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 😂
I followed the recipe as written. The meat was tender and the sauce was delicious. The meat did not absorb the flavors of the sauce a whole lot. As long as there was sauce on each bite, it was delicious. I should have initially salted the meat a little more and added a little garlic powder to make the meat more flavorful. Overall, a very good recipe.
Fantastic recipe! Flavor profile was delicious. I used a small amount of celery leaves as well. They bring the flavor forward but not in an overwhelming way. Will make again and again. Thank you.
Hi Nagi,
I am so delighted with your recipes! I have been cooking since I was 9 and am now 72. I know that I can relie on you to provide foolproof and delicious ways to innovate new recipes.
Thank you for all your excellent information and food knowledge.
Deliciousness for a cold Sunday dinner here in Canberra.
While I did not have thyme or a bay leaf, I did use celery leaves, measured garlic with my heart and used a cartouche as my oven proof dish was a little small for the ribs. I put the ribs meat side down and then cartouche on top. The meat was tender and fell off the bone. I used a stick blender to blend the veggies as part of the gravy and a small pat of butter for a bit of extra richness.
While I’m not a fan of wine, I found the slow cook worked a treat.
I served the ribs on a bed of sweet potato mash with green beans and corn on cob as the sides
Your recipes never disappoint. I sometimes modify them to add more spices but other than that, everything is always perfect. I made this recipe a few days ago, for my family, and everyone loved it. I am making it again today just for myself. For Americans who want to make this, consider going to your local HMart (Asian grocery store) for the ingredients as they have an amazing meat section, stock all the other ingredients you need, and it will all be less expensive than other stores in your area, most likely.
Your comment about not being able to tell the difference between a $5 and $50 bottle of red in this made me laugh. My Mum once cooked a casserole with a bottle of Grange. My dad said it was the best casserole he’d ever tasted! He was a very good man.
Recommendations on sizing of Dutch oven or crockpot and instead of ounces how many pounds you all purchased in comparison?
My problem was I purchased maybe too much meat? And had too small of a crockpot. I had to add water to cover the meat. However, for two people, I still really didn’t have a lot of meat once all the fat was gone.
I think I would really like a recipe that has more of a gravy with the short ribs potentially. This was tasty and fell off the bone, which was awesome. My significant other didn’t like all the fat. Of course I am pretty inexperienced with cooking so I think I will just make sure I remove the fat before I serve it, but I also think the wine flavor. Maybe it wasn’t our thing. It was very good just not what I had in mind.
Does anyone have any pro tips as far as scoping out or buying short ribs? I got some at a local butcher for short of 50 bucks for I think short of 5 pounds of short ribs. They were frozen. Idk I just feel like I missed the mark in a few ways and it wouldn’t suprise me as this is my first time making them and I am super inexperienced with cooking. I do want to learn though so let a girl have all the feedback. Thanks in advance
Ahhhh…..the meat just melted off the bone….
Thanx N….:)
Absolutely delicious. I cooked this for a small dinner party and was thrilled with the ease and the show-stopping qualities of this recipe. Everyone raved. I kept in the carrots and onions and blended them with an immersion blender a little bit and served it over the mashed potatoes and rib.
My husband has already asked when we can make this again.
Thank you!
Made this today, absolutely amazing😋
Sorry folks, don’t waste your time or money on this garbage recipe, unless you don’t like flavor. Short ribs are very expensive, and don’t need some light touch liberal cooking. Steer clear of this website.
Bob, your comment is rude and ignorant, but I’ll try to help you anyway:
You likely didn’t cook it for long enough. The meat can test tender but still need a bit more time for the flavors to meld.
BOB YOU ARE A KNOB
(In Australia, that means you’re Dickhead)
Lol
Bob, you must 4’9″ with a micro penis who has no cooking skills. Go take another pill
You’re a jerk bob.
If you come for Nagi. You come for all of us. Watch out Bob.
Hahaha – love it Lee! It’s true!
Change your name Bob, you make all Robert’s look bad. You probably made it wrong, I’m assuming because reading is an issue. It’s delicious.
These ribs are delicious. You’re pathetic though.
F*cked around. Found out.
Relax guys, Bob probably just had covid and didn’t realize it yet, so he was having trouble tasting the food.
Bob, this is what happens when you stop taking your meds, they make you a bad person. Stay on the pills, learn to live with a tiny, non-functioning manhood, and enjoy life.
Oh why you so grumpy Bob? RTE are the BEST!
Everyone steers clear of Bob the dingus
Rude! “Light touch liberal”? Lol are you okay? This is an amazing recipe. You’re just trolling. Find a reason to be happy, unclench and move on.
I couldn’t disagree more with Bob.
1. where I live beef short ribs are a cheap cut of meat
2. this low/slow cooking approach yields a melt-in-the-mouth savory, flavor-filled result. It’s my go-to slow cooker short rib recipe
3. there’s enough toxic negativity in the world that no-one needs to spread more – “light touch liberal cooking”??? Get a grip, Bob.
As for Nagi’s recipe, the only change I make from time to time is to add a generous dollop of Korean ssamgjang paste to bring out more funky umami flavors.
MAGA nut alert. They can even make recipes about their whacko agendas and conspiracies. Go back to your hole, Bob.
you’re a sad little man
WOW. Who hurt you Bob?
Bob, what the hell is ‘liberal’ cooking? Most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. Cut the Prozac in half, man. And get a life.
liberal cooking. hmmmm, is that a term?
Bob you need to get a life Nagi is the best. I’ve cooked many of her recipes and cannot fault any of them. If you don’t like it move on, no need to put your crappy/negative comment on here! Look for attention elsewhere.
I so agree with your comments Sam. I have used this recipe many times along with others on Nagi’s site and they all turned out brilliantly!
I loved this recipe and this website
Go away
Bob has a tiny dick; steer clear of his dumbass opinions
I am deceased haha thank you 😂 perfect response.
Apparently, Bob feels defeated when it comes to short ribs… Bob now resorts to lil’Smokey recipes, only.
What are you talking about! Your comment was very vague. How about some pointers since you seem to be an expert of some sort. Ignore Bob if you want honest and insightful reviews. Excellent recipe. We did it served on polenta with a side of fresh charred green been and sliced almonds.
Sounds like a skill issue, Bob!
I agree, Bob needs to stay away from this website
I served this over cheesy smoked gouda grits and it was amazing
superb
Tried this braised short rib recipe and we loved it. I just added some brown sugar to the sauce just to sweeten it a little. Cooked it in the oven for 3 and a half hours to the suggested temperature. Loving your recipes as this is not the first one I’ve tried.
I found this recipe when I was trying to figure out how to make short ribs for the first time. I have never used wine for cooking (I just drink it lol!). I have been missing out on the best sauce that I’ve ever had in my life. I love cooking, and I love flavor, but I never imagined that red wine would add such a deep richness like it does in your recipe. Wow! I sent the recipe to my mom, and she responded with, “That’s a recipe from my friend Nagi in Australia, I have her recipe book”. My teen daughter and I were able to look through every page of your recipe book last night. It is so amazing! Thank you for the amazing red wine sauce, and thank you even more for touching our 3 generations with your work! ❤️
Hi! I’m not sure if you’ll be able to read my message, but I really hope that you would. Today, I cooked braised short ribs, but I only used half the portion of ingredients. However, mine didn’t turn out well. I messed it up; when I opened the lid, there was no sauce, just oil. I cooked it for 1 hour in the oven. What could be the cause of that happening?
It could be the part where you halved all of the ingredients.
Treat the amount of liquid as a guide – you want the beef to be almost covered by liquid. How much that takes depends on what pot you are using. Then when the beef is out, reduce the sauce down to a jus consistency.
If my Dutch oven is small, can I divide the recipe in half and still make it work? It’s just myself a my partner at home, so I don’t need to cook a lot per say…
Made this once before in the slow cooker. Amazing results. Tried my instapot pressure cooker for one hour this time. The ribs were extremely tender and cooked perfectly. The flavor wasn’t there. Nothing like low and slow to create the depth of flavor it creates. Time sacrifices flavor. I miss my dark pieces of fudge looking ribs. Live and learn.
Made this as written, but used beef osso buco. Extremely more-ish. After 3 hrs in the dutch oven, I removed the meat and used a stick blender to puree the veggies and sauce, which also helped thicken without having to reduce further. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Has anyone added balsamic vinegar? If yes, how much?
Just cooked the short ribs of beef, stunning! 😍
Can leftovers be frozen?