Braised Beef Short Ribs (Video)

Tender braised short ribs being cut with a fork and knife.

5 from 152 votes

Braised Beef Short Ribs (Video)

This is the perfect easy braised beef short ribs recipe to really impress your family or guests for dinner and on special occasions. Learn how to make the most flavorful, tender, fall-off-the-bone beef short ribs.

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

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. If there is a lot of noticeable liquid fat in the liquid, use a fat separator or spoon to remove the fat (this is the key to preventing a greasy sauce!). Add the liquid back to the pot and reduce by half over medium high heat, stirring occassionally to prevent burning, 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

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 end result!

Cartouche: I recommend making a cartouche out of parchment paper 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.

Add cold butter to fortify the sauce: 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 restaurant trick to create amazing sauces! Serve over the short ribs and Creamy Mashed Potatoes.

Slow Cooker/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.

Freezing: Let the short ribs and sauce cool completely. Place in a freezer safe ziplock bag or container for up to 3 months. Allow thaw and reheat in a pot with 1/4 cup of beef broth until the sauce has thickened and short ribs are warm throughout.

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