Boneless Short Ribs

Name: Boneless Short Ribs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 6 boneless short ribs ((4 lb.)); 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons of any other salt); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

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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.

Boneless short ribs served on a white plate.

These boneless short ribs are oven-braised. Rich, fatty, tender beef - a true comfort food! And they are more affordable than ribeye roast, another excellent and 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.

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Ingredients
Variations
Boneless Short Ribs Instructions
Expert Tip
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Slow-Cooked Beef Recipes
Recipe Card

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 beef 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 just adds an interesting layer of flavor.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and dried thyme.

Raw boneless short ribs on a cutting board.

Variations

Add ½ to 1 cup of beef broth to the bottom of the pan. This will help ensure the ribs don't dry out in the oven, although using a doubler layer of foil is enough, in my experience.
You can add more spices. The ones that I tried and liked are ½ teaspoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
Red wine vinegar is an acceptable substitute for apple cider vinegar, but in my experience, apple cider vinegar tastes better in this recipe.

Boneless Short Ribs 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. (Photo 1).
Add the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme in a small jar. Whisk to combine. Pour the sauce over the ribs and use your hands to toss and coat all the pieces. (Photo 2).
Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake the ribs until cooked through and tender, 2.5 hours. (Photo 3).
Remove the foil (carefully - hot steam will escape). Baste the tops of the ribs with the braising liquid, and continue baking them for 30 more minutes, allowing their tops to brown. (Photo 4).
An optional step is thickening the cooking liquids and brushing them on the ribs (Photos 5-6). Alternatively, you can simply serve the ribs with the cooking liquids for dipping.

A six-photo collage showing the steps for cooking boneless short ribs.

Expert Tip

When the ribs are fully cooked, you can turn the pan juices into a tasty gravy.

Lower the oven to the "keep warm" setting and place them in the oven, covered. Pour the cooking liquids through a strainer into a saucepan and cook them over medium-high heat, whisking often, until the sauce thickens, for 5-10 minutes.

The ribs are excellent even without this gravy, but it enhances them and adds to the experience.

Another option is to simply strain the pan juices and serve them alongside the ribs for dipping.

Recipe FAQs

Where do boneless short ribs come from?

These ribs don't actually come from the rib area of the animal. They come from the shoulder (chuck), right next to the ribs. That's why they're boneless.

Should I brown the ribs first?

No! I tried it both ways, and I think they are just as good when you don't go through the extra step of browning them first in a skillet. I was VERY grateful when I realized I could skip this annoying step.

What's the best way to cook these 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.

Should I marinate the meat before cooking?

You could, but it's unnecessary. The slow cooking tenderizes the meat, and the spices impart lovely flavor. So there's really 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 the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, 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.

More Slow-Cooked Beef Recipes

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Recipe Card

4.99 from 1513 votes

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Boneless Short Ribs

These oven-braised boneless short ribs are tender and flavorul. It's an easy recipe - there's no need to brown the ribs first, and the delicious sauce is sugar-free!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3

Total Time3 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 525kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Ingredients

▢ 6 boneless short ribs (4 lb.)
▢ 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons of any other 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 your oven to 300°F. Cut the short ribs in half as shown in the photo above 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 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 step: thickening the cooking liquids

When the ribs are fully cooked, you can transfer them to an oven-safe dish and cover them. Lower the oven to the "keep warm" setting and place the ribs in the oven.
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.

Video

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 VERY grateful when I realized that I can skip this annoying step.
It's very important to cover the pan tightly with a double layer of foil and make sure it's completely sealed. Otherwise, the dish will dry out in the oven.
You can also add a cup of beef stock to the pan if you like. Personally, 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 oz should be about one boneless rib (two halves).
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave, covered, 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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Boneless Short Ribs

Ingredients

Variations

Boneless Short Ribs Instructions

Expert Tip

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Storing Leftovers

More Slow-Cooked Beef Recipes

Recipe Card