Rich fall-apart meat in a rich red wine sauce that is so full of flavor you're going to impress yourself! These short ribs are slow-cooked in a dutch oven in a low-temperature oven.
These braised short ribs are delicious comfort food worthy of Sunday suppers or dinner parties.
Why make this recipe
Sometimes we need to slow things down to enjoy the very best. These braised short ribs benefit from slowing things down and cooking low and slow.
They are braised in the oven in a heavy-lidded pan and cooked until fall apart tender. The short ribs are delicious, but the sauce they are cooked with is out of this world delicious!
There's something about slowing down the cooking and cooking at a low 300°F oven that makes this sauce spectacular.
Even though these short ribs take a while to cook, the time is mostly hands-off. Once you've got them in the oven, you're job is primarily over and you can enjoy some time for yourself or your guests.
Make these on the weekend when you have a little extra time and you'll have an amazing meal to serve to your family. Be certain to sit at the table and enjoy a nice slow dinner.
If you enjoy slow-cooked meals, you'll also want to try this recipe for Elk Osso Buco, Braised Chuck Roast, and Beef Barley Soup.
Key ingredients
- Short ribs - bone-in beef ribs
- Red wine - choose something you like to drink
- Dried morels - can also use dried porcini mushrooms
- Carrots, celery, onions and garlic
- Fresh herbs - parsley, rosemary and thyme
Making short ribs
- Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water for 10-15 minutes. Drain, reserving water, and chop mushrooms.
- Chop carrots in large 2-inch pieces and dice celery and onions
- Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper
- In a heavy dutch oven pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat
- Add a few of the ribs and brown all sides. Once ribs are browned, remove from pan and add remaining ribs.
- Using the same pan, add onions, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat scraping up any brown bits from the pan until soft and lightly browned.
- Stir in garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds
- Add flour and tomato paste, stirring constantly until well combined, 1-2 minutes
- Add 1 cup of red wine while stirring. Stir until reduced being certain to scrape up any bits from the pan
- Add remaining wine, beef broth, chopped mushrooms and reserved mushroom water
- Add short ribs and any juices that have accumulated
- Add fresh herbs and bay leaves
- Cover with lid and place in preheated 300°F oven for 3 hours, turning meat halfway through
- After 3 hours check to see if ribs are tender and then remove them from the broth and place them on a plate. Cover ribs with foil
- Remove herbs and let liquids cool for a few minutes, allowing fat to rise to the surface
- Skim fat from the surface
- Place pot on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow sauce to reduce until sauce is desired consistency, 10-15 minutes
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve ribs with sauce drizzled over top
Tips for slow-cooked short ribs
- When browning ribs, don't overcrowd the pan. Brown ribs in two or three batches.
- Be certain to brown all sides of the ribs
- If you don't have morel mushrooms, use dried porcini mushrooms or dried oyster mushrooms
- Use a red wine that you like to drink - it makes a difference to use something that's drinkable!
- Dried herbs can be used in place of fresh herbs. Reduce by ½ the amount of fresh herbs.
- Don't peek! Keep that oven door closed, except for one time when you are rotating the ribs
- Try to remove as much grease as possible
- Reduce the sauce until the sauce is slightly thickened
- Add salt and pepper to taste after the sauce has reduced
- Serve ribs with sauce drizzled over the top of ribs and remaining sauce served on the side
- Top with fresh herbs or a bit of gremolata
Recipe Faqs
Yes, you really do want to brown the ribs before braising. The browning adds an extra level of flavor that you don't want to miss.
Allow ribs and sauce to cool and then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
To use, remove from the fridge and uncover. You will most likely see a layer of solidified grease across the top. Remove with a spoon. Heat ribs in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in an oven at 325° for 15-20 minutes.
Serving suggestions
Serve these ribs with your favorite side dishes. Some of my favorites include:
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my main dish recipes!
Braised Short Ribs Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds short ribs
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ ounce dried morels (or porchini mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 carrots (chopped into 2 inch pieces)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Place ribs on a platter and sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides if ribs4-5 pounds short ribs, salt, pepper
- Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water for 10-15 minutes. Drain, reserving water and chop mushrooms into a fine dice.1 cup hot water, ½ ounce dried morels
- In a heavy dutch oven pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat2 tablespoons oil
- Add a few of the ribs and brown all sides. Once ribs are browned, remove from pan and add remaining ribs.
- Chops carrots in large 2 inch pieces and dice celery and onions4 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 onion
- Using the same pan, add onions, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat scraping up any brown bits from the pan until soft and lightly browned.
- Stir in garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds, stirring well to prevent scorching2 cloves garlic
- Add flour and tomato paste, stirring constantly until well combined and a deep color 1-2 minutes1 tablespoon tomato sauce, 3 tablespoons flour
- Add 1 cup of red wine while stirring. Stir until reduced being certain to scrape up any bits from the pan.2 cups red wine
- Add remaining wine, beef broth, chopped mushrooms and reserved mushroom water3 cups beef broth
- Add short ribs and any juices that have accumulated
- Add fresh herbs and bay leaves1 sprig fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 5 sprigs fresh parsley, 2 bay leaves
- Cover with lid and place in preheated 300°F oven for 3 hours, turning meat halfway through
- After 3 hours check to see if ribs are tender and then remove from broth and place on a plate. Cover ribs with foil to keep warm.
- Remove herbs and bay leaves and let liquids cool for a few minutes, allowing fat to rise to the surface. Skim fat from the surface.
- Place pot on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow sauce to reduce until sauce is desired consistency, 10-15 minutes
- Taste sauce and add additional salt and pepper, if needed
- Serve ribs with sauce drizzled over the top.
Notes
- When browning ribs, don't overcrowd the pan. Brown ribs in two or three batches.
- Be certain to brown all sides of the ribs
- If you don't have morel mushrooms, use dried porcini mushrooms or dried oyster mushrooms
- Use a red wine that you like to drink - it really makes a difference to use something that's drinkable!
- Dried herbs can be used in place of fresh herbs. Reduce by ½ the amount of fresh herbs.
- Don't peek! Keep that oven door closed, except for one time when you are rotating the ribs
- Try to remove as much grease as possible
- Reduce the sauce until the sauce is slightly thickened
- Add salt and pepper to taste after the sauce has reduced
- Serve ribs with sauce drizzled over the top of ribs and remaining sauce served on the side
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nicole says
Is it possible to use fresh mushrooms and more carrots as well??
Kathy says
Sure! I'd saute the mushrooms first. Add as many carrots as you'd like (or as will fit!)
Enjoy 🙂
Gale says
There is allspice pictured in the Key Ingredients photo but no mention of allspice in the recipe. Is allspice part of this recipe?
Kathy says
Hi Gale,
No, there isn't any allspice used in this recipe! You are correct that the label is there in the ingredient picture, but the actual spice isn't in the picture. When I'm making those images I am often importing a picture and then adjusting the labels. Somehow I missed the allspice label! It should have been removed. I will edit that photo so it shows the correct ingredient labels.
Thanks for your keen observation!
Kathy 🙂
Karen Middleton says
Hi just wondering can you do this in a slow cooker
Kathy says
Hi Karen,
I have only ever made this in a dutch oven slow cooked in the oven. However, I did find this article that outlines how to use a slow cooker. They offer some important tips if using a slow cooker, so be certain to read those as well as the time difference.
Kathy
David @ Spiced says
Oh, you've hit on one of our all-time favorite comfort foods here, Kathy! I haven't made braised short ribs in several years now (where does the time go!?), and now this post is making me crave them! Serving those short ribs over the mashed red potatoes you shared the other day sounds like an amazing winter meal!!
Kathy says
The combination of the ribs and the mashed potatoes was so delicious!