These short rib baked beans are a serious side. This isn’t the sweet, sticky stuff from a can. We’re talking slow-cooked navy beans, real beef short ribs, and a broth packed with molasses, bacon, jalapeño, garlic, and smoke.

It’s big, beefy, and built for long tables, smoky grills, and people who don’t skip sides.

Ingredients for Short Rib Baked Beans

  • 1 lb navy beans, soaked overnight

  • 1 lb bacon, cooked crispy and divided

  • 1½ lb bone-in beef short rib

  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced

  • 1 small yellow onion, diced

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

  • 2 tbsp garlic

  • ¼ cup molasses

  • ⅔ cup ketchup

  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 tsp salt

  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • ½ tsp mustard powder

  • 12 cups water

How to Make Short Rib Baked Beans

  1. Soak the beans
    The night before, soak navy beans in a large bowl of water. Drain and rinse before using.

  2. Render the bacon and sear the beef
    In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon until crispy. Set aside half for garnish. In the remaining bacon fat, sear short ribs on all sides until browned. Remove and set aside.

  3. Build your base
    In the same pot, sauté onion and jalapeño until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens slightly—2–3 minutes.

  4. Add liquid and seasonings
    Pour in 12 cups water and stir in molasses, ketchup, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and mustard powder. Return short ribs and beans to the pot.

  5. Cook low and slow
    Cover and bake at 300°F for 4–5 hours, or until beans are fully tender and the meat pulls easily from the bone.

  6. Finish and serve
    Remove short ribs, shred the meat, and discard bones. Return shredded meat to the beans, stir in the reserved bacon, and adjust seasoning. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes for Short Rib Baked Beans

Soaking navy beans is worth it

Dry beans take time, but they soak up way more flavor than canned ones ever could. Soaking overnight ensures they cook evenly and hold their shape, especially when they’re going to simmer for hours in rich broth.

Short ribs pull double duty

They’re not just a protein—they’re a flavor engine. The fat, the bone, the slow rendering—short ribs give these baked beans real depth. It turns a side dish into something people treat like a main.

Slow cooking brings it together

Four to five hours might sound like a long time, but it’s what makes everything work. The beans soak in the fat and molasses, the short rib breaks down, and the sauce thickens into something bold and smoky. Cook time equals flavor time.