These Braised Beef Short Ribs are so tender, fall-off-the-bone and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! This slow-cooked beef is the ultimate comfort food on a chilly day.
If you enjoy a good slow-cooked beef dinner, you will love our original braised beef recipe or braised beef stew!
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love how tender these Braised Beef Short Ribs are – and how easy! This flavorful dish is absolutely going to wow you.
- TASTE: Cooked in red wine and broth, with smoky bacon and aromatic garlic, these short ribs are packed with flavor.
- TEXTURE: Slow cooked for hours, the meat on these braised short ribs is beyond tender. It will melt in your mouth!
- TIME: This recipe takes 20 minutes to prep, plus 3 hours of braising time.
- EASE: These Braised Beef Short Ribs are so easy to make. Your family will love this simple, yet elegant, dish.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Meat: You’ll want short ribs with the bone intact for this dish. And bacon, which will add an amazing smoky flavor.
- Vegetables: Classic pot roast veggies do best here, like carrots, onion, garlic, and dried mushrooms.
- Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika make a marvelous combination!
- Liquid: Red wine, chicken broth (or beef), and some water, thickened up with cornstarch, come together to create the braising liquid that cooks and flavors the short ribs.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute a different cut of meat- You can also use a pot roasting meat, like chuck, cut up into large chunks in place of the short ribs in this recipe. Or sub Pancetta for the bacon.
- Skip the mushrooms- Mushrooms add an earthy and savory flavor to these Braised Beef Short Ribs, but if you aren’t a fan or have none on hand, feel free to skip them.
- Substitute alcohol-free red wine- Even though the alcohol cooks out over time, you may prefer to use an alcohol-free red wine for personal or religious reasons. Or just use extra broth.
- Add other flavor boosters- You can up the flavor by adding Worcestershire sauce, port wine, rosemary sprigs, or tomato paste to this dish.
How to Make Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Cook bacon. Start off by cooking the chopped bacon in a dutch oven pot until the bacon is crispy. Then remove it.
- Brown the beef. Now place the beef short ribs into the pot and brown each side. Reserve them for later.
- Saute the onion and garlic. Once you have sauteed the onion and garlic, add the braised beef back in.
Pro Tip: Leave any drippings or pieces leftover from cooking the bacon and browning the short ribs in the pot. This will absorb into the veggies as well as flavor the braising liquid with smoky flavor.
- Add in the veggies. Now you can add in the baby carrots, spices, and dried mushrooms (fresh will work as well).
- Add liquid and finish in the oven. Roughly stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon before adding the red wine and chicken broth. Then place the lid back on and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours at 340 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Thicken it up. To thicken the sauce of the braised beef short ribs, mix a little cornstarch and water and pour it into the braised beef, then cook for another 30 minutes at the same temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Use thick-cut pork bacon- The bacon is used to introduce more flavor, so choose a good-quality pork bacon. Turkey bacon would not work as well here.
- Make the cornstarch slurry in a separate bowl- Doing this allows you to fully dissolve the cornstarch so no lumps end up in your braised short ribs.
- Cook them low and slow- You can overcook and dry out your short ribs if you cook them over too high heat. Cook them over low heat and they will remain moist and tender.
- Make them in a crockpot instead- If you prefer making them in a crockpot, simply brown the meat in a large skillet, then place all the ingredients including the braised beef in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 5 hours.
FAQs
Short ribs are a cut of beef taken from the shoulder of cattle. The most common way to identify short ribs is by looking for a chunk of meat that has a little blade of bone sticking out. The best way to prepare them is to braise them low and slow until tender.
Braising is a cooking method that involves browning the short ribs in dry heat, as with oil, then cooking them in liquid over low heat and over a longer period of time. You can even use this method with a slow cooker like with my beef brisket sandwich or beef stew.
No, you can’t overcook these Braised Beef Short Ribs if you are cooking them over low heat in liquid. However, the meat will begin to shred if you cook them longer than recommended, but the meat will still be tender.
Serving Suggestions
This Braised Beef Short Rib recipe is simply delicious and versatile enough to be eaten with lots of other dishes. Here are some flavorful pairings to try.
- Potatoes: Enjoy this dish with some Crispy Air Fryer Baby Potatoes, Super Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, or Air Fryer Baked Potatoes.
- Vegetables: Garlic Asparagus, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Air Fryer Vegetables, and Easy Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese all would taste great alongside these short ribs.
- Salads: Start the meal with a Cabbage Cucumber Salad, Spinach Pomegranate Salad, or Broccoli Cranberry Salad.
- Grains: Serve these Braised Beef Short Ribs with a side of Wild Rice, Garlicky Israeli Couscous, or Wild Brown Rice.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can brown the meat and prep the vegetables ahead of time, then store them in the fridge until you’re ready to braise. Or prepare this dish in a crock pot so you can set it and let it cook throughout the day.
Storing: Store these Braised Beef Short Ribs in an airtight container once cooled for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze: To freeze this dish, allow the short ribs to fully cool and then remove the meat from the bones. You can freeze it in a freezer ziplock bag or container for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Beef Dishes!
Watch how to make this DELICIOUS recipe here:
Full Recipe Instructions
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven Pot (or any other heavy-bottomed pot)
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon chopped
- 4 lb beef short ribs
- 2 small onion
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cup baby carrots
- 2 cups dried mushrooms
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cup wine
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven pot, fry 4 strips of chopped bacon until crispy. Then remove. You do not need to put the bacon back in later. This was purely for more smoky flavor.
- Bring the heat to high and brown each piece of short ribs in the pot. Add extra oil as needed. Olive oil works great.
- Once the meat is browned on all sides, remove and reserve for later.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the dutch oven pot and sauté for about 3-5 mins.
- Then add the browned beef back into the pot and add the baby carrots, dried mushrooms, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Stir it to combine and then add the red wine and chicken broth. Cover the pot with a lid and braise in the oven for 2 1/2 hours at 340 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Now combine the cornstarch and water in a small prep bowl and pour it into the braised beef. Stir it in with a spoon and cover it with a lid. This will help thicken the beef sauce Then place the covered pot back in the oven for another 30 minutes at 340 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes
- Use thick-cut pork bacon- The bacon is used to introduce more flavor, so choose a good-quality pork bacon. Turkey bacon would not work as well here.
- Make the cornstarch slurry in a separate bowl- Doing this allows you to fully dissolve the cornstarch so no lumps end up in your braised short ribs.
- Cook them low and slow- You can overcook and dry out your short ribs if you cook them over too high heat. Cook them over low heat and they will remain moist and tender.
- Make them in a crockpot instead- If you prefer making them in a crockpot, simply brown the meat in a large skillet, then place all the ingredients including the braised beef in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 5 hours.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on February 13, 2019. We have added some extra details to make it even better and easier to make for our readers.
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Irene says
Great recipe! Love the tenderness of the beef and easy to follow directions. Also the gravy came out perfectly delicious!
Question, it doesn’t appear you trimmed the fat for the recipe. Would it be ok to trim some of the thick outside fat before braising?
Dina says
Hi Irene, I am so happy that you love this recipe! I did not trim any fat but I think it really depends on the cut you have. The fat gives more flavor but if there is too much fat, I think it is totally fine to cut some out. I hope that helps 🙂