Braised Short Ribs
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Rich, tender, and slow-cooked in a flavorful red wine sauce, braised short ribs are the ultimate comfort food.
Looking for a cozy dish to warm up winter nights or wow at holiday dinners? These braised short ribs are just the thing. Similar to 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.
Heads-up: short ribs need a few hours in the oven, so plan ahead, but the payoff is worth it. Serve them over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta—and enjoy the incredible aroma that fills your kitchen while they cook.
“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, substitute 6 to 7 pounds of bone-in short ribs — the meat will fall right off the bone as it cooks.
- Onions, garlic: These aromatics create the flavorful base of the sauce.
- Tomato paste: Adds concentrated flavor and a subtle sweetness.
- Flour: A light coating thickens the braising liquid into a silky, velvety sauce.
- Red wine & beef broth: Together they form the backbone of the braising liquid. For the wine, 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.
- Bay leaf & fresh thyme: These herbs infuse the sauce with warm, aromatic layers.
- Carrots: Simmering with the ribs, they add natural sweetness to balance the richness of the meat and sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Season the meat. Begin by seasoning the short ribs all over with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Sear the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add half of the short ribs and let them cook, without moving them, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 3: Sear the rest. Transfer the seared short ribs to a large plate, then repeat with the remaining oil and short ribs.
Step 4: Cook the aromatics. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat and set the pot back over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until they’re soft and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for another 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more to deepen the flavor.
Step 5: Add the flour. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the flour is fully absorbed by the onion-tomato mixture—it should take about 1 minute.
Step 6: Add the cooking liquid and herbs. Pour in the wine, broth, and sugar, then toss in the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Turn the heat up to high and bring everything to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go to loosen all those flavorful browned bits.
Step 7: Add the short ribs. Place the seared short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot and return to a boil.
Step 8: Simmer and add carrots. Cover the pot and slide it into the oven. Let the short ribs braise for 2 hours, then carefully take the pot out and stir in the carrots.
Step 9: Finish cooking. Cover the pot again and return it to the oven. Cook for another 45 to 60 minutes, or until the meat and carrots are fork-tender. You can serve the short ribs right away, or let them cool and store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. They also freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless short ribs, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin, cut into 3-in (8-cm) 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
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large carrots, sliced ½-in (13-mm)-thick diagonally
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). 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.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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.
Comments
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Would there be any issue using gluten free flour rather than regular flour in this recipe?
Hi Nancy, it’s perfectly fine to use gluten-free flour. Enjoy!
Hi Jen,
My brother brought 1 1/2 pounds of bone-in ribs. (So bummed.) I halved all the other ingredients, but am worried about cook times. Should I follow as is??
Hi Kate, no worries – bone-in ribs are fine. The cook time may be a bit longer but not significantly so. Enjoy!
Outstanding.
Hi Jenn – Need some advice. I made these last night as practice for a dinner party I am hosting in a week. I used the low cost two buck Chuck red wine from Trader Joes. The whole thing was amazing – cooked perfectly, thick sauce, carrots just tender enough. But I think the wine choice wasn’t great – the sauce had an a more acidic bite to it than I would have liked. Can you recommend a national wine brand that won’t break the bank that I can use next time? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, a couple of the options that come to mind that are reasonably priced are Meiomi, Apothem, Mark West, and 14 Hands. Hope that helps!
Thank you for all the wonderful and delish recipes you share with us so freely!
I am going to double the sauce. Should I then double all the ingredients except tor the short ribs? Thank you so much! Making this for my daughter special bday dinner! 😊
Yes, I’d double all the sauce ingredients. Hope your daughter enjoys it!
Absolutely fabulous! Made a fantastic Christmas dinner served with creamy make ahead mashed potatoes (Jenn’s recipe) and a broccoli slaw (raw broccoli, purple cabbage, and carrots, plus dried cranberries, and sun flower seeds). Reading through the (many!) comments and reviews I adjusted the recipe by doubling the sauce (it still fit into my 6 quart dutch oven just fine), and adding sauteed mushrooms and blanched (and peeled) pearl onion about five minutes before serving. The onions add a nice texture contrast to the very tender meat and carrots. With double the sauce, I have extra left over that husband is going to use to make poutine (fries, cheese curds and gravy). I am looking forward to trying out the recipe with a less expensive cut, like chuck roast, and also with a whole pot roast.
Made this for Christmas/Hannukah dinner and it was a huge hit!! Tender, flavorful, delicious. Thank you, Jenn!!
Like other readers, I wound up with bone in cuts. I left them in an extra 20 minutes or so. Falling off the bone, tender, extraordinary flavor, amazing! Served with pasta. My husband didn’t even wait for me to take the meat off the bone, he just dished it up and the meat fell off the bone with a fork. It was a holiday highlight!