This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Braised Beef Short Ribs are rich, comforting, and the epitome of elegant comfort food. Simmered for hours in a rich red wine sauce, they are super flavorful and the meat practically falls off the bone.
Beef short ribs pair perfectly with Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes or Buttered Noodles and Garlic Green Beans. This is the ultimate comfort rib!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
If you’re new to braising, it’s very easy and I will walk you through it step by step! I love using beef short ribs when I can cook them slowly over a long period.
The slow cook allows the connective tissues to break down and the meat becomes super tender and juicy. They are also marbled with fat which just adds to the flavor and tender texture.
These Beef Short Ribs are:
- Super Tender – The meat practically falls off the bone and is so tender and juicy.
- Impressive Enough for Guests – This is a great recipe option for your next dinner party that everyone will rave about!
- Comforting – This is a must-make for a comforting, cozy meal.
Ingredients
Due to beef short ribs rising in popularity, you can now find them at most grocery stores. Pick up a pack along with a handful of other staples and you’re ready to go.
- Bone-In Short Ribs – One of the most popular cuts of beef that’s perfect for slow cooking. You should be able to easily find them at most grocery stores and Costco sells them in big packs.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Spices – Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes.
- Olive Oil
- Carrots, Celery, and Onion – All chopped or sliced into bite-sized pieces
- Minced Garlic – Fresh minced is best, but you can use the kind in a jar as well.
- Tomato Paste – You’ll use about a tablespoon, but the rest of the tomato paste from the can freezes very well! I like to either freeze it in dollops on a wax paper lined sheet pan or put it all in a ziploc bag and you can break off chunks as you need.
- Dry Red Wine – Like a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. Use one that you would drink yourself, so you can have the leftovers.
- Beef Stock – I prefer the low-sodium variety.
- Fresh Herbs – I like to use a combination of thyme, rosemary, oregano, and parsley.
How To Make Braised Beef Short Ribs
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Making super tender braised short ribs starts by browning them, adding some veggies and aromatics along with a red wine sauce, then cooking low and slow in the oven.
Coat Short Ribs – Add some of the flour, salt, and pepper to a shallow dish and coat the short ribs.
Brown Short Ribs – Heat a large (6qt) dutch oven over medium heat with the oil then sear the short ribs on all sides until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Cook Veggies – Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the same pot and saute until just tender. Add the garlic and cook for just one minute more until fragrant.
Make Sauce – Add flour, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, wine and beef stock. Make sure to scrape all the bits off the bottom. Bring to a simmer. Add the short ribs and herbs and cook on the stove until the liquid has reduced by about half.
Braise in Oven – Transfer the dutch oven to the preheated oven and cook for about 2 hours. The sauce should be thickened and the meat will be falling off the bone.
Recipe FAQs
Beef Ribs and Beef Short Ribs are cut from different parts of the cow. Regular beef ribs are cut from the upper back of the cow, while short ribs are cut from the lower portion of the rib cage. The cuts are also different because in beef back ribs the meat is between the bones while for short ribs the meat is on top of the bones.
While you can cook with bone-in or boneless short ribs, I prefer to use bone-in short ribs. Not only are the bone-in options less expensive, but the bone also adds more flavor. While the boneless versions are more convenient, since the meat easily falls off the bone after cooking it doesn’t make a big difference.
Variations
Slow Cooker – You can easily make this recipe in the slow cooker. After you have finished the stovetop piece, you can transfer it all to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
Stovetop – Instead of transferring the dutch oven to the oven, you can make the entire recipe on the stove as well. After the sauce reduces, instead of placing it in the oven, cover the pan and cook over low heat for 2-3 hours. In this method, you’ll need to check on it occasionally to make sure the bottom isn’t scorching (and you can add more stock as needed).
Storage, Make Ahead, and Reheating
- Storage – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. If freezing, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Make Ahead – This dish is a great make ahead option! You can make it the day before, store in the fridge (this also makes the fat super easy to skim off once it’s chilled), then reheat in the oven at 350℉ before serving.
- Reheating – Leftovers can be reheated in a 350℉ oven until warmed.
Helpful Tips
- Red Wine – No need to use an expensive bottle of red wine when cooking this recipe, it is just as delicious with a cheap bottle. Save the expensive bottle for drinking!
- Deglaze the Pan – When you add the wine and stock to the pan, make sure to scrape the bits off of the bottom as that has lots of flavor!
More Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Smoky Vegetable Beef Soup
- Pineapple Beef Stir Fry
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in short ribs
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup celery chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup carrots sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup onion chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 cups dry red wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 4 sprigs fresh herbs I like to use thyme, rosemary, oregano and parsley.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a shallow dish, combine 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour, salt and black pepper.
- Coat the short ribs on all sides with the flour mixture and set aside.
- In a 6 quart dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
- Sear the beef on all four sides until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, saute the celery, carrots and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour, tomato paste and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook until all the vegetables are coated.
- Slowly add the red wine and beef stock to the pan, using a spatula to deglaze the pan as you pour.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the short ribs and herbs. Cook for 20 minutes or until the wine mixture has reduced by about half.
- Once the wine mixture has reduced, cover and place the dutch oven in the preheated oven and cook for 2- 2½ hours or until the sauce has thickened and the meat is falling off the bone.
- Skim the fat off the gravy and serve.
This recipe was amazing and did not disappoint! My house smelled delicious while this was cooking. We couldn’t wait for dinner time! My husband told me I hit it out of the park by finding this recipe. I will be adding this to our dinner rotation.
That’s Awesome Abbey! Thank you so much for stopping by to share your feedback.
If doubling the recipe, do I need to use a larger Dutch oven than a 6qt?
You would need at least an 8 quart, but the key is that they all will fit in the pot without sitting on top of each other.
This recipe was so awesome! The entire family approved…it tasted like something from a fancy restaurant and the aroma filled the house so we couldn’t wait to dig in. It was worth the wait.
Also, our family eats Paleo so I used cassava flour and it was perfect!
Thank you Gigi! Love the awesome comment, thanks for stopping by.
I only have an 8 qt dutch oven, do I need to modify this recipe/directions as this recipe uses a 6qt dutch oven?
Hi Edward, you shouldn’t need to modify anything.
Do we put a lid on it in the oven??
Yes, cover with the lid or foil.