Want to learn how to cook Trader Joe’s short ribs to perfection? Today, I’m sharing my Trader Joe’s ribs review with recipe tips. You’ll get the inside scoop on cooking beef short ribs, Trader Joe’s Korean Short Ribs, and more. Video included!
Trader Joe’s Short Ribs (fully cooked beef ribs)
How to cook Trader Joe’s short ribs
See my cooking demonstration and instructions for Trader Joe’s ribs in this recipe video…
The written-on-the-box cooking instructions for these short ribs say to either cook them in the oven (preferred method) or on the stove, but I did both. As you see in the video, I wanted to add more liquid to the short ribs to bring back the juiciness.
Try this easy crock pot dinner: slow cooker Guinness beef ribs
Step 1. So first, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F and removed the ribs from packaging and placed them (along with the juice and solidified fat) in an oven safe pan. They baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, as the box stated.
For oven cooking ribs, see this beef back ribs recipe…
Step 2. Then when they came out, I thought they were a little dry (whoops! This was basically an experiment!) so I added a tablespoon of butter to the pan and seared them on each side for about 1 minute on medium-high heat to add juiciness from the butter and give the outside a thicker crust.
Step 3. I sprinkled a tablespoon of cilantro and tried ‘em.
My review of Trader Joe’s beef short ribs
These sous vide short ribs caught my eye because they are fully cooked with the sous vide cooking technique. What does that mean? Well, I’m the author of a sous vide cookbook, and to me, that means that these ribs should be extremely tender and juicy.
Cooking with the sous vide technique is a safer way to pasteurize pre-cooked food, so it lasts longer on the shelf. It’s usually cooked under water in a bag with seasonings, so it should never be dry, because it’s not getting a ton of heat. Food cooks low and slow this way.
See how to make smoked St Louis ribs…
I wouldn’t say the Trader Joe’s beef ribs are as good as mine, cooked in the sous vide machine at home, but my husband and I were impressed with them. The flavor was there, but since they are only sous vide cooked for 12 hours, they aren’t as fall-apart as my 48 hour sous vide short ribs are. I mean, 2 days is a long cooking time, but it’s worth it!
These are found in the refrigerator section near the pork belly and other beef products. If you like slow cooked meat, I’d add them to your Trader Joe’s must haves list.
How to serve TJ’s short ribs
- Add a sauce. They could definitely use a tasty sauce, like my 5 minute jalapeno ranch dressing or peppercorn sauce or this tasty white sauce.
- Pick a side. Make one of these potato side dishes for steaks, or a pasta side dish like my stuffed shells recipe.
- Add some vegetables. Since short ribs are on the heavier side, consider adding a sous vide beet salad or strawberry salad as an appetizer to lighten things up.
Love short ribs? See my recipe for smoked flanken ribs.
Ingredients
In addition to beef, they’re made with a seasoning of salt, black pepper, white pepper, dehydrated garlic, and canola oil.
Nutritional information
The box says there are 5 servings, but my husband and I finished the box ourselves. I’d say there are 2-3 servings. The nutrition facts list each of the 5 servings as having 14g Fat, 0 Carbs, and 15g Protein. There are 190 calories per serving.
Trader Joe’s Korean Short Ribs
When I sent my friend to the store to look for Trader Joe’s ribs to make her husband for his birthday, it completely slipped my mind that she’d have so many options. She picked up a bag of the Korean Style Short Ribs from Trader Joe’s too, and they both really enjoyed them.
Ingredients in Trader Joe’s Korean ribs
The main difference between the Trader Joe’s Korean BBQ ribs and the pre cooked short ribs is that the Korean ones come in an asian marinade. The main ingredients are soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, sesame oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
The flavor reminds me of the Sip Bite Go flank steak marinade, if you’re looking to make a DIY version at home. Or, pick up Trader Joe’s Korean BBQ sauce for a short cut.
Nutritional information
A 20 oz bag of these ribs has 5 servings, at 1 serving a piece. Here’s the nutritional information and number of calories per serving. Below is the nutrition facts from My Fitness Pal.
How to cook them
These come frozen with instructions to thaw them in cold water for 10-15 minutes before cooking them. When it’s time to cook, the instructions for Trader Joe’s Korean Short Ribs recommend grilling them or heating them in a skillet.
“Preheat skillet to medium high heat. Cook each side of the rib for 2-3 minutes until brown or your preference.”
“Grill-recommended for best results: Place thawed BBQ ribs over medium high heat and grill until meat is golden brown.:
“Follow cooking instructions to make sure the internal temperature of Beef Short Ribs have reached 160 degrees F or higher, measured by a food thermometer.”
More ribs from Trader Joe’s
Here’s the list of popular ribs you can find at TJs:
- Beef short ribs – the sous vide beef ribs, featured above
- Trader Joe’s Korean short ribs – featured above
- Trader Joe’s Bool Kogi – these are “Korean brand sesame marinated boneless beef ribs” that can be cooked in the oven.
- Trader Joe’s baby back pork ribs – fully cooked in a smoky BBQ sauce, these are ready to reheat and devour. Leftovers are delicious on this pork pizza.
- Pork Rib Bites with BBQ sauce – also fully cooked, these are so tasty and great to serve over Instant Pot rice or Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice.
- Hawaiian Style Maui Beef Boneless Short Ribs – these seriously remind me of Hawaii and Kalua pork. Yum!
More recipes using Trader Joe’s ingredients
Are you a Trader Joe’s enthusiast, too? I love planning grocery trips to Trader Joe’s. It’s almost like a vacation… strolling up and down the aisles to discover new things. When I come home, I’m inspired to develop new recipes.
My best recipes using Trader Joe’s products end up here on Sip Bite Go…
- Cauliflower Rice. Use it in place of bread crumbs in Hawaiian pineapple bbq meatballs and as a filling for cheesy Italian stuffed peppers. Also try it in a vegetable stir fry with cauliflower rice.
- Ready Made Pizza Dough. I’m a huge fan of making pizza at home and have extensive information on how to use Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough.
- Frozen Pizza Crust. Learn how to make frozen pizza crust taste amazing.
- Everything But The Bagel Seasoning. This is super delicious on focaccia bread with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
- Frozen Gyoza and Potstickers. These are great in frozen vegetable stir frys. See my guide to Trader Joe’s chicken cilantro mini wontons or Trader Joe’s vegetable gyoza.
- Frozen Ravioli. Sometimes I just serve it with tomato sauce. Other times, I go a little nuts and make ravioli pizza with store bought Alfredo sauce.
- Spice Kits. Did you know you can buy Trader Joe’s products online? This Trader Joe’s spice kit inspires so many recipes in my house.
- Cheese. The cheese case at Trader Joe’s is undeniably amazing. Use it for potatoes gratin with frozen vegetables, this recipe for baked shells with ground beef, or in potato side dish recipes.
See more of the best meals to make with Trader Joe’s ingredients and my full list of Trader Joe’s must haves.
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, I want to know what you think about TJ’s beef short ribs. Are you a fan? See my latest Trader Joe’s haul items on Instagram @sipbitego.
Make restaurant-style food at home with my video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.
To find more delicious recipes to try on your culinary journey, scroll through the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Trader Joe’s Short Ribs Recipe (Improved version) | Sip Bite Go
Video
Ingredients
- 1 package Trader Joe’s short ribs
- 1 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove Trader Joe’s short ribs from packaging and place them (along with the juice and solidified fat) in an oven safe pan. Baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, as the box states, or do what I’ll do next time and only cook them in the oven for 15 minutes, because mine turned out a little too dry. Technically, they are done cooking and you can let them cool 2 minutes before serving, but see my extra recipe recommendations in the next steps
- As mentioned, when mine were done cooking for 20 minutes, I thought they were a little dry. If this happens to you, too, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and sear the short ribs on medium-high heat on each side for about 1 minute in the butter to add juiciness and give the outside a thicker crust. Cool for 2 minutes.
- Add a sprinkle of cilantro or a Sip Bite Go sauce and serve.
E Smith says
Sadly, Trader Joes has discontinued these short ribs.