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Everyone and their mother has a Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe, but if my wife, who is not really a “red meat” eater, asks for seconds I knew these were going to be a hit! This is the perfect easy recipe to really impress your family or guests for dinner and special occasions. Learn how to make the most flavorful, tender, fall-off-the-bone short ribs.
What makes this recipe better than the others? Reducing those beef juices and making a silky, fortified sauce that glistens over the short ribs, turning everything it touches into a flavor explosion! I serve these with my Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Cauliflower for a luxurious dinner. Learn how to make the best short ribs of your life with this easy recipe!
Watch the step-by-step Braised Beef Short Ribs Video Below!
Ingredients for Braised Beef Short Ribs
I love this Braised Short Ribs recipe because only a few ingredients will make tender, fall apart beef short ribs and an irresistible sauce. Firstly, here are the ingredients you will need!
- whole beef short ribs (English cut)
- yellow onion
- carrot
- celery
- garlic
- shallot
- tomato paste
- red wine
- thyme
- rosemary
- beef stock
- neutral oil
- unsalted butter
Introducing Beef Short Ribs
Short ribs are a very popular cut of beef in many major grocery stores. Typically you will find two types of cuts to buy:
- English Cut (most traditional): The cut is made in large sections between the rib bone with a singular piece of bone connected to the meat. This is the cut you will want for this recipe.
- Flanken Cut (found in most Asian markets): The cut is made horizontally across three rib bones to create a long, thin cut of short ribs. If you have this cut of short ribs, I highly recommend you try my Korean Marinated Short Ribs (LA Galbi) recipe!
Buying Beef Short Ribs
When buying beef short ribs, here are a few tips to make sure you are buying the best quality short ribs:
- Size: Ensure the beef short ribs are of similar size. This will allow them to cook evenly and become tender at the same time.
- Marbling: Look for short ribs have small streaks of white running through the meat of the ribs. This is fat that will melt during the cooking process and result in a juicy, flavorful short rib!
- Bone-in vs. Boneless: I recommend buying bone-in beef short ribs for this recipe. The bone adds tons of flavor to the sauce. However, you can substitute boneless short ribs for this recipe and follow the same steps.
Pro Tips for Braised Short Ribs!
- Searing the short ribs: Ensure there is a hard, deep golden brown sear on all sides of the short ribs in step 2. Taking the time to do this will result in a flavorful beef short rib!
- Cartouche: I recommend making a cartouche (a fancy word for parchment paper lid) to cover the short ribs before covering with the lid of the Dutch oven. Not only does it allow for evaporation and browning, it more importantly ensures the beef stock fully covers the short ribs by making contact with the ribs and stock. This prevents any dry, tough spots on the beef during the braising process as the stock reduces. Serious Eats has a great guide on how to make one.
- Cold Butter: Once the beef juices have reduced to thicken in step 5, add cold butter to the sauce and mix until glossy and thickened. This is a secret restaurant trick used to create amazing sauces!
Braised Beef Short Ribs: Recipe Instructions
1. Season the short ribs on all sides
Season all sides of the short ribs with kosher salt and black pepper. Ensure all sides are well coated (including the bone!) to make sure the short ribs come out flavorful.
2. Sear the short ribs in a large Dutch oven
I recommend using a large Dutch oven for this recipe. Heat avocado oil over medium high and sear the short ribs until they have a deep golden brown color on all sides. This is known as the mallard reaction, which results in a flavorful exterior crust and adds tons of flavor to the final dish.
Once the short ribs are browned on all sides, remove them to a plate leaving all oil and fat in the pot.
3. Sautรฉ the vegetables and tomato paste
Add the onions, celery, carrots, shallots, and garlic to the pot and let them caramelize for 2 minutes in the pan over medium high. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the red wine, beef stock, and herbs
Add the red wine and reduce it over medium high heat. Using a wooden spatula, scrape up any brown bits, or fond, stuck to the bottom of the pan (this will add tons of flavor to the braising liquid!). Add the short ribs back to the pan and enough beef stock to cover the short ribs. Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs and cover with a cartouche and the lid. Braise for 2 hours over a low simmer or until the short ribs are soft and fork tender.
5. Reduce and fortify the sauce
To make the sauce, strain the ingredients into a mesh strainer and reserve the liquid. Discard the vegetables in the mesh strainer and add the liquid back to the pot and reduce by half over medium heat until the sauce can coat the back of a spoon. Add cold unsalted butter and mix it into sauce until glossy and serve immediately over the short ribs. Serve with a nice root vegetable like my Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Honey Roasted Carrots. Enjoy!
How to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs in the slow cooker or crock pot:
Follow steps 1-4 of this recipe then place all the ingredients into the slow cooker. Set the temperature to low and cook for 5-6 hours or until the beef ribs are fork tender.
If you liked this easy one-pot Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe, try some of my other popular recipes like my moist and tender Meatloaf recipe or other classics below!
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan (Super Easy)
- Authentic 15-Minute Carbonara
- Sticky Asian Ribs
If you tried this Braised Beef Short Ribs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ๐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Braised Beef Short Ribs (Video)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 whole beef short ribs, English cut
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups red wine
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 quart beef stock, plus more to cover the beef ribs, if needed
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or other neutral oil like vegetable or canola
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Season the beef short ribs with kosher salt and black pepper on all sides.
- Add 2 tbsp of avocado oil to a Dutch oven on medium high. Sear on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes and remove.
- Add the onions, celery, carrots, shallots, and garlic and let them caramelize for 2 minutes in the pan over medium high. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the red wine to the pot. Using a wooden spatula, scrape up any and all brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (this will add tons of flavor to the braising liquid!). Reduce the wine by a third, then add the short ribs back to the pan along with enough beef stock to cover the short ribs. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs then cover with a cartouche and the lid. Braise for 2 hours over a low simmer or until the short ribs are soft and fork tender.
- To make the sauce, strain the ingredients to reserve the liquid. Add the liquid back to the pot and reduce by half until the sauce can coat the back of a spoon. Add the cold unsalted butter and mix it in until glossy and serve immediately over the short ribs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It drives me crazy when people review recipes after they have made a bunch of modifications, but I did make a couple. I didnโt have a shallot so that got omitted and after the ribs were done and I strained the vegetables out of the liquid I thickened it with a little corn starch slurry rather than reduce it. I did this because the liquid was plenty salty as it was and reducing it would have only made it salty.
I’m glad it worked out for you Tracey! Thanks for trying the recipe and providing the tips!
I have a question so I have given you five stars, although I have not made this particular short rib recipe. The reason for 5 stars is it looks similar to one of Ina Garten’s short rib recipe that I love and because of the stellar reviews here by your trustworthy fans.
My question is about the vegetables. What is your reason for straining the veggies out of the sauce? Is it texture/presentation? Or what you perceive as an alteration to the the taste?
And taking it a step further, what do you think about pureeing some of the vegetables and adding them back to the sauce? Or maybe mixing sone of the vegetables into a mashed potato dish?
I definitely will make this as soon as the ribs go on sale. Short ribs are one of my very favorites. They certainly inpress.
Thank you, Leslie.
Hi Leslie – the purpose of the vegetables is to extract all their flavor into the final reduced sauce, but you could certainly take them out once they are fork tender and eat them if you wish!
My short ribs have a lot of fat should I drain it after cooking
Iโm talking
A
Lot
Of fat
Hi Darlene – yes, after braising and the short ribs are tender, I’d recommend skimming off any liquid fat or using a fat separator before reducing the sauce in the pot. I hope that helps!
I made this last night and the meat was very tender. I want to add some pop to this recipe. What would you suggest?