The Best Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs (video)
The best ever slow-braised beef short ribs recipe! These incredibly aromatic short ribs fall right off the bone and the meat is extra, extra tender! I braise these beef ribs in a delicious red wine, tomato and mushroom sauce. It’s the best gravy for these tender ribs! To make it the ultimate comfort food dish, I serve these ribs with my Creamy Butter Mashed Potatoes. This hearty beef recipe is perfect for cold winter months, or anytime you’re craving for some delicious comfort food!
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Ingredients for Braised Short Ribs
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make these slow-braised beef short ribs:
- Bone-In Beef Short Ribs: look for meaty short ribs with a layer of fat over the meat for best results. And always use bone-in ribs for this recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour: for dredging the ribs. The flour will also help thicken the sauce as the ribs slow cook.
- Red Wine: I recommend using a red wine that you enjoy drinking, such as cabernet, merlot or zinfandel. Do not use sweet red wine.
- Tomato Paste: for making the braising sauce.
- Rosemary & Thyme: use fresh herbs for the most flavor.
- Garlic & Onion
- Beef Broth: for the braising sauce.
- Mushrooms: I love mushrooms and I think they add great flavor here, but you can make this recipe without the mushrooms, too!
Seasoning the Short Ribs
If you’ve never had slow-braised beef short ribs, you are in for a very delicious surprise! These ribs are extra tender and coated in an incredible sauce! To begin the recipe, I first season the short ribs all over with coarse sea salt and black pepper. I used 8 medium to large sized bone-in short ribs for this recipe; you can also prepare this recipe with 10 small ribs. I recommend using bone-in ribs only because they will give this dish the most flavor. Next, I dredge the beef ribs all over in all-purpose flour. Just place the flour into a large bowl, turn each rib until it’s well coated and tap off the excess.
Browning the Beef Ribs
One of the secrets to great beef short ribs is the browning process. This step usually takes 8 to 10 minutes per batch and I don’t recommend rushing this step.
- First, I preheat a large frying pan (preferably stainless steel or cast iron) until it’s very hot and I add in a drizzle of cooking oil.
- Next, I brown about 4 to 5 short ribs at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan as this will cool down the pan too much and the meat won’t brown nicely. I turn the beef ribs every couple of minutes until they’re well browned all over and on every side!
- *Cooking tip: clean your frying pan in between batches and reheat it. The flour from the ribs will burn and turn black and can give the dish a burnt flavor.
How to Make Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs
Here’s how to put this incredible dish together!
- Once you have the beef short ribs browned, it’s time to prepare the delicious braising sauce! First, I preheat my braising pan over medium heat and then I cook the mushrooms and onion in butter until they’re golden and tender.
- Next, I add in the garlic, seasonings, fresh herbs, wine and tomato paste. Allow the wine to reduce before adding the beef broth. I bring this sauce up to a simmer for a few minutes before adding the browned short ribs.
- The red wine adds so much great flavor to the sauce! I recommend using a Cabernet, Zinfandel or Merlot of this recipe. If you prefer to cook without the wine, add a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and replace the wine with beef broth.
- These braised beef short ribs need to cook low and slow! I add the ribs into the braising pan with the meat side facing down, bone facing up. This way the meat will be submerged in the sauce the entire time! First, allow the sauce to come up to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.
- The beef ribs need to braised for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone and extra tender. If the braising sauce reduces too much, add an additional ½ cup to 1 cup beef broth, as needed.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Want to try this recipe with a slow-cooker or pressure cooker? This beef recipe is a great choice for either alternative cooking method!
- Pressure Cooker: brown the short ribs first, then prepare the sauce in the pressure cooker and add the ribs. Cook on the ‘High’ Pressure setting for 60 to 70 minutes with Natural Release 15 minutes, or use the machine setting for ‘short ribs’.
- Slow Cooker: prepare the recipe as written and place the sauce and ribs into the cooker. Cover and cook on the ‘high’ setting for 10 to 12 hours. Add an additional ½ cup to 1 cup beef broth halfway through, if needed.
Serving Suggestions
These slow-braised short ribs will fill your kitchen with the most incredible, mouthwatering aroma! As you’re waiting for them to finish cooking, it’s the perfect time to make my Creamy Butter Mashed Potatoes recipe! I usually start making the potatoes about 30 minutes before the ribs are done cooking. Keep the potatoes nice and hot until ready to serve.
Once the ribs are done cooking, you’ll notice a layer of fat has floated to the top. That’s because beef ribs have a lot of fat on them that’s rendered during the cooking process. I recommend using a large spoon and skimming the fat off the surface and into a measuring cup. Allow the grease to cool before disposing of it in a waste container.
More Recipes
Enjoyed this delicious beef dinner recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Garlic & Herb Ribeye Roast Recipe – the most delicious and juiciest beef roast recipe, with an easy pan gravy! Perfect for the holidays!
- The Best Beef Stew – this recipe is a huge hit on YouTube, with hundreds of raving reviews! The beef is so tender and delicious!
- Braised Beef & Potatoes – you’ll love this Eastern European dish with tender chunks of beef and potatoes coated in a tomato sauce.
- Braised Lamb Shanks – another one of my husband’s favorite recipes! The lamb is so tender and falls right off the bone!
- Filet Mignon Steak Dinner – learn how to make the BEST filet mignon dinner with parmesan potatoes and mushrooms!
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Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe (video)
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 bone-in beef short ribs
- Coarse sea salt & black pepper
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- High-temp cooking oil, avocado oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 10 white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 5 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3/4 cup red wine, such as Cabernet
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup beef broth, as needed
- Fresh thyme, for garnish
For Serving:
- 1 recipe Butter Mashed Potatoes
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel, if needed, and season generously all over with sea salt and black pepper. Use your hands to work in the salt. Place the flour into a large bowl and coat each short rib all over with flour; tap off any excess.
- Preheat a large stainless-steel or cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once the pan is extra hot, add in 4 to 5 short ribs and brown them all over for 8 to 10 minutes, ensuring that all sides are well browned. Remove them onto a tray, clean the frying pan and then fry the second batch. Watch my video recipe to see how it’s done!
- Next, preheat a braising pan over medium heat and add the butter. To the melted butter, add the mushrooms and onion and sauté them for 4 to 6 minutes, until tender. Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Add in the wine and tomato paste and whisk everything together. Cook this mixture for a few minutes before adding the beef broth.
- Bring the sauce up to a simmer over medium-high heat and then return the short ribs to the pan, placing the ribs with the meat side facing down. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer again, then cover the braising pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the temperature to low.
- Braise the beef short ribs for 3 to 3 ½ or even 4 hours, until the meat is extra tender and falls of the bone naturally. If the braising sauce reduces too much, add an additional ½ cup to 1 cup beef broth, as needed. Once the ribs are done, remove the pan from the heat and gently place the short ribs to one side of the pan. Tilt the pan slightly and use a large spoon to skim off the fat that has risen to the surface into a measuring cup. Allow this fat to cool, then dispose of it in a waste container.
- When the short ribs have approximately 30 minutes of cooking time left, prepare my Creamy Butter Mashed Potatoes recipe.
- For serving, place 1 large or 2 small ribs onto each plate, over a bed of mashed potatoes. Pour extra sauce over each rib and garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
- Alternative cooking methods: a. Pressure Cooker: brown the short ribs first, then prepare the sauce in the pressure cooker and add the ribs. Cook on the ‘High’ Pressure setting for 60 to 70 minutes with Natural Release 15 minutes, or use the machine setting for ‘short ribs’.b. Slow Cooker: prepare the recipe as written and place the sauce and ribs into the cooker. Cover and cook on the ‘high’ setting for 10 to 12 hours. Add an additional ½ cup to 1 cup beef broth halfway through, if needed.
Nutritional Info:
- Nutritional facts are calculated for the short ribs only, not including the potatoes.
Hi Tatyana, I want to make this short ribs, they look so yummy. But, I have some questions!
Which oil you use? you mention high-temp cooking oil.
The thyme and the rosemary can be dry? I like those herbs, but I don’t buy them fresh, because they go bad very quick, but I always have dry herbs.
My last question. Can I omit the mushrooms or with what can I replace it? I don’t like mushrooms, we never eat them.
Thank you so much for your help!!
Hi Cristina! 🙂 These are so delicious! I always use avocado oil for cooking, I save my good olive oil for salad dressings. You can absolutely use dried herbs for this recipe, too. Have you tried freeze-dried herbs? They’re usually sold next to fresh herbs but don’t need to be refrigerated. The flavor is so much better than regular dried. You can simply leave the mushrooms out and the dish will still be fantastic. Enjoy!! 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply!! I can’t wait to do this recipe!!!
Can you use a Dutch oven for this?
Yes! That will work great for this recipe, too. Enjoy!
How long do you cook in oven and at what temp?
Hi! I would cook these ribs in oven, covered well, at 350F for about 3 hours, ideally 4. You can bake them for more if you have time to make the meat extra soft. Enjoy!
When you print your recipe, it does not advertise you and your page or web site. It just has the name of the recipe. Just FYI.
Thanks for letting me know!
Any recommendations for replacing the wine?
You can replace the wine with more beef broth. Enjoy!
I’ve made this and it was awesome! I’ve since gone gluten free, what type of gluten free flour do you suggest to replace the flour?
I’m so happy you loved the recipe!! 🙂 In place of the flour, I would recommend adding a little bit of cornstarch at the end of the recipe, if you need it. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water, then add the slurry to thicken the gravy.
How can I make this with bone out beef short ribs
You would make them pretty similar, except the cooking time may be shorter. Start checking for the tenderness of the meat after about 1 1/2 hours.
Excited to make this recipe! Didn’t know what to do with short ribs included in our 1/2 cow purchase. The only ingredient I am missing is sea salt. I do have Himalayan Salt. Should I use it or just use table salt?
Hi Christine! Regular salt will work just fine, too. I’m glad you found my recipe and hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipe!
What type of cooking method do you recommend the most?
Hi Jess! You’re very welcome, enjoy! These short ribs are best slow-braised on the stove top, although you can also cook them in the oven.
How would you make this in slow cooker crock pot?
Hi Tammy! For a slow cooker, you’ll want to brown the short ribs the same and prepare the sauce. Then simply place everything into the slow cooker and cook on high for around 10 hours; the longer the better. Enjoy!