Recipe by Lynfred Brand Ambassador Laura Lorenz
Ingredients
4-5 lbs short ribs (bone-in or boneless)*
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
(BBQ Sauce)
1 ¼ c ketchup
¼ c + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¾ tsp chili powder
½ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp garlic powder
1 ¼ tsp smoked sweet paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke (hickory preferred)
3 oz root beer*
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk all of the BBQ sauce ingredients together in a large bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the sauce (refrigerate).
Lightly salt and pepper on all sides of the short ribs. Then toss the short ribs in the BBQ sauce in the large bowl. Coat thoroughly. Next, lay the short ribs in a 9×13 pan; squeeze them all in, it’s okay if they are all touching because they will shrink as they cook. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 2 ½ – 3 hours or until they fall apart (start checking the ribs at the 2-hour mark).
Once the ribs are tender, spoon some of the liquid from the pan so the ribs are only ½ way covered with the cooking liquid. Then brush on the reserved BBQ sauce and place back in the oven, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes. The ribs are finished cooking when the meat is tender and the tops are nicely caramelized from the BBQ sauce. Remove from the pan and place on a serving platter. I like to serve my short ribs over cheesy Gouda grits and topped with sliced green onions. Mashed potatoes are also wonderful with this dish!
Tips
*I have made this dish with bone-in and boneless short ribs. Boneless may cook a little quicker depending on the size of the short ribs. When picking out your short ribs, look for great fat marbling; too lean of a rib will result in a dry, chewy finished product. The English-style cut is what I used for this recipe, not the flanken cut used for Asian dishes. I fit 4.5 lbs very comfortably in a 9×13 pan. If using a larger pan, make sure the short ribs are still touching, if they are too spaced out the cooking time will lessen.
*I like my onion and garlic powder more of a granulated texture. Some brands on the market are very powdery. If using a fine powder, lessen the amount.
*Use a high-quality root beer for this recipe. The real cane sugar versus high fructose corn syrup turns out much better.