This easy braised short ribs recipe makes short ribs fork-tender in a rich sauce with carrots and onions. It's low-effort for a weeknight, but impressive enough for any special occasion.
Have you ever made classic braised short ribs before? If not, you're in for a real treat. What may seem like an intimidating recipe is actually quite simple. It's a comforting recipe that produces fork tender meat with a luxurious sauce after cooking for hours.
If little prep, big flavor appeals to you, you'll also appreciate my pineapple teriyaki chicken, baked penne pasta, lemon garlic salmon, sausage broccoli pasta, and turkey sweet potato chili recipes.
Why You'll Love This BraisedBeef Short Ribs Recipe
- Minimal effort; maximum flavor
- Easy enough for a weeknight, impressive enough for guests
- Use boneless or bone-in short ribs, or even chuck roast
- Pairs wonderfully with creamy mashed potatoes or over fluffy baked potatoes
- Versatile cooking methods
Ingredients You Need
- Beef Short Ribs: You need 4 pounds of boneless short ribs (6-7 pounds of bone in) or chuck roast.
- Beef Broth: The "backbone" as I call it for the braising liquid. I recommend using low sodium as it's easier to control the salt.
- Red Wine: Use a Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon. There's no need to use an expensive wine but make sure it's something that is good enough to drink (within the $8-15 range). To keep this alcohol free, replace with additional beef broth.
- Tomato Paste: Adds a more concentrated tomato flavor than sauce and a subtle sweetness.
- Carrots & Onion: Both add flavor and balance out the richness of the meat and sauce.
- Garlic: There's 5 cloves of smashed garlic for added flavor.
- Seasonings: Basic pantry spices like salt, pepper, and dried oregano. If you don't have the fresh herbs below, additionally dried thyme and dried rosemary.
- Fresh Herbs: A small bunch of thyme and rosemary.
- Olive Oil: Just 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to brown the short ribs.
How To Make Braised Short Ribs
While I won't go into the full details here (you'll find that in the recipe card below), I'll walk you through the important steps.
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Heating an oven-safe 5-quart or larger pot over medium-high heat. While that gets hot, season the short ribs. Add the olive oil and brown the short ribs on all sides—you want them very nicely browned.
Remove the short ribs and toss in the carrots, onion, and celery. Then, stir in the tomato paste. Then, pour in the beef broth and red wine. Finally, add the short ribs back in and nuzzle in so they are covered by the liquid (some exposed is okay). Toss in the fresh herbs.
Bake low and slow for 3-4 hours until the meat is fork tender.
Optional Cooking Methods
While my preferred method of cooking short ribs is in the oven, not all the time is it possible. This short ribs recipe has many cooking options:
- Oven: 3-4 hours at 300ºF.
- Stove: Over low simmer for 2-3 hours.
- Pressure Cooker: On high for 1 hour.
- Slow Cooker: On low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
FAQs
It's best to start off with browning the short ribs extremely well (for extra flavor!). Letting the short ribs braise in the oven at 300ºF for 3-4 hours produces a very tender meat.
Using a combination of beef broth and red wine give you the best flavor combination for braising.
The most important step to cooking short ribs which makes them extra tender, is to cook them low and slow, also known as braising. This allows the tough tissue to break down which then creates a fall-off-the-bone meat.
You have options! You can use the oven (3-4 hours at 300ºF), stove (low simmer for 2-3 hours), pressure cooker (high for 1 hour), or slow cooker (low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours).
Braised Short Ribs
Description
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef short ribs
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 cups red wine
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 6 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bunch fresh herbs, thyme and rosemary (a few sprigs each)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Season all sides of the beef short ribs with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and oregano. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil over medium-high heat to an oven-safe 5-quarter or larger pot. Add the short ribs and brown on each side, about 5-7 minutes. Each side should be nicely browned—this is key for flavor. (Depending on your pot size, you may need to do this in batches). Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the beef broth, red wine, and remaining salt and black pepper. Add the beef short ribs back into the pot, arranging them so they are submerged as best you can. Top with the fresh herbs.
- Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat can be easily pulled apart with forks. (See recipe notes for other cooking methods).
- Carefully remove from the oven. Spoon 1-2 cups of the liquid into a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat to reduce/thicken, about 8-10 minutes. (You can skip this, flavor will be the same but just a thinner sauce—still tastes wonderful!) Add beef short ribs to a plate or shallow bowl and spoon over sauce paired with mashed potatoes or polenta.
- Leftovers stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: The beef short ribs can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely before placing in an air-tight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in a slow cooker on low.
- Beef Short Ribs: You need 4 pounds of boneless short ribs (6-7 pounds of bone in) or chuck roast.
- No Alcohol: If you don't have red wine or simply don't want to use it, use an additional 2 cups of beef broth.
- Optional Cooking Methods: You can use the oven (3-4 hours at 300ºF), stove (low simmer for 2-3 hours), pressure cooker (high for 1 hour), or slow cooker (low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours).
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