Braised Short Ribs are slow cooked in red wine until fork tender for a cozy and elegant dinner. They make great leftovers too!
Braised short ribs are one of my go-to recipes for dinner parties and cozy winter meals. They are simple to make, taste amazing and look so fancy when you serve them on-the-bone over crockpot mashed potatoes. Whether it’s short ribs or a meatloaf recipe, my family loves delicious and comforting beef recipes.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS
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What’s great about this braised short ribs recipe is that you can easily multiply it to feed a crowd. I prefer to use a Dutch Oven for smaller groups, but since these short ribs are seared and then slow-cooked, you could sear them in small batches and then slow cook them in a large aluminum foil pan in the oven for a crowd.
How to Braise Short Ribs in a Dutch Oven
There are two steps to braising meat in a Dutch Oven. First, you’ll sear the meat over high heat to get a crispy crust on the outside.
Second, you’ll transfer the Dutch Oven directly from the stovetop to the inside of your oven, and stew the meat in liquid. The liquid for these beef short ribs is a combination of red wine and beef broth that gives the ribs the most delectable deep, rich flavor.
Ingredients in Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Short ribs
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery stalks
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Red wine
- Beef broth
- Thyme
- Salt
Eight short ribs are an ideal amount for this Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe. You can find short ribs at a specialty butcher shop or in the meat department of your local grocery store. To get the best flavor, choose bone-in short ribs that are highly marbled with fat.
How to Make Braised Short Ribs
- The first thing you’ll want to do is pat your short ribs dry with a paper towel. This will allow your ribs to get a super crispy sear on the edges.
- After you pat the meat dry, salt the ribs on all sides and sear the ribs on all sides in olive oil in your Dutch Oven, about 2 minutes per side.
- Once the short ribs have browned, take them out of the pot and cook your veggies, making sure to scrape up all of those bits leftover from the meat.
- When the veggies have softened a little, nestle the short ribs into them, and then pour in the wine and beef broth until they are covered.
- Add a few bundles of thyme and put the whole pot into a 350 degree F preheated oven for 4 hours. You’ll know the meat if done when it’s fork-tender and falling off the bone.
- When the meat is cooked through, remove the thyme and remove the veggies from the braising liquid. (Or leave them in, your call).
- Plate the short ribs and pour some of the cooking liquid over the top.
- I like to serve these short ribs with a starchy side dish like mashed potatoes or maybe even some yummy mashed cauliflower.
Can you make Braised Short Ribs ahead of time?
Absolutely. In fact, these red wine Braised Short Ribs are even better after being reheated! As long as you have 4 hours set aside for cooking time, you can make short ribs the morning of your dinner party or the night before.
When refrigerating braised short ribs, you can do this one of two ways:
Refrigerating the ribs in the cooking liquids – If you do this, be sure to skip the step of draining the cooking liquids in the recipe. Keeping the ribs in the red wine and broth combination allows them to soak up even more of that delicious flavor.
Separating the meat from the liquid first – If you want to eliminate some of the extra fat from this dish, this is the method for you.
- Drain the cooking juices from the Dutch Oven and pour them into a container with an air-tight seal before storing everything in the fridge. When refrigerated, the fat will separate from the broth mixture and will rise to the top.
- When you’re ready to reheat your short ribs, scrape the hardened layer of fat from the liquid and pour it back over the meat before heating.
How to Reheat Short Ribs in the Oven
Reheating pre-made or leftover short ribs is easy! Simply place your Dutch Oven or aluminum pan into a 350 degree F oven and heat for 30 minutes.
The beef short ribs should be warmed through, but not overcooked.
Try some of our other favorite beefy recipes!
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Short Rib Naan Pizza
- More MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make Braised Short Ribs
Dutch Oven: This heavy-duty 5-quart Dutch Oven is an essential tool for every home cook. Use it to sear meats on the stove and then transfer it to the oven to slow-cook and stew.
Tongs: These metal tongs are never too far from my reach in the kitchen. They’re lightweight, but strong enough to turn large pieces of meat and poultry while searing.
*This post originally posted on 10/13/2014.
Ingredients
- 8 beef short ribs
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 cups red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 bundles Fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and liberally salt the meat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-safe pot. Once it is hot begin browning the meat, in batches if necessary, about 2 minutes per side.
- When the meat has been browned put it aside.
- Add onion to the pot. When onions begin to soften, add carrots, celery, and garlic, cooking until all veggies have softened.
- Place the short ribs into the vegetable mixture. Add wine and broth to the pot so the meat is covered by liquid. Place thyme bundles on top of the meat.
- Cover tightly and place in the oven for 4 hours.
- After cooking has finished, the meat should easily pull apart with a fork. Remove the thyme bundles. The vegetables can be strained out of the juices and discarded or served with the juices.
- Serve warm with cooking liquid over mashed potatoes and a sprig of thyme.
Notes
- Nutrition information assumes all ingredients are consummed.
- If you are making this a day ahead of time separate the meat from the juices and put both in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning scrap the hardened layer of fat off the juices and then add them back to the meat for reheating.
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe you might also enjoy:
Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin Stuffed with Prosciutto & Provolone
Jade says
Looks Delish! Would this recipe be able to be made in a slow cooker? If so, on low or high for how many hours?
Kat & Melinda says
You can do these in a slow cooker, though I haven’t done it myself. All of the recipes I have read say on high for 7-8 hours, or on low for 10-11 hours. If you try it let me know how they turn out!
Jenny says
What’s the best wine to use? A Cabernet?
Kat & Melinda says
I have been told that the type of red wine doesn’t matter but I usually use an inexpensive Merlot or Cabernet.
sarah says
I don’t see in the directions what to do with the thyme. When does that come in?
Julie E says
The step for the thyme was is the post itself. We’ve updated the recipe for you. 🙂
chanelle says
These look really yummy. I’m always looking for ideas of what to do with the short ribs that came with our purchase of half a cow. They’re not something I would normally buy since I don’t know what to do with them! Now I know! Thanks for the post!
Kat & Melinda says
Thanks Chanelle, I was really intimidated by them the first time I went to make them and it turned out to be super easy and absolutely delicious. Now I’m spreading the short rib word…Make them you will love them! 🙂
Joanne Wilkinson says
Do you really want them to be this dark brown?
Kat & Melinda says
Yep, that’s what they are supposed to look like! I think they look so dark because of the red wine that they cook in for several hours. They are sooo good 🙂