Sous Vide Beef Ribs

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There’s nothing better than tender and juicy barbecued beef ribs, and this recipe for Sous Vide Beef Ribs is going to make grilling ribs so much easier!

You need just two ingredients and the sous vide method ensures your ribs are fall-off-the-bone delicious every time!

If your summer cookouts typically involve beef ribs, you’re going to love this simple recipe. The sous vide slowly cooks the ribs for 24-36 hours, making them melt-in-your-mouth delicious, kinda like our favorite sous vide ribs, sous vide short ribs, sous vide rib roast or sous vide brisket.

You just grill the ribs for a few minutes at the end to achieve that classic grilled flavor. It’s that easy!

While it might seem like a big commitment of time, this recipe involves very little active time (like these sous vide beef cheeks). Your sous vide will do most of the work for you! 

If you’re looking for quicker results, these braised beef short ribs and these Instant Pot beef short ribs never disappoint. And these Instant Pot pork ribs are awesome if you're a pork lover!

But if you like to plan in advance and appreciate hands off cooking, you’ll want to try beef ribs sous vide style!

Check out the sous vide beef ribs story!

Other sous vide beef recipes to try

• Sous Vide Flank Steak with creamy peppercorn sauce
• Sous Vide Picanha
• Sous Vide Filet Mignon with creamy horseradish sauce
• Ginger Soy Sous Vide Tri Tip with Asian chimichurri

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum seal bags
• 4 ounce canning jars

Why this recipe works

1. There’s no need to worry about overcooked and dry ribs when you cook them in the sous vide. These ribs are cooked in a water bath for up to 36 hours, and they get more tender and juicy as they cook.
2. This recipe is super simple to make. You only need 2 ingredients - beef ribs and seasoning - and it’s pretty hands off in the sous vide. You just need to grill the ribs for a few minutes at the end to get that BBQ flavor! 
3. The long cook time for this recipe makes these ribs ideal for entertaining. You can get the ribs cooking a day in advance, which gives you plenty of time to whip up some fabulous BBQ side dishes!

Ingredients

You’ll need 1 ½ - 3 pounds of beef back ribs for this recipe. While I love cooking with beef short ribs, you’re going to want to make sure you have beef back ribs for this recipe. They’re a little less meaty but oh so tender!

You’re going to season the ribs with 2 - 4 tablespoons of Mesquite seasoning. The amount you use depends on how many pounds of ribs you are cooking. We love Mesquite seasoning with beef, but you can use any kind of steak seasoning you have on hand.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 135F degrees.

Use a knife to remove any membrane (or silver skin) from the back of the ribs. (Check out this video on how to remove the rib membrane).

Rub the seasoning generously over the ribs on both sides.

Place in a vacuum seal bag or a heavy duty ziplock bag.

Use a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method (see above) to remove the air from the bag.

Cook for 24-36 hours (the longer you cook, the more tender they will be).

Remove from the water bath and take the ribs out of the bag.

Pat the ribs dry with paper towels.

Grill on high heat or broil in the oven to crisp the outside of the ribs. (I recommend grilling for the best flavor).

Slice between the bones and serve.

Expert tips

1. Removing the air from the bag is an important step that should not be skipped to avoid bacteria entering the bag.
2. Since we’re cooking these ribs for up to 36 hours, you'll need to ensure the water level stays high enough and air stays out of the bag to prevent bacteria from forming.
3. Don’t skip the step of removing the membrane (or silver skin) from the back of the ribs. The texture is tough and chewy and will take away from the tenderness of the beef.
4. The longer you cook the ribs, the more tender they will get.
5. Make sure your grill is heated to a high temperature so the ribs get crispy on the outside quickly.
6. Don't grill or broil the ribs for more than 1-2 minutes per side as they will overcook and dry out. 
7. To enhance the BBQ flavor of these ribs, you can slather on some homemade barbecue sauce before you grill or broil them!

Common questions

Make ahead instructions

You can cook the ribs in advance and store them in the fridge.

To do this, follow the recipe instructions up to the point of removing the ribs from the water bath. Instead of opening the bag, place the ribs in an ice bath to let the temperature come down quickly. Keep the ribs in the vacuum sealed bag and transfer to the fridge to store for up to 5 days.

To reheat, place the bag of ribs in a 135F degree water bath for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. Grill and serve.

Freezing instructions

After the ice bath, transfer the vacuum sealed bag of ribs to the freezer and store for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave the bag of ribs in the fridge overnight and then heat it in a 135F degree water bath for about 10-15 minutes, or until the ribs are warmed. Grill and serve.

Make it a meal

There are so many delicious grilling sides that we love to pair with these ribs. Here are a few that are sure to be crowd pleasers:

• While your sous vide is hard at work, put your air fryer to work with these easy baked potatoes or air fryer biscuits. Both are amazing sides for these juicy beef ribs!
• Who doesn’t love a pasta salad with a BBQ? This spicy Mexican pasta salad is a great way to change things up!
• Take advantage of summer produce and make this grilled corn or grilled squash to go with your ribs.
• And finish your meal with a light dessert of grilled fruit kebabs.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!