce thickens.
- Brush the ribs with the gravy and serve.
Notes
- There's no need to brown the ribs in oil before baking them. I tried it both ways, and I think these are just as good when you don't go through the extra step of browning them first in a skillet. I was grateful when I realized I could skip this annoying step.
- 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 out when you reheat them.
Nutrition per Serving
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Brooke says
At this point, I have come across a few of your recipes, and they are always so good! This rib recipe is so delicious and easy to make…my whole family, kids and all, love them
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad my website is useful to you, Brooke! Thank you for taking the time to write a review - I appreciate it.
Dimi says
can I make this recipe with bone in beef short ribs? is the same cooking time?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Dimi,
Yes, this should work with bone-in short ribs.