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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Jenn. if I use bone in short ribs, what weight for the meat
Hi Carole, I think you’d need to increase the amount you buy by 1 to 2 pounds. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn, I made this, along with your Make-Ahead (absolutely to die for) Mashed Potatoes last night for a practice Christmas Day meal. I used your slow-cooker adaptations for both. I had 4.25lbs of boneless short ribs and I noticed first that there was nothing to trim off of them and that they had almost no marbling inside of the cuts, different from your picture.
There were maybe 14-15 chunks of meat that were about 5 inches long and about 1-1.5 inches wide in the packages. I cut them in half to make chunks that were about 2.5″ (instead of 3″) long and they weighed between 2-3oz each. When I got done browning them, there was much less than 1T of fat left in the pan so I added olive oil to make it to bring it up to 1T. I transferred to the slow cooker when your comments instructed and cooked on low for 8 hours. They were completely submerged in the wonderful sauce for the whole time. When I served them, they were indeed tender and tasty, but they were dry. My question would be what should I have done different? Is there a different cut of meat I could use that would be moist? Is it possible that I cooked them too long? I have time to try this again so I welcome any suggestions. Thank you for bringing delicious food into our lives.
Hi Rhonda, I don’t think you did anything wrong. It sounds like a problem with the meat. Short ribs should be very well marbled with lots of fat. Is it possible that they weren’t short ribs?
Hi Jenn, Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I am at the mercy of the butchers and the labels on the packages as I can’t identify one cut from the next. I bought 2 packages on each of 2 days because the butcher didn’t have enough cut up on the first day. All 4 packages had the same leanness. I guess I will look at a lesser grocery store and look for more marbled meat and try again.
Hi
Rhonda and Jen, I am by no means a professional chef as you are Jen but I tried this recipe and I used the short ribs with the bones. I find this cut of meat holds the most flavor and rarely comes out dry when used. As I said I made this and it was delicious I served it over Parmesan polenta-yummy. Also if cooked right the meat should fall off the bones.
Thanks for the tip on using bone in ribs. What was the weight you used and how long did you cook it for? Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made this recipe several times and find the flavor to be spectacular. I was wondering about thickening the sauce a bit. If I cooked the onions in butter instead of oil, and then stirred in the tomato paste and flour, would that work? Would this thicken the sauce too much and impact how the short ribs cooks in the liquid?
Thanks for your advice,
Elise
Hi Elise, glad you like this! I don’t think butter would have an impact on the thickness of the sauce; if you’d like to thicken it, I’d suggest adding 2 to 3 more tablespoons of flour. I think the ribs will cook just fine in a thicker liquid. Hope that helps!
Love your recipes, Jenn. I had a pound of beef stew meat, saw this recipe and decided to make it. Divided it by 3, added some mushrooms and halved yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots instead of sliced whole ones. It was absolutely delicious. Ate half and put the rest in the freezer for another meal for myself.
This was delicious, fun to make and even better with the rave reviews from the family
I’d like to double the recipe to serve eight. How big of a Dutch oven should I use?
To be safe, I’d suggest a 7-quart Dutch oven. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I want to try your red wine braised short ribs. Unfortunately I am not able to find a
print selection for the recipe. Is this option not included on the recipe page or am I just missing it? Love your recipes.
Thanks.
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl, when you’re viewing the full recipe (near the bottom of the page), look in the upper righthand corner of that box – you’ll see an icon there that looks like a printer. Select that. Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Hi Jenn- Would it be possible to make these in the instant pot? Thanks. Love your recipes!
Glad you like the recipes! I don’t have enough experience with one to tell you confidently whether or not/how to convert a recipe to an instant pot, so you may want to take a peek at these tips. It looks like they could be useful in converting traditional recipes to ones that would work in a pressure cooker. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
If I add two pounds of ribs to comfortably feed 8, should I also increase the rest of the ingredients, or can I use the same measurements?
Will it all fit into a 5.5 qt Dutch oven?
Thanks Jenn. Love the recipe!
Hi Ellen, I’d suggest increasing the other ingredients just a bit (while you may have enough broth with no changes, it can’t hurt to give yourself a little breathing room). And yes, it should fit in a 5.5-quart Dutch oven. (And glad you like it!) 🙂
Hello
Is there any way you can set up a print page that would be minus the photos? For me to print the recipe I’d have to print 3 pages as the colour photos take up so much room on each page not to mention having to use up lot of expensive ink.
Thank you
Hi Joycelyn, Based on what you’re experiencing, I’m assuming that you must be using the drop-down “Print” function on your computer. Instead of doing that, when you’re viewing the full recipe, look in the upper righthand corner of that box – you’ll see an icon there that looks like a printer. Select that and it will print only the recipe and not all the other materials. Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Hi Jenn
don’t think my last response went through so will try again. I did use your print icon in the upper righthand corner but my print preview still showed 3 pages with coloured photos included.
Have to figure out a different way I guess but thanks for your help.
Hi Joycelyn, Strange! I haven’t gotten complaints from others about it and wasn’t able to duplicate the problem myself, so I suspect it’s specific to your computer. I would suggest going onto the blog using a different internet browser and try printing from there. Oftentimes, those annoying glitches can be resolved by using a different browser. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Hi Jenn,
A good friend introduced me to your newsletter and I am hooked. Everything looks delicious, easy, etc. This week I made the brookies and sent some off to my friend as a little Thank You.
Today I found this beef short rib recipe and want to make it soon. I have a very specific question, about the pot. I have a 5 1/2 qt Le Creuset oval Dutch oven and a 3 qt round one. In the photos it almost looks like you might have used a 3 qt pot, but in the recipe it calls for a “large” pot. So, do you think I could make this in the 3 Qt? It is a bit easier to haul around at my advanced age.
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes and all the extra information you provide via photos and video.
Hi Elizabeth, glad you’ve discovered the blog and like what you see! While I used a larger Dutch oven for the short ribs, I do think they would fit in a 3-quart. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Hi Jenn, Are you using a 5 1/2 in your pictures or a 7 quart? I am trying to decide between the two and also using the volume from your pics as a guide.
Hi Paul, Mine is a 5-1/2 qt. Hope that helps! 🙂