Braised Short Ribs
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Rich, tender, and slow-cooked in a flavorful red wine sauce, these braised short ribs are the ultimate comfort food—perfect for cozy nights.
Looking for a cozy dish to warm up winter nights or impress at holiday dinners? These braised short ribs are just the thing. Like my beef stew and goulash, the recipe starts with searing the short ribs, then slow-braising them in a rich red wine sauce until they’re fall-apart tender. A heads-up: they need a few hours in the oven, so plan ahead. Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta for a comforting meal that fills your kitchen with warmth.
“Easily one of the best beef meals I’ve had in ages.”
What You’ll Need To Make Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Boneless short ribs: This cut becomes incredibly tender and flavorful after slow braising. If you can’t find boneless ribs, you can substitute 6 to 7 pounds of bone-in short ribs—the meat will fall off the bone as it cooks.
- Onions and garlic: These aromatics that add depth and complexity to the sauce.
- Tomato paste: Concentrates the sauce’s flavor, adding richness and a hint of sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the braising liquid to make a velvety sauce.
- Red wine: Adds robust, complex flavors to the braising liquid. Use a bottle that’s inexpensive but still good enough to drink; a Pinot Noir or Merlot in the $8 to $12 range is ideal.
- Beef broth: Adds savory depth to the braising liquid and enhances the meaty flavors of the dish.
- Bay leaf and fresh thyme: These herbs add layers of flavor to the sauce.
- Carrots: Add natural sweetness to balance the richness of the meat and sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by seasoning the short ribs all over with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and cook, undisturbed, until well browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. (Browning only one side might seem unusual, but it saves time and still delivers great flavor.)
Transfer the beef to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil and short ribs.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and return the pot to medium-low heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Add the flour.
Cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed by the onion-tomato mixture, about 1 minute. Add the wine, broth, sugar, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Add the short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot and return to a boil.
Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the oven, and cook for 2 hours. Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Stir in the carrots.
Cover and return the pot to the oven and cook 45 to 60 minutes more, or until the carrots and meat are tender. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and serve. Alternatively, store the short ribs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Rich, tender, and slow-cooked in a flavorful red wine sauce, these braised short ribs are the ultimate comfort food—perfect for cozy nights.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless short ribs, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin, cut into 3-in chunks (see note)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2⅓ cups red wine (see note)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large carrots, sliced ½-in-thick diagonally
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F. Season the short ribs all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the short ribs and cook, without moving, until well browned on one side only, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil and short ribs. (Note: Browning the beef adds flavor. It might seem odd to brown on one side only but I find that it saves time and does the job just as well.)
- Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat, return the pot to the stove, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. (If the onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the pan.) Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed by the onion-tomato mixture, about 1 minute.
- Add the wine, broth, sugar, bay leaf and thyme sprigs; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Add the short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot and return to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the oven, and cook for 2 hours.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Stir in the carrots. Cover and return the pot to the oven and cook 45 to 60 minutes more, or until the carrots and meat are tender. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Skim any grease off the surface of the sauce, if necessary. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Spoon the short ribs and sauce into bowls over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta.
- Note: It's very important to trim all excess fat off of the exterior of the short ribs (although leave the marbling that goes throughout the meat alone), otherwise your sauce will be greasy. It's also a good idea to remove any silver skin, which is the thin, white/silvery membrane on the surface of the meat.
- Note: In selecting wine for this recipe, look for an inexpensive bottle that's still good enough to drink: a Pinot Noir or Merlot in the $8 - $12 range would be ideal.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The short ribs can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Reheat, covered, over medium-low heat on the stovetop or in a 325°F oven.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The short ribs can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat, covered, over medium-low heat on the stovetop or in a 325°F oven.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 680
- Fat: 47 g
- Saturated fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 41 g
- Sodium: 740 mg
- Cholesterol: 166 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe sounds perfect for a family holiday meal. Two family members dislike chunks of sliced carrots in stews, but I want to include the carrots in the recipe for sweetness. Would it be okay to finely grate the carrots here ?
Hi Debra, grating them should work, but may thicken up the sauce a bit. Hope everyone enjoys!
I’ve made these several times and alway delicious and a crowd pleaser! I was curious how would bone-in short ribs work in this recipe? Any changes if at all? Ingredients? Cooking time and temp? Would appreciate your thoughts, and thank you for all the wonderful recipes you share. Thanks,
Janio
Glad you’ve enjoyed them! Bone-in ribs are fine to use; the cook time may be a bit longer but not significantly so.
Decided this was an ideal recipe to try in a slow cooker. Did everything except cook in slow cooker and it turned out wonderfully. It was fattier than I would have wanted, even after cutting off outer fat. I will make on special occasions as my family loved it.
This was my first time making short ribs – followed the recipe exactly (except for adding mushrooms and peas to the sauce at the end) – these were incredible and perfectly cooked. Excited to make them again for a bigger crowd. Thank you so much!
I made this for a dozen hungry men at our hunting camp and it was a huge hit, especially with som big Napa Cabernets. We had sauce left over and enjoyed it over biscuits the next morning!