Oven-Roasted Grassfed BBQ Beef Ribs

For over a decade, my family has purchased grassfed beef in bulk from a local NM rancher every year. Once we get our half beeve, our freezer is happily stocked for the upcoming year with ground beef, roasts, steaks, organ meats, and more. The ground beef is quick and easy to cook up, but many of the other cuts require long cook times and some require special preparation.

One cut that I consistently struggled to know what to do with was the ribs. Year after year, they would linger in the freezer until I finally I cooked them in the slow cooker. My husband, especially, was underwhelmed by that cooking method 😝. For the last couple years, though, I have roasted the ribs in the oven and it has been a complete game-changer!

Low-and-Slow in the Oven

Instead of using the slow cooker, I now slather the ribs with BBQ spices and bake them in the oven all day. The result is tender, flavorful, fall-apart meat that my whole family loves. Ribs are now one of the first cuts we run out of in the freezer!

Although the overall cook time is 7 hours long, this recipe doesn't require much active time in the kitchen. All it takes is a little prep time in the morning and then a few minutes to flip over the meat halfway through the cook time. Other than that, this recipe just does it's thing in the oven for most of the time.

Keeping the Meat Moist and Tender

There are two important techniques to make sure the meat doesn't dry out too much while it cooks all day.

1. Make sure to put a pot of water in the oven along with the meat. The water may need to be refilled partway through the cook time, depending on how much you put in.

2. Halfway through cooking, when it's time to flip the meat, carefully wrap the meat in parchment paper. This doesn't have to be perfect, but it helps the meat hold in the moisture and results in a flavorful, moist "bark."

Oven-Roasted Grassfed BBQ Beef Ribs

Serves 4-5

Total time: 7.25 hours

Active time: 15 min

Inactive cook time: 7 hours

Required equipment: Baking dish, oven-safe pot, parchment paper

• Big rack of 4-5 beef ribs

• ~3-5 Tb yellow mustard

• 1 Tb salt

• 2 Tb sucanat

• 1 Tb smoked paprika

• 1/2 Tb pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1tsp onion powder

• 1 Tb liquid smoke

• 1 bay leaf

• BBQ sauce (recipe follows)

1. Trim the ribs: Look at your ribs and see if any trimming needs to happen. Commonly, there will be a layer of white fat on one side and a "silver skin" membrane on the other side. Those are both fine to leave on for this recipe. However, if your ribs have some reddish tough covering over the fat, make sure to trim that off as it will not be edible.
   

2. Make them fit: Once you're done trimming the ribs, place them in a baking dish. I use a 9X13 glass baking dish for this recipe. If your rack of ribs is too long, you may need to cut 1-2 ribs off the end and squeeze them in facing another direction. If they still won't fit, you may need to add a second baking dish. Beef ribs are large!
   

3. Mix your spices: In a small bowl, combine the salt, sucanat, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine.
   

4. Time to get messy: You're going to smear the ribs with yellow mustard and then coat them with the dry spices. Do this however you want to, but I like to start with the silver side facing up, smear mustard over the top and sides, then coat it with half the spices. Then I flip it over and repeat on the other side. Don't forget to coat the sides of the meat. Make sure that, when you're done, the meat has the silver skin membrane facing down. Then put a bay leaf on top and pour ~1Tb liquid smoke into the bottom of the dish. This will give the meat a yummy smoky flavor.
   

5. Prep the oven and water: Preheat the oven to 275 F. Put an oven-safe pot of water in the oven, to help your meat stay nice and moist during the long cook-time.
   

6. Bake the ribs: Place the baking dish in the oven and set a timer for 3.5 hours. Enjoy the aroma that fills your home. 😋
   

7. Flip and cover the ribs: Pull the ribs out of the oven and carefully flip them over in the baking dish. Cover the ribs with parchment paper, making sure to tuck it in around the edges. Don't stress about getting this perfect. Check and see if you need to refill the water pot now.
   

8. Bake again: Set the timer for 3.5 hours again and continue to smell that delicious goodness while the ribs cook.
   

9. Let the meat rest: Pull the baking dish out of the oven and let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving. Then cut the ribs apart and serve. We enjoy this meat with simple homemade BBQ sauce (recipe below). Yummy side dishes include coleslaw and roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Simple Homemade BBQ Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup (we love Annie's)

• 1/4 cup dijon or yellow mustard (we like it either way)

• 1/4 cup sucanat 

• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot.

2. Warm it up and stir to make sure the sucanat dissolves.

3. Serve with your ribs. Leftover BBQ sauce keeps well in the fridge.

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