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 😂
Poor Dozer playing role for us and no money, not happy CHAPY. That’s my kind of food and do not touch the bone or I’ll bite your head off. And Dozer can have meat and I’ll HAPPYLY have the bone TRUE. Have good w/end.
What sides would pair well with these delicious looking short ribs? Planning on making soon!! Im thinking stemmed brocolli or roasted yellow squash!!
Roasted Broccoli would be great, mashed potato or roast potato, a simple salad – so many options! – N x
Another great recipe from Reciptineats! I made these last night for dinner and they were so good; tender and full of flavor. I will make these again and again. Love.
Wahoo, I’m so glad you loved them Farrel!
J’aime vos recettes et je parle Français. mais je lis bien vos recettes. Merci
De rien! ☺️
Hi Nagi – would it be possible to freeze this recipe and reheat at a later date?
Yes definitely!
Nagi this was amazing. I make short ribs all the time but this was a wow!! Love.
Btw, I’m headed to Sydney in June. My 5th time. This time with my 77 year old dad all the way from Florida. I didn’t tell him exactly how long the flight is. Lol. He’s not a big traveller. However he likes good food and drinks. Maybe you can send me some secret or not so…spots around town. We are staying at Watson’s boutique hotel so I know about Doyle’s. Any other tips or suggestions ?? We will be I. Syd 5 nights and then into Mel & Perth.
Maybe you can meet us for a drink. 🤔. No pressure.
We are travelling in June 7-13.
I could not find any bone in short ribs, I bought boneless from the butcher. I hope that they will still turn out.
Fear not Diane! Boneless works just as well☺️ Nxx
Can you use boneless short ribs for your recipe ? I will braise in the oven and do I need to adjust cooking time ? These look so wonderful ! Thanks for your help. Regards
It will be just fine Claire! You might be able to reduce the cook time by 15 or 20 minutes, but not by much 🙂 N x
AMAZING! I cooked exactly as instructed. I served them over some egg noodles with steamed broccoli on the side. It was a gourmet meal with not a ton of effort. Everyone raved how delicious it was. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it Annie!
Made this last night – changed to 3 servings (3 – 3.6 beef short ribs). The sauce was an absolutely gorgeous mahogany color. Unfortunately, I had to thin it out because when I reduced the serving size, the liquid reduced and completely evaporated 45 minutes earlier than recommended cooking time. I took it out before the remaining 45 mins were up because the meat was perfect. I think adding maybe another 1/2-3/4 cup broth/wine combination should do the trick – this way, there is some delicious sauce left. I served it over egg noodles.
Hi Cynthia, I’m so glad this worked out for you in the end!
Hi Nagi, this looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Question… are your oven cooking temps for a fan forced oven?
Hi Camille, this is for fan – but for slow cooked recipes like this, same temperature is fine. I specify in my recipes where it does matter – and I write the different temps ❤️
I cook short ribs as often as I can afford. From a peasant meat almost given away years ago, it is now as expensive as a really good steak steak now in western Canada, where we probably have as much cattle as most places on earth. Anyway, Trying your version of ribs today. I am still humming and hawing about the veg/sauce. I usually do the strainer thing as well, but thinking of removing the bay leaves, and using my immersion blender to make a thicker slurry type sauce for my mashed tato’s and buttermilk dinner rolls. Always get great ideas from your posted recipes. Thanks from the deep freeze of northern Alberta.
I hope you try them Douglas, I’d love to know what you think!
Amazing. Made this for valentines day and my husband is just making weird noises every bite. I guess that means delicious? Lol
Delicious!!! Made as directed except for adding dry mushrooms soaked in water like a reviewer had done, Made my hubby a happy camper at dinner. Thank you!
Lucky hubby, sounds delicious!
These looks sooo good!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe. One of my favorite meats. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I hope you love them!!! ❤️
OMGosh these short ribs were amazing!!! My husband and I LOVED this – of course who can not love tender, fall apart, juicy bites of flavor packed beef!!! I found I had to add to the sauce (used chk broth – what I had on hand) because we both like our meat and potatoes to swim in gravy!!! Only a couple times a year though – spot on Nagi!!!
I’m so glad you loved it Leslie – N x
OMG NAGI!!!!!!!
Made this for dinner Saturday night -what a simple yet damn delicious meal – no left overs – got criticised for this…I’ll blame you LOL!!!
thanks again Nagi – another keeper 🙂
Nagi, you have done it again. This dish was fabulous! I made it tonight for friends and we all just said it was decadent. Everything about it was perfect. Thank you so much for your recipes you have never disappointed me in anything you have posted . You truly are a master chef. And I just love Dozer. Sorry the poor little baby was stuck in the room it’s the door accidentally closed.
Oh yea! These ribs are amazing, absolutely amazing and ever so easy to make.
The meat truly ruly just falls off the bone and the sauce has the WOW factor. Served up with sweet potato mash & broc.
This one is definitely a keeper and will be a regular in our household.
You’re the best Nagi!
Really beautiful dish, sauce turned out amazing! Only problem was the kids loved it too so there are no leftovers. Thanks!