Amazingly delicious and fall off the bone tender, these slow cooker beef short ribs are quick to prep and a huge crowd pleaser. Lathered in a sweet and smoky dry rub, this beef short ribs recipe is literally no effort to make and will quickly become a family favorite!
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Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Short Ribs: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- Size of Slow Cooker Needed - Since you are making 8-10 short ribs for this recipe, you need a 7-8 quart slow cooker for best results.
- Easy & Low Maintenance: This has to be one of the easiest, most low maintenance recipes in my collection. Juicy, tender, and full of flavor, these slow cooker short ribs are what you need when you want some ribs, but you don't feel like grilling or smoking baby back ribs or short ribs.
- Prep Time & Effort: It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare. From there, the slow cooker does all the work so you don't have to!
- Removing The Membrane: If you're buying the ribs from a butcher, ask them to remove it for you. If not, we will remove the membrane in step 6 below.
- Price of short ribs: Ever since "flanken style" (a trendy name for beef short ribs) became extremely popular a couple of years ago, a lot of the packaging houses raised their prices because the demand became so high. So I tend to make these for special occasions.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Short Ribs: You need 2-3 pounds of beef short ribs for this recipe, which is about 8-10 short ribs. I tend to buy them from a butcher, but I've also had really good results with grocery store bought short ribs.
- Paprika: I like using smoked paprika because it pairs well with the sweetness of the barbecue sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Because I'm using barbecue sauce, I like to use light brown sugar in my rib rub. Using dark brown sugar makes these ribs a little too sweet.
- Cayenne Pepper: I'm not a fan of too much heat on my ribs, but using a little bit of cayenne pepper really helps balance out the sweetness. I promise, it's not overly spicy.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer that helps cut the sweetness.
- Black Pepper: A flavor enhancer that add a subtle kick.
- BBQ Sauce - You can use store bought, but I'm a big fan of making making my own Homemade BBQ sauce and it tastes so good with this beef short rib recipe.
👩🏼🍳 Scroll down to the recipe card below for all the details you’ll need to make these short ribs!
🔪 Here's Exactly How To Make Them
Step 1: Start by making the rib rub. In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, light brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
Step 2: The most important key when making this recipe is to cover each short rib with the rub. Make sure you are really generous with the rub. When applying it, press it firmly so it saturates in the meat. This will help make these ribs so much more flavorful.
Step 3: Now, I'm going to show you how to cook short ribs. Once they are covered in the rib rub, place each short rib into the slow cooker so they are standing against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. They should be close together, but not touching.
Step 4: Then, pour 1 cup of BBQ sauce onto the ribs in the slow cooker. Place the lid on the slow cooker and slow cook for 7 hours on low.
Step 5: Once they are done, remove each rib from the slow cooker and place them in a large casserole dish. The rib meat should be falling off the bone at this point.
Step 6: Using a pair tongs or 2 forks, start shredding the beef.
👩🏼🍳 NOTE In Step 6: If you didn't remove the membrane before cooking the ribs, it is going to be present after you remove them from the slow cooker. You'll see the large piece of cooked membrane and fat so be sure to pick it out and discard during the shredding process. It's way easier to remove the membrane after it has been slow cooked.
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Step 7: After the rib meat has been removed from the bone, add in an ¾ cups of BBQ sauce and mix well. Top with additional BBQ sauce, plate the short ribs, and serve. I love these slow cooker BBQ ribs served on a sesame seed bun or you can eat the shredded beef on its own. It's the perfect dinner recipe paired with this jalapeno cheddar cornbread!
🙋🏼 Top Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
It depends how you cook them. Beef short ribs come from the chuck portion of the cow. There are 5 short bones back in the chuck portion of the cow. The cow uses this muscle often, which means they aren't as tender as other types of ribs but they are incredibly flavorful. But - when you cook them in a slow cooker, they become extremely tender.
For this recipe, use bone in short ribs. The membrane is attached between the bone and the meat and when slow cooked, the flavor from the fat enhances the quality of the recipe.
Expert Tips
- For less mess, use slow cooker liners.
- Spice Rub Technique - Rub the spice rub mixture all over both sides of the ribs. Rub it into the meat as best you can. It makes a huge difference to press the rub firmly into the meat.
- Dry Brining: For even more flavor, when you apply the rib rub to the meat, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rest in the refrigerator overnight for up to 24 hours.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How To Reheat: Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm all the way through
🥘 Side Dishes That Pair Really Well
🥪 More Slow Cooker Recipes That My Readers Love!
If you tried these slow cooker beef short ribs or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs
Equipment
- 7-8 Quart Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs beef short ribs, leave the membranes on the ribs to help hold them together
- 1½ Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups BBQ sauce, divided
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together 1½ Tablespoons of smoked paprika, 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ black pepper.
- Rub this spice rub mixture all over both sides of the ribs.
- Place the ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.
- Pour 1 cup of BBQ sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook for 6-8 hrs on low (7 hours always works perfect for me).
- Once done, you are ready to shred the meat. The meat will be falling off the bone. Remove the fat and membrane and discard.
- Lightly spread ½ cup of BBQ sauce over the meat. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Spice Rub Technique - Rub this spice rub mixture all over both sides of the beef ribs. Rub the mixture into the meat as best you can. It makes a huge difference to press the rub firmly into the meat.
- For even more flavor, when you apply the rib rub to the meat, cover with plastic wrap, and let them dry brine in the refrigerator overnight for up to 24 hours.
- You don't have to use store bought BBQ sauce. I'm a big believer of making sauces and I love making my own Homemade BBQ sauce with this beef rib recipe.
- For less mess, use slow cooker liners.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm all the way through
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Ann
Could I actually use flanken cut ribs for this recipe? That’s all I have.
Amanda Mason
I've never made it with flanken cut ribs, but I think it would work really well!
Yen
Do you recommend searing the meat prior to slow cooking?
Amanda Mason
You absolutely can. It adds a bit more depth to the flavor, but it's not required. I've seared them before and not sear them at all and they turn out amazing regardless.
Betsy
Absolutely love this recipe ! Have you tried any other cuts of meat?
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad you loved it! I haven't tried it with other cuts, but I'm sure just about anything would work. Pork shoulder would taste amazing in this recipe!
Margaret Ford
Can I substitute the bbq sauce for something? I don’t like bbq sauce.
Amanda Mason
Try Hoisin Sauce or teriyaki sauce.
Stuart Grossman
Excellent ! Big hit with the family served with grilled Italian bread.
Sweet Baby Ray's has been replaced for me by Rib Rack BBQ sauce, then I doctor it. Add to a bottle-
1/3 of a cup each of honey and apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP each of onion and garlic powder
Dashes of sriracha or tobasco sauce
Adjust each ingredient to taste…..
Great recipe!
Amanda Mason
HI Stuart! I"m soooo glad you all loved the recipe!! It's one of our family favorites, too!! Let me know what other recipes of mine you try! I can't WAIT! to hear!!
Brianna
This was the easiest short rib recipe ever! So tasty and so tender.
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad you loved this recipe! This one is amazing, I agree!!
Kate
Many thanks for sharing this short rib recipe. Those look sooo good it made me hungry. I will try this very soon indeed.
Amanda Mason
Let me know how you like them, Kate!
Scarlet
Oh man, those slow cooker beef short ribs look amazing! I can't wait to try this recipe. Pinning now:)
Sugarlovespices
They look so tender! And flavorful! The spice rub adds a great touch and yes, the cut of meat makes a difference. I like both pork and beef short ribs!
Amanda Mason
Yes - definately flavorful! I like beef and pork ribs, too!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I absolutely LOVE short ribs. Your recipe looks perfect for a cool autumn day with a side of mashed potatoes and some fresh bread. It looks so fall-apart fork tender!
Amanda Mason
Thanks, Lori! Yeah, these short ribs are crazy amazing delish! They are a huge hit so let me know how they turn out!!