Oven-Braised Boneless Short Ribs

These oven-braised boneless short ribs are tender and flavorful. It's an easy recipe - simply place them in a pan and bake for three hours.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 10

Servings servings

Calories 525kcal

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

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.

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.

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.