Our braised beef short ribs are perfect for special occasions and cozy Sunday dinners. They're simmered in a large dutch oven with red wine, carrots, onion, and garlic, then served over creamy mashed potatoes. This slow cooking method ensures guarantees you'll get fall-off-the-bone tender beef ribs.
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Every now and then my husband likes to impress me with a new recipe or advanced cooking skills by making a fancy dinner. He's made short ribs on quite a few occasions, and every single time they turn out amazing! Like our 48 hour sous vide short ribs recipe, which is paired with a delicious gravy. Another smothered gravy recipe we love is this Southern oxtail recipe.
Braised beef short ribs is a great recipe for a date night, Sunday dinner, or just a cozy, cold weather weekend when you want to get wined and dined at home. Emphasis on wine, because our recipe is made with a red wine sauce that is sooo tasty. Of course, you'll want to use a nice bottle of dry red wine.
Mashed potatoes make for the perfect pairing, but we've also included some other suggestions below for the perfect meal!
What Are Short Ribs?
Like the name suggests, short ribs are a cut of beef taken from the cow's rib, usually the chuck, plate, or brisket area. They're a short portion of the rib that's surrounded by nice, marbled meat. Short ribs are great for braising or smoking, and they get really tender and flavorful when they're cooked for a long time.
What we love about these delicious short ribs
- It's delicious: You will fall in love at first bite. Every mouthful is so flavorful, savory, and rich. And the meat is exceptionally tender.
- It's fancy: Perfect for a cute date night at home or special occasion dinner.
- It's hearty: This recipe will stick to your ribs (no pun intended), because it's meaty, hearty, and filling. Great for cold weather days.
Ingredients
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beef short ribs: This recipe uses bone-in beef short ribs. For boneless, try our sous vide short ribs recipe.
- Neutral oil and butter: Used for searing, sautéing, and making the sauce.
- Onion, carrots, garlic: For flavor.
- Tomato paste: Our favorite brand is Delallo but anything will work.
- Dry red wine: Pick something high quality that you'd like to drink.
- Fresh herbs: For these short ribs we used fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs.
- Beef bouillon + water: Better Than Bouillon beef base or bouillon cubes. Alternatively, use beef stock or beef broth.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Our go to is Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Use half the amount if using any other type of salt.
Equipment and Tools
To make this braised beef short ribs recipe, you'll need to have the following tools and equipment:
- Fine-mesh strainer to strain the braising liquid.
- Large dutch oven for searing, braising, and reducing the sauce.
- Tongs to handle the short ribs.
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula for stirring and deglazing the bottom of the pot.
How to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Pat short ribs dry and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Sear short ribs in hot oil on all sides until browned.
Step 3: Sauté onions, carrots, and garlic. Then add tomato paste, red wine, beef bouillon, rosemary, thyme, and water. Cover pot summer for 2 to 3 hours, or until meat is tender.
Step 4: Make red wine sauce using reserved cooking liquid and butter. Drizzle sauce over short ribs, carrot, and onion mixture and serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite sides.
Red Wine Sauce for Short Ribs
- Remove the beef short ribs from the dutch oven and set them aside.
- Strain and reserve the braising liquid, and set the vegetables aside.
- Return the liquid to the pot and simmer until reduced by half, or thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter until the red wine sauce becomes smooth and glossy.
Recipe Tips for the Best Results
- Use quality wine: Whenever I'm cooking with alcohol, my motto is to always pick something that you would enjoy drinking. If you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it.
- Don’t rush the process: Like all good things... Low and slow is the only way to get super tender short ribs. They need to simmer for at least 2-3 hours, or however long it takes to get fall off the bone tender.
What to Serve
For the perfect meal, serve beef short ribs over mashed potatoes with red wine sauce drizzled on top. Polenta, risotto, rice, or buttered noodles are also delicious with short ribs. Pair it with a fresh green salad and a glass of wine for a complete dish.
Commonly Asked Questions
For braised beef short ribs, use a dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, or Pinot Noir.
To make braised beef short ribs in a slow cooker, sear the meat and sauté the vegetables as instructed. Then, place everything in your slow cooker and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours, or high heat for 4 to 5 hours. Follow the original instructions for making the red wine sauce.
📖 Recipe
Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Fine mesh strainer
- Tongs
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 4-6 bone-in short ribs
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 white onion roughly chopped
- 3 small carrots roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups dry red wine divided
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 teaspoons beef bouillon i.e. Better Than Bouillon
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Pat short ribs dry and season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear short ribs in hot oil on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove short ribs from the pot and set aside.
- Add onions, carrots, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté for 3 minutes, or until onions start to soften and garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add in tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring consistently to prevent burning.
- Pour in a splash of red wine and deglaze the pot using a wooden spoon or spatula to scape up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the remaining red wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in Better Than Bouillon beef base. Then, carefully place short ribs, thyme, and rosemary in the pot.
- Pour in water, rearranging some of the short ribs if necessary, so that all of the pieces are submerged. Cover pot with a lid and summer for 2 to 3 hours, or until meat is tender.
- Once short ribs are tender, carefully remove them from the pot and set aside.
- Then, use a strainer to separate the braising liquid from the carrots, onions, and herbs. Reserve the liquid and set the vegetables aside.
- Add the strained braising liquid back to the pot and reduce by half, or until it's thickened some, and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir until a smooth and glossy sauce develops.
- Plate short ribs with the carrot and onion mixture, and drizzle red wine sauce on top. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite side dishes, and enjoy.
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