Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
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Savor the fork-tender goodness of braised short ribs—the ultimate comfort food for a chilly evening.
Searching for that perfect comforting dish for chilly winter nights or festive gatherings? Look no further than these wine-braised short ribs. Similar in technique and flavor to my ever-popular beef stew and goulash, this dish starts by searing the short ribs before slow-braising them to fork-tender perfection in a rich, flavorful red wine sauce. Just a little heads-up—short ribs require a few hours in the oven to reach that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, so be sure to plan ahead. Serve them over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta for a meal guaranteed to fill your home with warmth and bring smiles to everyone at your table.
Table of Contents
“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: The star of the dish, these ribs become 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.
- 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 a touch of sweetness and color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by trimming 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.
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.
Browning the beef adds flavor. It may seem strange to brown one side only, but it saves a lot of 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.
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. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
When cooking with wine, I recommend using a bottle that’s inexpensive but still good enough to drink. A Pinot Noir or Merlot in the $8 to $12 range is ideal.
Yes, making the short ribs a day or two ahead can actually enhance their flavor. After cooking and cooling, store the short ribs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat, covered, over medium-low heat on the stovetop or in a 325°F-oven until warmed through.
Yes, they freeze exceptionally well. After cooking and cooling, transfer the ribs and their sauce into airtight freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat slowly on the stove or in the oven, covered, until heated through.
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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Savor the fork-tender goodness of braised short ribs—the ultimate comfort food for a chilly evening.
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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Made this with bone in short ribs and braised all sides for all over browned pieces of meat. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful! So much less complicated than other wine braised short rib recipes that I have followed in the past, and with an even better result! Served over mashed potatoes. Absolutely yummy!
We’ve become short rib fans after trying your recipe. Thank you for easy to follow instructions and delicious meals.
This is my favorite recipe on this site (and I’ve made many!). The meat is super-soft and the sauce is silky and delicious. My kids are away at school so I cut the recipe in half (use half of the ingredients but the same cooking time as the full recipe) for the two of us and it still made enough for two meals. I’ve made it for company as well, and it’s restaurant-quality.
I have tried several short rib recipes and this one is absolutely perfect! When reading the recipe, I could actually taste it and after making the first time, I consider it one of my all-time favorites! I’ve served it with both egg noodles and mashed potatoes. I have taken dinner to 2 neighbor couples and they gave rave reviews. I have used Pinot Noir every time. Rich and perfect. Every one of your recipes that I try is delicious!
How do I modify my comment?
Hi Ann, Unfortunately, there’s no way to modify a comment, but I can delete your first comment if you’d like; just let me know. 🙂
Recently made this and all I can say is it blew my mind. It was just that good. Perhaps one of the best dishes I’ve ever cooked in my life. I will be making this again soon.
I’ve made this recipe several times now with no changes. One of my husbands favorites
I have made this recipe several times with no changes, it is by far a great go to recipe for entertaining or a nice holiday meal. I usually serve it with mashed potatoes and a spinach salad.
I love this recipe! Any time I see short ribs on sale, I get super excited and pull out this recipe! Only change I made was I use bone in short ribs because I think the meat is a little more flavorful.
This is my favorite meal! I use boneless short ribs from Costco and although a little thinner than ideal, they always come out great.
Absolutely delicious!!! I followed the recipe to a T and everything came out perfectly. Short ribs have become one of my favorite meals because of this recipe. I now buy them every time the are on sale at whole foods.
This recipe was insanely delicious and super easy to make! I used bone in short ribs and they came out great. I did have to add a little extra flour because I wanted the sauce to be fairly thick, but didn’t change anything else otherwise!