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This is one of the first rib recipes I created before I considered myself a pitmaster.

You don’t need a fancy smoker to make them. They can be prepared on a gas or charcoal grill.

boneless beef rib on butcher block with juices.

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Types of beef ribs

Before I get started with the steps for this recipe, it’s important to understand that there are several different cuts of beef ribs. There are beef back ribs, which are on a full rack, look pretty flat and yield less meat. Then, there are the dino bones or plate short ribs, which are huge and usually come on a rack with 3-4 bones.

You will also find short ribs that are English cut or flanken cut. So many options, I know. Read my tutorial on beef ribs to understand the varieties.

platter of raw boneless beef ribs and marinade

Unlike the cuts I mentioned above, this recipe is for boneless beef ribs. They’re actually not cut from the rib primal, at all. Instead, the rib-shaped strips are cut from the chuck or shoulder of the cow.

I grew up eating boneless beef ribs. They’re a great alternative to the other types of beef ribs, because they tend to be a little less expensive, but just as meaty and flavorful. 

My mom prepared beef ribs in a slow cooker. They always turned out tender and juicy, but they lacked the smokey flavor you get from grilling. This recipe makes up for that.

boneless beef ribs marinating in bag

Preparing the marinade

To start, the ribs are marinated in soy sauce, red wine vinegar and beef broth. The soy sauce doesn’t give it an Asian flavor, instead it amps up the umami flavor and beefiness.

The juicy beef ribs marinade also calls for hot sauce and honey. You can adjust the amount of hot sauce based on your heat preference.

Place the marinade in a zip-top bag and add the ribs. Then, seal the bag and massage the meat a bit to help the marinade work itself into the meat. 

Place it on a rimmed sheet pan or in a bowl in the fridge and let the marinade do its magic for several hours. If you’re home, toss the bag occasionally during this process for even flavor. 

boneless juicy beef ribs on grill

How to cook juicy beef ribs

After the ribs have marinated for at least four hours, set your grill to high or medium-high (375-400F degrees) with a direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone.

Grill over the direct heat for about 5 minutes per side to create a nice char on them. The honey in the marinade will help them caramelize rather quickly, so watch for that.

Next, you’re going to move the beef ribs over to indirect heat and slow cook them at 275F degrees for an additional 30 minutes. 

At this point, if you’re cooking on a gas grill and want to get a smokier flavor, you could add some wood pellets to a smoke box or create a wood chip foil pouch, but they’ll be great without the added smoke, too.

boneless beef ribs wrapped in foil on grill

After 30 minutes, wrap the ribs up tight in some foil and continue grilling them over indirect heat for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200-205F degrees.

This is basically the slow cooker stage. During this part of the cook, the collagen in the meat will start to break down to give you tender juicy beef ribs.

You could even finish this step in the oven, because you’re essentially just braising the meat now. 

cooked juicy boneless beef ribs lying on foil

When you unwrap the foil, the boneless beef ribs will be soft, and you’ll be left with natural juices that you can pour on top of each serving.

closeup of tender, juicy boneless beef ribs

Cooking boneless beef ribs on different types of grills

Gas Grill

Turn one burner on high and keep the other burners off. Grill the ribs for 5 minutes per side over the burner that’s on. Move the meat to the side that is turned off and grill for 30 more minutes (with a smoke pouch). Wrap in foil and continue cooking for 2 hours over the indirect heat. 

Kettle Grill

Add charcoal to one half of the grill. Grill the ribs for 5 minutes per side over the hot coals. Move the meat to the side without coals and grill for 30 more minutes (you can add wood chunks for added flavor). Wrap in foil and continue cooking for 2 hours over the indirect heat. 

Ceramic Cooker

Add charcoal to the grill and place the diffuser plate on top. Heat the grill to 375-400F degrees. Grill the ribs for 5 minutes per side. Adjust the vents and reduce the heat to 275F degrees. Grill for 30 more minutes. Wrap in foil and continue cooking for 2 hours.

boneless beef ribs shredded on board

Pellet Grill

Set the grill temp to 400F degrees. Grill the ribs for 5 minutes per side. Reduce the temperature to 275F degrees and grill for 30 more minutes. Wrap in foil and continue cooking for 2 hours. 

Oven

Heat the oven to 400F degrees. Place the ribs on a foil-lined sheet pan and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 275F degrees. Continue cooking for 30 minutes. Wrap the ribs with foil (use a new sheet of foil, if the current sheet has too much cooked on residue.) Cook for 2 more hours. 

With all of the above methods, you’ll know the boneless beef ribs are done, when they reach an internal temperature of 200-205F degrees. 

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4.48 from 134 votes

Grilled Tender Juicy Boneless Beef Ribs

You don’t have to be a diehard pitmaster to make tender juicy boneless beef ribs. All you need is a little time, a grill and some foil.
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3 lbs boneless beef ribs

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, broth, Tabasco sauce and honey. Place the ribs in a zip-top bag. Pour the marinade inside and rub to coat. Seal the bag and let marinate at least 4 hours.
  • Heat the grill to high. Place the ribs on direct heat and sear on each side for five minutes. Discard the extra marinade.
  • Move the ribs to indirect heat (For a gas grill, turn the heat off on one side and move the ribs to that side. For a charcoal grill, push the coals to one side and move the ribs to the side with no coals.). Close the lid and grill for 30 minutes.
  • Wrap the ribs in foil and continue grilling for 2 hours. The internal temperature of the grill should be kept at 275 degrees.
  • Open the foil pouch and place the ribs on a platter. Pour the broth from the foil pouch over the ribs and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 54gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 1701mgPotassium: 1050mgSugar: 10gVitamin C: 3.9mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 6.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @girlscangrill
christie vanover standing against wood wall.

Hey BBQ Family

I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and top 10 category finishes. I’m an expert grill reviewer for BBQ Guys, and I have appeared on the Food Network and Ninja Woodfire Grill infomercials. I established this website in 2015 to share my BBQ tips and recipes.

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73 Comments

  1. Great recipe! I’ve used it several times always starting on the grill and then moving to to the oven at 275 for the final 2 hours. I exclude the honey and tobasco, and use a rub of garlic powder, ground red pepper and brown sugar before adding to the marinade.bag.

  2. Just an outstanding recipe! Question on cuts of meat: How about trimmed tri-tip? We can’t always get the boneless short ribs here.

    1. You could try the tri-tip, but because it comes from a different muscle, the marbling will be different. A better alternative would be a beef chuck roast cut into rib-like sections.

  3. Hello Christie – I’m ashamed to admit that here at the old folks’ home, we aren’t allowed to have a grill. Just making sure I have all the steps right for oven (BOO) cooking – Marinate for max 8 hrs, sear the chuck ribs in a skillet, Oven to 400 deg, 10 min on foil lined sheet pan. Lower temp to 275 and cook 30 min more. Wrap rips in new foil and cook @275 for 2 hrs – internal temp 200-205…yes? I was disappointed when I picked my order up – thought I’d ordered short ribs, but got beef boneless chuck country style ribs *gasp*…but these sound amazing! Can’t wait to try them…thanks for a great recipe!

  4. Do you have a recipe for boneless short ribs on the Ninja Woodfire Grill? I just bought one & need to try it on boneless ribs.

  5. Guy learning from Girls to grill! ;) Looks so yummy!! I didn’t have honey so I’m trying sweet chill sauce instead in the marinade.
    Let’s see how this works out.

  6. Hi Christie,

    I am going to cook boneless beef short ribs for the first time on the grill. I’ve seen recipe, from American Test Kitchen, that says to only grill to 130F. I guess this temperature is for like a steak like texture and your recipe calls for 205F is for more of pot roast falling off the bone texture? Other recipe says if yo go above 130F the boneless short ribs will start to become dry?

    Thanks,
    Thomas

    1. It really depends on what kind of result you’re looking for. Boneless short ribs are usually cut from the chuck. The chuck can also be cut into steaks. So if you want a rib that eats more like a steak, cook it to 130F. But if you want it to eat more like a fall-off-the-bone tender rib, cook it longer, but be sure to braise it with liquid so it doesn’t dry out.