Slow Cooked Beef Back Ribs Recipe

Slow oven roasted molasses beef ribs are juicy, succulent, and saucy. Cooked low and slow for tender results, then finished off with high heat caramelizing the most flavorful BBQ sauce. These tasty ribs are what everyone will be looking forward to at all of your outdoor gatherings!

Oven baked ribs are a variation of beef ribs in the oven that uses both a dry rub and a sauce. Of course, if you’re looking for a pork rib recipe you have got to try these fall off the bone baby backs.

These oven baked ribs are incredibly delicious and such a simple recipe to follow. Cooked while being slathered in a simple mop you won’t even need a bbq sauce to go with them!

What’s great about the low and slow method is that it takes minutes to prep and once they’re in the oven doing their thing, you can spend the time doing anything else around the house. It’s the perfect weekend meal!

Slow-cooked beef ribs with meat that is falling off the bone, are coated in a deliciously, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce that is so worth the wait. It produces the kind of aroma that’ll have your neighbors hoping you’ll invite them over for dinner.

The sauce is light and gets its sweet from the brown sugar and molasses, the tang from the vinegar and mustard, the heat from the cajun seasoning and chili powder and its depth of flavor and smooth velvety finish from the lager and butter. The complexity of flavors in this mop is unforgettable!

These finger-licking baked beef ribs aren’t meant to be dainty. They’re flavorful without being sticky but are juicy, and comforting just the way ribs are meant to be! They’re a crowd-pleaser at any gathering, the perfect main when hosting because it allows for time to get everything else prepared while they’re in the oven, and these ribs pair well with so many different side dishes.

What kind of beef ribs to buy for slow roasting in the oven? 

Beef ribs are sold two ways, as full slabs or short ribs. For this recipe use the full slab style ribs. Short ribs are best in a braising liquid made of deep rich stock and cooked for hours until the meat literally melts off the bone.

Beef ribs are similar to pork ribs in their appearance and cooking method. Pork meat is sweeter, so you’ll notice there is a difference in taste. Beef ribs taste more like a steak!

While it can be hard to find beef ribs, you can always ask your local butcher or anyone in the meat department for them. Added bonus, while they are getting them ready for you, ask them to remove the silver skin so you don’t have to.

Ingredients

• 1-2 Racks Beef Ribs – Not to be confused with short ribs, as they use two different cook methods.
• Salt and Pepper – A simple seasoning to bring out the flavor of the beef.
• Bottle of Lager – Beer in BBQ sauce gets cooked down leaving a delicious deep flavor, without the alcohol!
• Brown Sugar – A staple in many BBQ sauce recipes, adds a beautiful sweetness.
• Butter – It adds to the silky texture of the sauce.
• Molasses – Gives BBQ sauce a dark, smoky flavor and color.
• White Vinegar – A little acid used to create a tangy taste as well as to help balance out the rich flavors and cut through the heaviness.
• Yellow Mustard – This will give it a hint of tartness.
• Cajun Seasoning – Incredible seasoning made up of a combination of spices. Gives it both flavor and heat.
• Chili Powder – A different flavor and heat, pairs well with the Cajun seasoning.
• Tomato Paste – A more concentrated tomato flavor than tomato sauce. A little goes a long way.

The secret to perfectly cooked beef ribs in the oven

This recipe uses a two-step process to not only permeate the meat with flavor from the mop, but the mop is also used to create a caramelized exterior to the beef ribs. The braising mop is poured over the top of the ribs in a foil packet and the steam in the first cook helps keep the ribs nice and moist while infusing the deep flavors of the mop into the ribs.

Once the ribs are taken out of the foil packet and the sauce has been allowed to permeate throughout, the ribs are glazed once more and cooked open in the oven for the last round. This time at a higher temperature give it a caramelization and a deep brown color.

How many beef ribs per person

Ribs are an economical way to serve a crowd for summer BBQs or casual outdoor dinners. Plan on 2 ribs per person, then add 2-4 more for more hearty eaters.  They are great the next day so if you have leftovers they are easy to warm up in the oven.

How to cook Beef Ribs in the Oven

• To prep, you’ll need to make the mop/braising sauce, preheat the oven to 300° and line a pan with foil.
• Season the ribs with salt and pepper.
• Create a foil packet, large enough for the entire rack to lay down. There should be a small opening created to add 1/2 cup of the mop poured over the top of the ribs, before sealing the packet. Repeat with the second rack of ribs if necessary.
• Place foil packets on top of the prepared sheet(s) and slow roast for 1/5 hours, during which time you’ll boil the remaining sauce on the stove to reduce and thicken.
• Remove ribs from the oven and open the bags to release the steam. Once they are cool enough to handle, transfer to a separate sheet or plate. Clean off (or prepare new) the baking sheet and replace it with new foil.
• Remove ribs from foil packets and place them onto the newly prepared sheet.
• Increase the heat to 375° and brush thickened BBQ sauce onto the ribs. Place back in the oven for 30 minutes to caramelize.
• Cut into 2 bone pieces and serve.

How to grill this recipe for meaty beef ribs?

These beef ribs are easily adapted on the grill. Follow the exact instructions, but use a method of indirect heat grilling. On a gas grill you’ll have the gas going on one side (or on either side) and place the ribs on top of the area where there is no heat. You’ll want to have the gas on low to make sure it cooks slowly.

If you have a charcoal grill you’ll create a 2 zone heat with the charcoal only on one side and place the foil packed on the other no heated side.

More BBQ Meal Favorites you might enjoy

• Sticky Chinese Ribs
• Italian Style Pork Quick Ribs
• Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs
• Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic and Herbs
• Grilled Pork Chops with Honey Mustard Glaze
• Easy Grilled Tri-Tip Tacos

Be sure and check out our list of the 101+ recipes for all of your BBQ Side dish needs for summer entertaining!

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Yield: 2 racks, 8 --2 rib servings per person

Slow Cooked Molasses Beef Ribs

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Simple molasses butter mop glazed beef back ribs are slow cooked to perfection in the oven or on indirect heat on the grill for low maintenance cooking for a crowd.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1-2 Racks Beef Ribs
• Salt and Pepper

Braising Mop

• 1 bottle of Lager
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Stick Butter
• 1 Cup Molasses
• 1/3 Cup White Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
•  1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

Instructions

1. Make the mop/Braising sauce. Preheat the oven to 300°
2. Stir all of the mop ingredients together and mix until well combined.
3. Season the ribs with salt and pepper.
4. Line a pan with foil for easy clean-up.
5. On a seperate sheet of foli, create a large enough piece you will be able to place the ribs inside to seal, lay the rib rack down, then roll to almost close, so that there is a small opening in the bag you have created to add 1/2 cup of the mop inside over the top of the ribs.Then seal the bag
6. Repeat with the second bag.
7. Place each bag on top of the foil lined sheet pan. (You may need to have 2 sheet pans)
8. Place the pan with the ribs into the oven and slow roast for 1.5 hours.
9. While the ribs are slow roasting, place the remaining mop into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce quantiy by half, getting a much thicker sauce. Set aside.
10. Remove ribs from the oven. Open the bags, to release the steam---peel the foil back so that the ribs are on top of the foil.
11. Place the ribs back into the oven, and increase the heat to 375°
12. Brush reduced mop barbeque sauce on the ribs. Place the ribs back into the oven for 30 minutes to caramelize.
13. Cut to 2 bone pieces and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 606mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 9g

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

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