Braised Beef Short Ribs are slow cooked for hours in a red wine, beef stock, and rich tomato sauce. Perfect served over mashed potatoes, risotto, rice, or noodles. Full of tender, fall off the bone, meaty goodness!
This braised beef short rib recipe is one of my all-time favorite comfort food dishes. There is nothing more comforting to me than a meal of red wine braised short ribs served over mashed potatoes. So rich and flavorful!
Braised beef short ribs for restaurant quality food at home
Slow cooked beef short ribs are super easy to make, yet exceptionally impressive. It’s a fantastic family dinner or a great romantic date night at home kind of meal.
For extra convenience, the ribs can also be made the day before and heated right before serving for a quick meal. Trust me when I tell you, they are even better the next day, so plan on making a double batch!
How to reheat ribs:
- Can leave the short ribs and sauce in the cooking pot and place directly in the refrigerator.
- Take the pot with the ribs out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes prior to reheating to take the chill off.
- Reheat on the stove-top over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
- Can also reheat in a preheated 300F/149C degree oven for 30 minutes.
Difference Between Flanken and English Cut Short Ribs
- Flanken style is a thin cut (1/2 inch thick) of short rib that is cut across the bone, so each piece is a mixture of bone and meat. This type of short rib is most often found in a Korean BBQ recipe called galbi. They are also typically cooked quickly over a charcoal fueled high heat.
- English style is cut between the rib bones, so each bone has a thick meat on top. This recipe uses the English style and it’s also the cut that’s used for boneless short ribs. Due to their thickness, they are typically cooked by a slow and low method, like this recipe.
Use grass fed beef for the best flavor
Just take a look at those grass fed short rib beauties in the picture above that I bought at a local holistic organic farm. Cooking with farm-to-table ingredients and buying from farms who honesty care about their animals, the land, and providing healthy food for the community is so rewarding.
If you want to start buying from your local farms, look them up on Eat Wild and get some good grass fed beef ribs for this recipe.
Easiest slow cooked beef rib recipe with minimum preparation
It starts with beef ribs being seared and browned over high heat in a dutch oven, then topped with some fresh garlic, onion, red wine, beef stock, and a little tomato paste. Cover and bake for up to 3 hours for bone-in or 2 1/2 hours for boneless. SO EASY!!!
After cooking, it’s all transformed into a glorious sauce that is perfection poured over mashed potatoes, polenta, or noodles. Or go the low carb way with cauliflower mash, sweet potato mash, or roasted winter squash.
The sauce will thicken on it’s own, so there’s really no need to use flour to thicken, just uncover the pot and serve. Be sure to make double sauce because there’s never enough gravy.
Try these easy side dishes to serve with the braised beef ribs:
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Fresh Ginger and Shallot Green Beans
- Lyonnaise Potatoes
- Sriracha Roasted Broccoli
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Loaded Sweet Potato Soup
Looking for bread or dessert recipes?
- French Bread
- Sweet Potato Rolls
- Garlic Cheddar Angel Biscuits
- Easy Fruit Cobbler
- Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Cranberry Lemon Biscotti
- Creamy and Easy Butterscotch Pudding
- Chocolate Hazelnut Rice Dream
Did you enjoy these Braised Beef Short Ribs? Let me know by leaving a comment below and please don’t forget to share the recipe with your family and friends.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds meaty English style cut short ribs, bone-in (preferably local farm raised and grass-fed),
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 medium
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup good quality red wine
- 2 cups good quality beef stock homemade or store bought (can substitute chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 12 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (optional)
- fresh fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Take the beef short ribs out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature before cooking (about 1/2-1 hour).
- Preheat oven to 325F/162C degrees.
- Heat a large dutch oven over high heat. Add tablespoon of olive oil and sear short ribs on all sides until brown, adding additional olive oil as needed. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add beef stock, tomato paste, and thyme. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Return short ribs to pan, cover, and place in the preheated oven. Braise for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until beef is fork tender.
- If using mushrooms, add them to the pot with the short ribs the last 30-45 minutes of cooking time.
- Place cooked ribs on serving dish. Skim excess fat off top of the cooking liquid and reduce over high heat to thicken into a sauce, if necessary. Spoon sauce over short ribs and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- If using boneless short ribs, braise for 2 1/2 hours, until fork tender.
- Store leftovers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Double the sauce ingredients for extra sauce.
- Can make the day before and reheat the next day (In a covered dutch oven, reheat for 30 minutes over medium-low on the stove top or in a preheated 300F/149C degree oven)
- Leftovers are even better the next day, so make a double batch!
- Want to freeze the short ribs for later? Let completely cool, then put in a tightly covered, freezer proof container and store for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, then reheat as usual.
Lucie says
Hello,
It was our Christmas lunch, everybody enjoyed.
I doubled the sauce, otherwise, I followed all instructions and it was really perfect.
Taste is amazing,
Many thanks for the recipe,
Lucie
[email protected] says
So glad everyone enjoyed it Lucie and thank you so much for the feedback! Happy new year to you all.
Katie Crenshaw says
Best recipe for short ribs ever! Everyone loved it.
Jason says
Super Easy and super delicious. Very decadent meal. My family continually asks for this. It was very good on mashed cauliflower as well.
Karrie says
Thanks so much for the review Jason and so happy your family likes the recipe! It’s one of my family’s favorite too and I’ve substituted beef shanks when I can’t find short ribs to fantastic results. A side of mashed cauliflower sounds so delish!
Camille Simione Fegyveresi says
First time making Short Ribs. DELICIOUS RECIPE, will definitely make this again. Followed directions exactly, sauce dried up a bit while cooking in oven, will double sauce next time. But this recipe is a Winner. Thank you.
Karrie says
Thank you Camille and so happy you liked it!
Bev says
When I have cooked short ribs in the past, there is a lot of fat released in the cooking. Do you skim the cooking sauce before serving?
Karrie says
Hello Bev, yes to skimming any excess fat off the top before serving.
Myron says
Hi Karrie! First off, let me say the pics on this post are great and the recipe sounded amazing so I’m going to try it. I cook quite a bit, but it will be my first time trying a “braised” method of cooking.
But there is one thing I saw that may confuse your readers. When describing the meal at the beginning, it say “beef broth”…….but the recipe calls for @beef stock” . And this is why I’m mentioning it. Up till today, I had never used either. At the grocery store, they’re stocked together, so I had to do some research to see if they were the same thing, which I found that they are not.
End of story, I went with the beef stock, since it was on the recipe list. Now I gotta see if I can get mine to look and taste as good as yours. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Karrie says
Thanks for your kind words Myron! Thank you too for the catch and I changed the script in the text, so it’s less confusing. Braising is one of my favorite ways of cooking because it’s so easy and provides maximum flavor/results. Hope you like it too and hope you enjoyed the short ribs!
Cathy says
This was excellent. I did season the ribs with a little salt and pepper before browning. I would definitely make it again!
Karrie says
Thank you Cathy!
Lisa says
This was beyond delicious! I made it last night and have already shared your recipe with friends … it’s THAT GOOD!!!
Karrie says
Thank you so much for your comment and for sharing the recipe Lisa! Gotta love beef short ribs and it’s such a great comfort food meal too, especially in the winter.
Ajay Rana says
These look absolutely divine. I can’t wait to try the recipe!!
Karrie says
Thanks Ajay and enjoy!
mimi rippee says
The great thing about short ribs is that you can put out a meal that looks like it’s out of a 5 star restaurant! They’re so luscious. Great recipe.
Karrie says
So true Mimi and thank you!
Kelly | Foodtasia says
These ribs look fabulous! Love how elegant and easy they are!
Karrie says
So easy and great for date night at home.
Jeff the Chef says
What delicious-sounding ribs! I love serving things like this with pasta, believe it or not. Sometimes, I’ll get a little extra liquid in the pot and toss the pasta in at the last minute, so it cooks as the ribs finish.
Karrie says
That sounds delicious Jeff and trying these over pasta next time!
Linda says
Making these with kids in mind, substitute for wine?
Karrie says
Hi Linda! The alcohol will evaporate out of the wine while reducing (it burns off at 172°F), so shouldn’t be an issue. If you’d like to leave the wine out entirely, just substitute a little more of the beef broth (1/4 cup should be fine). Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
It seems like we have been eating a lot of the same dishes lately. Your short ribs look so very tender.
Patrice Cain says
I missed the beef stock in the recipe but I have chicken broth . Can I use that?
Karrie says
Yes you can substitute chicken broth for the beef broth, Patrice!
Karen Slade says
Mine have another hour to braise.. Followed your directions to the letter.. I know they will be perfect it’s literally my Dads favorite dish and at 83, he gets what he wants for Sunday dinner. Garlic Mash potatoes are going to be the perfect match!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Good eats for Sunday dinner tonight Karen! Wish I was your neighbor because I’d invite myself over (I’d bring rolls and dessert) LOL! Please let me know how you all like it and especially what your Dad thinks of the recipe! Really hoping he loves it and good choice on garlic mashed potatoes…those are the PERFECT side.
Roman @ Forster (Australia) says
I went to a little effort with the ribs and removed the ‘silver’ skin off the bones. I think that also helped to make this the best beef ribs ever. Partner and I consider this the best beef rib experience ever.
Karrie says
Thank you so much Roman and I’m so happy you both enjoyed the recipe!!!!
Lindsay Tiedemann says
OMG I made these tonight with popovers! SO GOOD! I doubled the sauce from some of the the above comments! I think I will add some potatoes next time
Karrie says
Oooooooooo POPOVERS!!!! I’m making popovers next time I make the short ribs! Very happy you liked the recipe Lindsay and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Haven’t tried cooking potatoes with the ribs, so please let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Deb Salvaggio says
Can I use a large cast iron pan ?
Karrie says
Hi Deb, a large cast iron pan should work, as long as you have a tight fitting lid for it. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
QueenNesha says
Hi5!!!! I used oxtails and short ribs .(picked up 2 packages of each on accident). as soon as my sister knew I was trying this she muscled in on dinner..she did however bring the homeade rolls… It was better than amazing!
Karrie says
Thank you and so happy you liked the recipe! LOVE that you used the combo of oxtails and short ribs and def trying that next time I make it. lol on your sister and bet her homemade rolls were killer too!
Sandra says
How long do cook the ribs if it’s boneless
Karrie says
If using boneless ribs, braise for about 2 1/2 hours, until fork tender. Hope you enjoy the recipe Sandra!
Ema says
5 STARS!!!! I tried this recipe and surprised my husband. He couldn’t get enough of the ribs. Thank you very much.
Karrie says
Thank you so much Ema and glad your husband enjoyed it!!
Keith Watson says
Fantastic. First time I’ve ever cooked beef short ribs, so it was an experiment. Read other comments, and did increase the sauce by adding more stock.
Now I will be able to cook it again, and serve it up to my wife and guests.
Thank you.
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Thank you Keith and feeling pretty honored you picked my recipe for first time cooking short ribs!! Soooo happy you liked it and please let me know how your wife and guests like it when you cook them again.
Jim H says
I’ve made short ribs many times, this is best, simple but emphasis on good quality, fresh ingredients, good quality ribs, wine, I use a HESS Cab or CLINE Zin, reasonable prices excellent quality, goes great with the meal too. I’d enjoy seeing your take on short ribs with a mustard based sauce!
Thanks, Jim
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
Many thanks Jim for your kind comment! Yes, yes, yes on the wine!! I’ve had Hess with this, but checking out that Cline Zine at the store for next time. Great idea on a mustard based sauce and going to start developing a recipe on that now!
Denise sheridan says
What isn’t design best way to heatt 9f you make a day ahead. ?. Don’t want to dry them out.
Karrie says
Here’s how to reheat them Denise: You can leave the ribs with the sauce in the pot when refrigerating them. Take the pot with the ribs out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes prior to reheating to take the chill off. Reheat on the stove-top over medium-low heat or in a preheated 300F/149C degree oven for 30 minutes. Don’t worry about drying them out. They will be just as tender and moist as when they were freshly cooked. Please let me know how you like them!