How to Cook Braised Beef Short Ribs

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If you’re in search of an easy braised beef short ribs recipe, made right in your oven, I’ve got you covered! How to Cook Braised Beef Short Ribs is a good recipe for making tender baked short ribs in your Dutch oven.

Make red wine braised short ribs with this easy-to-follow guide. You will quickly see why short ribs are such a rich and hearty main dish, especially when served over creamy mashed potatoes.

Farm-House Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’…..Shall We?? ?

Braised beef short ribs. Is there anything more rich and heavenly? I think not.

If you’ve never experienced short ribs, it’s time to get on the band wagon. Choose a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon when these hunks of beef can bake low and slow for a few hours, filling your entire home with the most mouth-watering aroma.

Beef short ribs are much unlike bbq-style ribs, such as baby back ribs or spare ribs; put those out of your mind for right now as we move into braised beef short rib territory.

Types of Beef Short Ribs

Short ribs come from the brisket, chuck, plate or rib areas of beef cattle and there are two basic cuts: English short ribs or Flanken short ribs.

English short ribs (as used in this recipe) have been cut between each rib, each one having a short bone that has hunk of meat sitting on top.

Boneless English short ribs can sometimes be available from the meat case, too. These short ribs have had the meat entirely cut away from the bones.

Flanken short ribs, also known as Korean short ribs, are very thinly cut slices of beef (approx. 1/2-inch thick) that contain a few flat pieces of bone in each one.

The General Rule of Thumb for Cooking English Short Ribs and Flanken Short Ribs

Low and Slow: English short ribs are nearly always cooked low and slow, braising in a flavorful liquid after they’ve first been seared in hot oil. The braising (cooking) process takes a few hours in the oven, allowing the the meat to become fork-tender and flavorful.

Hot and Fast: Flanken Short Ribs (Korean short ribs) are cooked over high heat, really quickly….otherwise the thin slices of beef will over cook, becoming tough and chewy.

What Ingredients Will I Need to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs?

• English short ribs
• Olive oil
• Aromatics: onion, celery, carrots, garlic
• Tomato paste
• Dry red wine, I used Leaning Shed Red from Grace Hill Winery
• Beef broth
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dark brown sugar
• Worcestershire sauce
• Spices: bay leaf, paprika, thyme leaves
• Cornstarch
• 1 batch of your favorite mashed potatoes
• Chopped fresh Italian parsley or rosemary springs, as garnish
  

What is Braising?

Braising is a cooking method that is two-fold. First you sear the food (usually meat) in hot oil, then it slowly cooks in low, wet heat for several hours, gently simmering in a braising liquid.

Since short ribs are considered a prized cut of flavorful beef, they are most often braised slowly to become rich and fork-tender.

Do I Need Expensive Wine for Making Short Ribs in Wine Gravy?

In this recipe, I used Leaning Shed Red from Grace Hill Winery, located in Whitewater, Kansas. This is a dry red that made a delicious sauce and their winery is gorgeous – over 6,000 vines!

I don’t use super expensive wines when making any sauce – I like to cook with wine that I enjoy drinking…nothing fancy at all.

Easy Recipe Tips for Making the Most Delicious and Tender Beef Short Ribs

• When searing the short ribs in hot oil, be sure to put only a couple of ribs at a time into the hot oil. This allows plenty of room inside the pan for the heat to circulate around each rib so they can get really nice and brown.
  
• Use a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (such as cast iron!) for browning the short ribs. The heavy bottom of a cast iron vessel (whether a skillet or a Dutch oven) promotes really good browning.
  
  The deep sides of a Dutch oven prevent hot fats from splattering all over your cook top and that makes clean up lots easier.
  
• As you work in batches to brown the ribs in the hot oil, remove each batch to a platter while you finish the others so you have plenty of room to work inside the pan.
  
• Once you’ve browned all the short ribs and removed them to the platter, you’ll see that there lots of browned particles in the bottom of the Dutch oven with the remaining oil. These particles are called “fond” and they bring TONS OF FLAVOR to your dish. Utilize them!

• Add the aromatics (onions, celery, carrots, garlic) to the fond and oil that still remains in the Dutch oven, letting them cook together to caramelize, which creates an additional layer of flavor.
  
• When the vegetables have softened and caramelized, add the tomato paste and let it cook until it turns from bright red in color to a reddish-brown color, stirring it often.
  
  Add broth as needed to keep the veggies and tomato paste from sticking and burning to the pan. Letting the tomato paste cook until it is nicely caramelized is what helps make the sauce more flavorful and rich.
  
• Beef short ribs can be pretty fatty, especially when braised for slow and low periods of time.
  
  Some people to prefer to chill the strained sauce (once the short ribs are fully cooked) so they can skim the layer of chilled fat from the surface before thickening it with the cornstarch mixture. This is personal preference and I’ve done it both ways.
  
• We prefer to serve our short ribs over mashed potatoes but some prefer egg noodles, pasta, or gnocchi (potato dumplings).

How to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs in a Dutch Oven Step-by-Step –

In our rural area, it can be a challenge to find short ribs from the meat case at the grocery store. This type of purchase usually involves a butcher shop.

Keep in mind that since this is a special beef dish, you shouldn’t be afraid of the investment in good beef – it’s worth it!

Remove the short ribs from the packaging, placing them onto a large platter or rimmed baking sheet; season well with salt and pepper.

Add the oil to the Dutch oven pot over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned short ribs, just a couple at a time, browning each one on all sides. Remove the browned short ribs to a platter.

Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot, cooking until they begin to soften; add the garlic. When the vegetables have softened, stir in the tomato paste, cooking it until it turns from bright red to dark brownish-red in color.

Add the wine to deglaze the pot, bringing up all the particles that are attached to the bottom. Next, add the broth, spices, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and spices, bringing everything to a good simmer.

More Meat Recipes to Enjoy –

• How to Make Tender and Juicy Smoked Beef Tri Tip
  
• 4 Easy Ways to Make Premium Pulled Pork
  
• How to Make Pork Shank Osso Buco
  
• Country-Fried Steak Fingers with Cream Gravy
  
• French Dip Beef Sandwiches
  
• 3-Ingredient Farm-Style Baked Sticky Ribs
  
• Instant Pot Barbacoa Shredded Beef with Corn Salsa
  
• Easy Instant Pot Swiss Steak

Printable Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Farm House Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine Gravy

This red wine braised short ribs recipe is an easy-to-follow guide for making tender baked beef ribs in your Dutch oven. You will quickly see why short ribs are such a rich and hearty main dish, especially when served over creamy mashed potatoes.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 783kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. good olive oil
• 3-4 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs preferably 8 ribs total
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 small medium yellow onion diced
• 3 ribs celery diced
• 3 medium carrots diced
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup good dry red wine I used Leanin' Shed Red wine from Grace Hill Winery, White Water, KS
• 2 1/4 cups beef broth divided use
• 2 Tbs. good balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 batch of your favorite mashed potatoes
• Chopped scallions, Italian parsley, or fresh rosemary, as a garnishment

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Liberally season each short rib with kosher salt and pepper on all sides.
• In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add the oil.

  When the oil is nicely hot, add the seasoned ribs, a few at a time, quickly browning them on all sides, working in batches as to not over-crowd the pot. Place the seared ribs onto a platter as you work; reserve.
• Reduce the heat to medium. To the pan drippings in the Dutch oven, add the onions, celery and carrots, cooking and stirring until the veggies are softened and browned, approx. 10 minutes.
• Add the crushed garlic to the pot; cook another minute, then add the tomato paste, cooking an additional 5 minutes to let it turn from bright red to a deeper more caramelized color, stirring often. (If needed, add a bit of broth or wine at this stage to keep the tomato paste/veggie mixture from sticking to the bottom and sides of the pot.)
• Add the red wine to the Dutch oven, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pot, bringing up any particles attached to the bottom (all the good stuff!). Now add 2 cups beef broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, paprika and thyme; bring the sauce just to a simmer.
• Add the reserved short ribs from the platter to the liquid in the Dutch oven; cover with a lid. Bake the short ribs for 1 hour at 350 degrees F., then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F., continuing to bake the ribs for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the meat is very fork-tender.
• Remove the pot of short ribs from the oven. Remove the lid, using tongs to gently place the short ribs onto a platter. Next, using a fine mesh strainer, strain the sauce from the pot, returning it to the Dutch oven once more.

  **Please Note: Once the sauce has been strained, you have the option to chill the sauce to allow the fats to raise to the top to harden so they are easily removed. Proceed with the steps below to finish the recipe, at any time, even the next day. The ribs will just need to be reheated while you make the gravy as directed below.
• Now it’s time to make the gravy!

  In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of beef broth with the cornstarch until smooth; whisk this mixture into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Bring the heat to medium, continually whisking the gravy until it is nicely thickened; season to taste.
• To serve, place the warm mashed potatoes down as a fluffy bed; ladle with some gravy, then nestle in the short ribs, adding a bit more gravy over the top, as desired. Sprinkle with your preferred green garnishment and serve at once!

Notes

 

• When searing the short ribs in hot oil, be sure to put only a couple of ribs at a time into the hot oil. This allows plenty of room inside the pan for the heat to circulate around each rib so they can get really nice and brown.
• Use a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (such as cast iron!) for browning the short ribs. The heavy bottom of a cast iron vessel (whether a skillet or a Dutch oven) promotes really good browning. The deep sides of a Dutch oven prevent hot fats from splattering all over your cook top and that makes clean up lots easier.
• As you work in batches to brown the ribs in the hot oil, remove each batch to a platter while you finish the others so you have plenty of room to work inside the pan.
• Once you’ve browned all the short ribs and removed them to the platter, you’ll see that there lots of browned particles in the bottom of the Dutch oven with the remaining oil. These particles are called “fond” and they bring TONS OF FLAVOR to your dish. Utilize them!
• Add the aromatics (onions, celery, carrots, garlic) to the fond and oil that still remains in the Dutch oven, letting them cook together to caramelize, which creates an additional layer of flavor.
• When the vegetables have softened and caramelized, add the tomato paste and let it cook until it turns from bright red in color to a reddish-brown color, stirring it often. Add broth as needed to keep the veggies and tomato paste from sticking and burning to the pan. Letting the tomato paste cook until it is nicely caramelized is what helps make the sauce more flavorful and rich.
• Beef short ribs can be pretty fatty, especially when braised for slow and low periods of time. Some people to prefer to chill the strained sauce (once the short ribs are fully cooked) so they can skim the layer of chilled fat from the surface before thickening it with the cornstarch mixture. This is personal preference and I’ve done it both ways.
• We prefer to serve our short ribs over mashed potatoes but some prefer egg noodles, pasta, or gnocchi (potato dumplings).

 

Nutrition

Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 566mg | Potassium: 1649mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7695IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 9mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli

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