Braised Beef Short Ribs (Video)

A tender braised short rib being pulled apart with a fork and knife on a bed of mashed potatoes.

5 from 154 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

Total Time2 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Dutch Oven I recommend using a 5 qt pot for 4 short ribs
Parchment Paper
Mesh Strainer

Ingredients

4 whole beef short ribs English cut
2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1 tsp black pepper or to taste
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 fresh thyme
2 sprigs 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

Instructions

Season the beef short ribs with half of the kosher salt and black pepper on all sides.
Add 2 tbsp of avocado oil to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes and remove.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, shallots, and garlic to the dutch oven, season with the remaining salt and pepper, and let them caramelize for 2 minutes in the pan over medium high. Stir in 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. 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. Remove the short ribs to a bowl.
To make the sauce, strain the herbs and vegetables from the pot with a mesh strainer. If there is a lot of noticeable liquid fat in the liquid, use a fat separator or spoon to skim off the fat and discard (this is the key to preventing a greasy sauce!). Add the braising liquid back to the pot and reduce over 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, taste the sauce and season to taste, and serve immediately over the short ribs.

Video

Notes

Beef Short Ribs - I recommend buying "English cut" bone-in beef short ribs - they're cut between the rib bones so there is a singular piece of bone connected to the meat. Try to use beef short ribs that are similar in size so they cook evenly and become tender at the same time. Look for ones that have small streaks of white running through the meat of the ribs - this is fat, which will melt during the cooking process and result in a juicy, flavorful 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. This helps with evaporation, browning, and (most importantly) ensures the beef stock fully covers the short ribs - this will prevent 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 reduce to thicken, add cold butter to the sauce and mix until glossy and thickened. This is a secret restaurant trick used to create amazing sauces!

Using a 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.

Storage and Freezing - Store any leftover short ribs with the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The sauce will taste even better the next day! If you want to freeze these, 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.

Nutrition