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:
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Oven – 3 hours at 160C/325F
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Stove – 2.5 hours
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Pressure Cooker – 1 hour on high
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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!!
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BBQ Beef Ribs – slow cooked ribs in a sticky sweet BBQ sauce!
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Osso Buco – traditional Italian slow cooked veal
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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 😂
Thank you for this recipe! it was easy to make and I used a combination of chuck roast and spare ribs. Mine turned out a bit salty bec I used either too much kosher salt or beef broth. Oh well, still very rich and tasty, very suitable for these winter months. Much appreciated!!
Hi Nagi,
Can I make this recipe the day before I intend to serve it? And if so, do I store the ribs in the sauce?
Thank you!
I made this using my tagine to slow cook the short ribs on my gas stove. They turned out divine! My husband loved them. He agreed that the dish would have well come from a “high end” restaurant! Great recipe, Nagi!!
Crazy good! So easy and so delicious! Used a little extra broth and an immersion blender on the veggies to create a rustic veggie sauce that wow’ed my family. Added a little red chili flake to the meat and a little Worcestershire before popping it in the oven
If the oven temperature does not specify fan/convection, should I automatically drop it by 20 degrees for a fan oven?
Thank you so much! I really enjoyed this recipe. I followed it exactly and I wouldn’t change a thing
Will be making it again forsure in the future
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious. Simple to make and restaurant worthy meal. Served with mashed potatoes and boiled veggies. Used a little cornflour and water to thicken the gravy once I’d reduced it just because I like a thicker sauce.
Just yummy!
A variation for who prefers to use the vegetables in the sauce to make it less liquid.
I blended the vegetables with part of the liquid and got a delicious creamy sauce.
Finally made this, been on my list for ages, it was delish! We had it with mash and steamed fresh broccoli on the long stems if you know what I mean, and a glass of red to swallow it down, proper restaurant meal, thank you x
Divine and delish! And to think that I’m not even fond of beef. I didn’t have celery so did without and used dried mixed herbs in place of thyme. I blended the vegs into the sauce for a smooth finish and added a spoonful of Vegemite for umami flavour and canned button mushrooms. Served with mashed potatoes for a Sunday meal. Mmmm, thanks for posting the recipe
Amazing!!! I accidentally spent a fortune on the ribs because I bought too many but OMG they were amazing!! Will definitely be making this again. My family think im an amazing cook but it’s all thanks to you Nagi!!
This braised beef short ribs in red wine sauce recipe is a culinary masterpiece! The rich flavors and tender meat make it an absolute delight to savor. Thanks to RecipeTin Eats for sharing this mouthwatering dish. It’s a must-try for anyone looking to impress their guests or simply indulge in a delightful homemade meal. Bon appétit!
My wife and I went out to dinner with some friends to a very nice Italian restaurant. We ordered family style short ribs Pappardelle dish that was fantastic, so much I had to recreate it. I used this recipe and it was better than the restaurants. We will be adding this to our rotation. Thank you for the great recipe.
I followed this recipe to a T and was a bit underwhelmed. My sauce didn’t reduce at all and was very watery. I found the sauce lacking in flavour and added a gravy mix to get some flavour.
Freaking amazing! So rich!
This was so delicious. My husband and my two sons gushed at how tender the meat was. I had Costco short ribs but boneless, so I wasn’t sure if it was going to taste as good, but surprisingly it did! The only thing I did differently was that I mixed it in flour first and then I browned it. I also didn’t have celery, so I added potatoes the last hour. But that’s it. Otherwise, I will make this again.
Simple and delicious
would love to make these for thanksgiving and wondering how good theyd be if i made the day before and stored in the fridge?
This will be even better the next day if you store them in the fridge, many slow braised dishes get better with a little time. You could freshen up the sauce with another splash of wine or some chopped herbs when you reheat it.
Fantastic recipe, was greatly surprised how beautiful this turned out to be. An absolute winner.
Made last night, and I decided not to waste the vegetables, so blended them into the sauce, then strained it. Really yummy, and the sauce was the perfect thickness.
I’ve got this in the oven for our dinner tonight, will serve with blue cheese mash, and steamed broccolini. Just wondering about blending the sauce veges and all, then straining? What do you think?