Beef short ribs are the absolute best cut of beef for slow cooking! The most tender and succulent fall apart beef you will ever have, you’d pay top dollar at fine dining restaurants for a plate of these Braised Beef Short Ribs.
Cooked long and slow in a rich red wine sauce, these beef ribs are easy enough for midweek, and most definitely impressive enough for company. (And after you’d tried these, try the BBQ Beef Ribs next!)
Braised Beef Short Ribs – easy and luscious!
It looks like a lump of coal. Or, as one RecipeTin Family member said, hot chocolate fudge cake. 😩
Photograph challenges aside, this is one of the most luscious slow cooked recipes that I know. The sort of food you will find at fine dining restaurants and quality steakhouses (albeit served alot more elegantly than the “rustic” approach I take 😂).
They’ll charge you top dollar for a single plate of Beef Short Ribs when you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost – and it’s very straight forward.
The red wine sauce in this recipe is amazing. The depth of flavour and the richness you can achieve with so few ingredients is incredible!
Introducing – Beef Short Ribs
But before we dive into how to make it, I just want to show you beef short ribs because it’s a cut of beef that’s not as widely known as others.
Beef Short Ribs are the beef equivalent of pork ribs – but way meatier. They’re called “short ribs” in reference to the part of the cow they are taken from, not because they are “short” (though they certainly are far shorter than full length beef ribs!).
What are beef short ribs used for?
Beef short ribs are a prized cut for slow cooking. Cooking them slowly breaks down the tough connective tissues and the meat becomes fall apart tender. And because they are beautifully marbled with fat, they are more succulent and juicy than other slow cooking cuts of beef such as chuck and brisket.
In Asian cuisine, beef short ribs are sliced thinly so they can be cooked quickly rather than long and slow. Korean beef ribs is a popular example – – marinated thinly sliced beef rib meat cooked on tabletop grills. Any fans of Korean BBQ here? 🙂
Beef short ribs are usually cut into rectangle blocks, as pictured, though sometimes they are more square depending on the width of the bone.
They are also sometimes sold as a rack rather than pre cut individual pieces. In that situation, just cut between the bones to make individual beef short ribs.
How to make Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Sauce
1. Brown – As with most slow cooked dishes like Beef Stew and Pot Roast, we start by aggressively browning the beef short ribs. This is where we get a ton of flavour on both the beef and in the sauce (from the brown stuff – fond – left on the base of the pot).
2. Soffrito – After that, we slowly sauté garlic, onion, carrot and celery. The longer you take here, the better the flavour base! This is called a soffrito.
Then add tomato paste (to thicken the sauce + a touch of sour) and cook that off for a bit to take the raw edge off.
3. Braising liquid – then add the beef broth/stock, red wine, thyme (optional) and bay leaves (essential).
4. Add ribs – Carefully return the ribs into the pot. Arrange them so they are fully submerged as best you can. If some bits stick out, don’t worry – they will cook just fine too, and the steam keeps those bits nice and juicy.
5. Slow cook – Plonk the lid on and then either slow cook in the oven (my favourite), stove, slow cooker or pressure cooker!
6. After cooking – The liquid will be reduced and the meat should be extremely tender. Check with two forks to ensure it is fall apart. Then carefully remove using a slotted spoon, keeping the meat as attached to the bone as you can (but it will not be attached because if the meat is fall apart, this means the ligaments holding the meat to the bone must be melted).
7. Strain the sauce & adjust – this is optional, to take out the chunks and make the sauce super smooth and glossy, like you get at fine dining restaurants. Strain it back into the pot, then reduce to thicken if needed, and adjust the salt and pepper
8. Transfer ribs onto serving plates, spoon over sauce and serve!
Cheap or expensive wine?
I do not use expensive wines for SLOW cooking. I do not believe you can tell the difference if you made this with a discount end-of-bin $5 bottle or a $50 bottle – and the New York Times agrees…. 🙂
Maybe you could tell the difference using a $100 bottle. But that’s not within my budget!
Non alcoholic sub?
Added to the notes – involves a combination of water, Worcestershire sauce and a bit more beef broth. 🙂
How long does it take to braise beef short ribs?
The time it takes for the beef to become fall apart tender varies depending on what cooking method you use:
Oven – 3 hours at 160C/325F
Stove – 2.5 hours
Pressure Cooker – 1 hour on high
Slow cooker – 8 hours on low, 5 hours on high
My favourite method is to braise using the oven because you get extra flavour from the beef and surface of the sauce caramelising in the oven, even though it’s cooked covered the whole time.
You’ll see in the video when I take the lid off after it comes out of the oven – it looks like a big pot with lumps of coal swimming in a pool of tar that is impossible to photograph nicely.😩
As unattractive as it might look, it’s a big pot of serious deliciousness. Just touch it with a fork, and THIS is what you see ↓↓↓
That’s my dinner right there. Literally my dinner – I made it this afternoon and I’m eating it tonight. Can’t wait!! – Nagi x
Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs
Watch how to make it
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Braised Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 beef short ribs , 300-400g/10-14oz each (Note 1)
- 1.5 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 large onion , chopped (brown, yellow or white)
- 2 celery ribs , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups (500ml) dry red wine (Note 2)
- 2 cups (500ml) beef stock/broth, low sodium
- 2 sprigs thyme (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F.
- Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large ovenproof pot over high heat. Add half the ribs and brown aggressively all over (~5 – 7 min in total). Remove and repeat with remaining ribs, then remove.
- Turn heat down to medium. Add onion and garlic into the same pot and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add carrot and celery, cook for 5 minutes until carrot is softened and sweet.
- Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add wine, broth, thyme and bay leaves. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved.
- Return beef into liquid, arranging them so they are submerged (Note 3).
- Cover with lid and transfer to oven for 3 hours, or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks. (Note 4 Other cook methods)
- Remove beef carefully, keeping the meat on the bone. (Note 4) Cover to keep warm.
- Strain all liquid in the pot, pressing juices out of the onion, carrot etc. (Optional – can skip if you don't mind chunky sauce) Return sauce into pot, bring to simmer and stir. Adjust as necessary – simmer to reduce/thicken, add water to thin, season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Place beef on serving plate, spoon over sauce. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Stove – 2.5 hours on low simmer, lid on
- Slow cooker – 8 hours on low, 5 hours on high. Sear beef and sauté vegetables in a skillet, add the liquid, bring to simmer then tip it all into a slow cooker. When beef is fork tender, strain liquid into a large skillet and simmer liquid rapidly for 10 minutes or until it reduces down to a syrup consistency. Optional: spray beef lightly with oil and grill/broil on high for 5 minutes to brown.
- Pressure cooker – 1 hour on high, follow slow cooker directions above. Depressurise naturally for 10 minutes, then release valve.
- Instant Pot – Follow slow cooker directions above but do the searing in your Instant Pot. Cook using slow cooker or pressure cooker function using above times.
– Sauce: reduces by half so should be thickened to syrup consistency. If not, simmer on stove for a bit.
– Sauce excess fat: If the sauce is too fatty for your taste, pour it into a jug and leave for a bit so the fat rises to the surface, then scoop it off.
– Bone attachment: In order for the meat to be fork tender, it needs to be cooked far enough so that the connective tissue holding the meat to the bone becomes tender. So the meat is not really attached. But if you handle it carefully, it stays together.
– Remove bone: At some fine dining restaurants, beef short ribs are served without the bone. The bone is removed, the fatty bit on the underside of the meat that was attached to the bone is cut off and the meat is served by itself. It looks quite posh! 6. Nutrition assumes all sauce is consumed which it probably will not be. Does not take into account any fat discarded from sauce.
Nutrition Information:
More slow cooked fall-apart meat
I’m a big fan of slow cooked meats!!
- BBQ Beef Ribs – slow cooked ribs in a sticky sweet BBQ sauce!
- Beef Stew and Irish Guinness Stew
- Beef Pot Roast with Gravy
- Shredded Beef Ragu
- Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce or Port Braised
- Slow Roasted Lamb Leg or Lamb Shoulder
- Beef Bourguignon
- Osso Buco – traditional Italian slow cooked veal
- Browse the Winter Comfort Food collection!
Life of Dozer
I returned home from grocery shopping to howling coming from the bedroom – the wind had slammed the door shut and trapped him in there (for a whole 30 minutes, max).
He was very relieved to be rescued – upon which I promptly shoved him back in there to re-enact it for this photo 😂
Can’t wait to try this. Big fan from the Jersey Shore ! If I want to make this with 8 pieces how would I adjust the sauce ingredients so there is enough ?
Hi Lisa, click on the servings and scale up to 8 – all the ingredients will adjust for you. N x
Hello, if I wanted to make this in advance and freeze would that work? I wondered if I could cook it for two hours then freeze then deftiat and cook for the third hour?
Hi Bethany, my advice would be to cook it the whole way through and then freeze. To serve you’d just need to reheat gently. N x
This recipe was absolutely awesome. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce was perfect. I added some sage and rosemary for extra flavor. Will definitely make again.
I followed the recipe exactly as written and it turned out beautifully and deliciously, including straining the sauce. Served with roasted red and yellow potatoes, turnips and rutabaga with rosemary and thyme topped with the sauce. Mm’mm.
Sounds perfect!! N x
Outstanding. Made it Friday for the whole family and thoroughly enjoyed it
I would like to know how much ribs in total weight to use. I have two pkgs of 600gr each.
Hi Cheryl, I usually use around 5-6 ribs about 300g each – so 1.8kg – N x
Every time I make this fabulous meal I sing your praises. Thank you again; we absolutely love your recipes. Even a novice like me comes out looking like a chef. You are amazing.
Best dinner in years! I have been in the mood for short ribs for 6 months and saving recipes. Well, I can toss the others because this is seriously the deepest, yummiest, full flavored beef short rib recipe! I followed it along adding 3 extra cloves of garlic, a second onion which I cut in chunks and separated. I sliced the carrots and celery and added another carrot. I braised the ribs 5 at a time for 7 minutes. I had to be careful not to burn the pan or add more oil. I transferred everything to my crockpot putting the ribs in last to be covered. I had to add a little more beef broth and wine and cooked on high about 5-6 hours. I made mashed potatoes and served it over them. I tried to simmer the gravy down to thicken but needed to thicken it with 1/4 c flour and 1/2 c cold water shaken thoroughly before adding slowly and whisking fast to prevent lumps. The flavor of the gravy was deep and so delicious. This may be my go to meal for a dinner party! Thanks so much! Easy.
I forgot to say the meat was tender and perfection!
I have not tried this recipe yet, however, do I use 15 tsp of salt and pepper?
Hi Cynthia that’s 1.5 not 15! N x
I’ve made this a few times with rave reviews. It’s easy and turns out perfect every time! Thanks for sharing this recipe; its one of my faves!
I have made this recipe a few times and never disappointed. I bought a new Dutch oven and making the ribs for dinner. Curious to see if any difference from stove top cooking.
I follow the recipe, no changes.
Do you think rather than straining out the veggies you could use an immersion blender and that would be good or nah?
Hi Karisa, I talk about this in the post – it’s totally optional, but I prefer to strain them out to get the shiny sauce like you’d find when out at a restaurant 🙂 N x
Oh my goodness…would Dozer be a tiny bit of a “drama king” lol?. The boy is love-spoiled for sure. 😊. as they all should be.
Made this the other night and it was delicious! Kept the bits in the sauce. About half way through I added large chunks of carrots so I wouldn’t have to make a separate veggie.
This is so delicious!! I used 1 instead of 2:cups of wine and cooked 4 hours at 250 and it turned out perfect., I would definitely make this again! Thank you.
Hi Nagi, question. I moved to a town that only has short ribs without the bone (I’ve called around). Would you recommend making them using only the slow cooker? Or can I use my dutch oven and still achieve that tenderness? Thank you!
I have rib short cut into strips that make it appear to be bacon. Will this recipe be fine or will the cook rime be reduced
Can I cook this in a cast iron skillet? The lid is cast iron too so I wasn’t sure if that would be too much or if you think it would be okay?
Do I double the amount of wine if I’m using twice as much or all the ingredients as well I appreciate your assistance
Hi Kathy, yes – if you use the servings scaler all the ingredients will adjust for you. N x
I love this dish. Beautifully balanced flavours. We serve ours with a celeriac purée and fresh garden peas. Yum.
Made these about a month ago, never got a chance to review. These were excellent! After straining, I found that the remaining vegetables were delicious on top of white rice. Can’t wait to make again – just no short ribs available