Braised short ribs are meaty, bone-in beef ribs browned hard, then cooked low and slow in red wine and beef broth until the meat is spoon-tender and the liquid has turned into a dark, glossy sauce. It is a special-occasion dinner for a cold night, a holiday or a Sunday, served over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.
How to make braised short ribs: Season and brown bone-in short ribs. Cook onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the same pot, stir in tomato paste, then add red wine, beef broth, thyme and bay leaves. Return the ribs, cover and braise at 325°F for 3 hours, until the meat pulls apart with forks. Reduce the sauce and spoon it over.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot. The ribs brown, braise and make their own sauce in the same pot.
- Hands-off cooking. Fifteen minutes of prep, then 3 hours in the oven.
- Fork-tender beef. The long, covered braise does the work.
- A real sauce. Wine, broth, vegetables and tomato paste cook down together.
Ingredient Notes
Beef short ribs. Five to six bone-in ribs of 10 to 14 ounces each. Bone-in is the recommended cut. Boneless ribs can be substituted.
Salt and black pepper. One and a half teaspoons of each, sprinkled all over the ribs.
Onion, garlic, celery and carrots. One large onion, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 ribs of celery and 2 carrots, all chopped.
Tomato paste. Two tablespoons.
Dry red wine. Two cups.
Low-sodium beef broth. Two cups.
Thyme and bay leaves. Two sprigs of thyme, which are optional, and 2 bay leaves.
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 beef short ribs, bone-in (10 to 14 ounces each)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, large, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth, low-sodium
- 2 sprigs thyme, optional
- 2 bay leaves
How to Make Braised Short Ribs
1. Heat the oven and season the ribs. Heat the oven to 325°F. Sprinkle the short ribs all over with the salt and pepper.
2. Brown the ribs. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pot over high heat. Brown half the ribs all over, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove them and repeat with the remaining ribs.
3. Cook the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until the carrots soften. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the braising liquid. Add the wine, beef broth, thyme if using, and bay leaves. Stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Return the ribs to the pot, arranging them so they are submerged.
5. Braise until tender. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks.
6. Finish the sauce. Carefully lift out the ribs, keeping the meat on the bones, and cover to keep warm. Strain the pot liquid, pressing the vegetables to extract their juices, if you want a smooth sauce. Otherwise leave it chunky. Return the sauce to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Simmer to reduce if it is too thin, add water if it is too thick, and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Spoon the sauce over the ribs to serve.
How to Fix a Greasy or Thin Sauce
Short ribs are a rich cut, and after 3 hours a layer of fat is floating on the braising liquid. The liquid may also be thinner than you want. Both are easy to fix once the ribs are out of the pot.
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| A layer of fat on top | Skim it off the surface with a large spoon |
| Sauce too thin | Simmer it until it coats the back of a spoon |
| Sauce too thick | Stir in a little water |
| You want it smooth | Strain it, pressing the vegetables to get their juices |
| You like it rustic | Leave the vegetables in |
If you are making the ribs a day ahead, there is an even easier way to deal with the fat. Refrigerate the pot, and the fat sets hard on the surface. Lift it off before you reheat.
I will not give a number of minutes for reducing the sauce, because it depends on your pot and how much liquid is left. Go by the spoon: when the sauce clings to the back of it, it is ready.
Tips for Success
How do I know the ribs are done?
The meat can easily be pried apart with two forks. That takes about 3 hours in a covered pot at 325°F.
Why brown the ribs in two batches?
The recipe browns half the ribs at a time, for about 5 to 7 minutes per batch, so each one browns on all sides.
Should the ribs be covered by the liquid?
Yes. Arrange them in the pot so they are submerged before the lid goes on.
What pot do I need?
A large ovenproof pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven. It goes from the stove straight into the oven.
Bone-in or boneless?
Bone-in beef short ribs are the first choice. Boneless short ribs can be used as a substitution.
How Long Does It Take?
About 195 minutes: 15 minutes of prep and 180 minutes of cooking, almost all of it unattended in the oven. Reducing the sauce at the end takes a little extra.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, divided among shallow, covered containers. Do not leave the pot out to cool completely first. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days and frozen leftovers for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, not on the counter. Reheat leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer.
What to Serve With It
For more slow-cooked beef, try the slow cooker 4-ingredient onion beef brisket, the slow cooker dark beer beef roast, Instant Pot beef stew or slow cooker Amish beef and noodles. For another oven braise, make oven-braised beer brats with caramelized onions. And if it is pork ribs you are after, there are slow cooker root beer BBQ pork ribs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I finish a sauce that looks greasy or thin?
Lift out the ribs, skim the fat from the surface with a spoon, then simmer the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon.
What meat do you use to make braised short ribs?
Bone-in beef short ribs, 10 to 14 ounces each.
How do I cook short ribs in a crockpot?
This recipe is written for the oven, and I do not have slow cooker times for it.
Do I have to strain the sauce?
No. Straining is optional. Leave the vegetables in if you like a chunky sauce.
Final Notes
I skim the fat with a big spoon while the ribs rest under foil, then let the sauce bubble until it clings to that same spoon. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Braised Short Ribs
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Ingredients
- 5 to 6 ribs beef short ribs bone-in; 10 to 14 ounces each
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 onion large; chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth low-sodium
- 2 sprigs thyme optional
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Sprinkle the short ribs all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pot over high heat. Brown half the ribs all over, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove them and repeat with the remaining ribs.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until the carrots soften. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the wine, beef broth, thyme if using, and bay leaves. Stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Return the ribs to the pot, arranging them so they are submerged.
- Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven for 3 hours, or until the meat can easily be pried apart with forks.
- Carefully lift out the ribs, keeping the meat on the bones, and cover to keep warm. Strain the pot liquid, pressing the vegetables to extract their juices, if you want a smooth sauce. Otherwise leave it chunky. Return the sauce to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Simmer to reduce if it is too thin, add water if it is too thick, and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Spoon the sauce over the ribs to serve.
