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, 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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Hi Jen! I have made these for my family and they were in love! It’s my Mother in Laws birthday and I was going to make them again….If you had your choice would you actually make ahead (as in the notes) or would you make day of? I always feel weird about cooking before and reheating
Hi Jen, Honestly you can go either way — it will be delicious regardless. 🙂
Hello Jen,
I have never been disappointed when trying any of your recipes. Follow instructions to the tee with amazing results and beyond delicious. I have pork shanks on hand and wonder if I could substitute in place of the short ribs. If so, how long should they cook in the oven?
So glad you like the recipes! While I’ve never tried it, I think pork shanks will work here. I’m not really sure about timing though, so you’ll have to keep an eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hello Jen,
I wanted to update you on trying pork shanks I had on hand as a substitute for the short ribs. I made this for a group of six for Easter dinner, followed the recipe to the letter and received rave reviews. I cooked the shanks in a dutch oven for 3.5 hrs the day before and reheated the next day. Truly delicious! The deep rich flavor of the sauce is something I could eat every day. I would never have tried this recipe for the first time for Easter dinner if it was not from your collection. I truly am confident that if it is your recipe, it will turn out amazing. Thank you!
So glad it came out well! Thanks for taking the time to report back. 😊
Delicious of course but mine also fell apart. The ribs didn’t hold their shape at all – how do I prevent this in the future? Thank you, Jenn!
Hi Amanda, I would just cook them for a little less time when you make these again.
Hi Jenn! This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I was only able to get 2 lbs of short rib this time – should I halve the other ingredients as well or would you keep them the same and just save the extra sauce? Any adjustments to cook time? Thank you!
Yes, I’d halve the other ingredients. Cook time should be about the same. (And so glad you like it!)
The flavor was fantastic. However, the meat totally felt apart and disintegrated. Not sure what I did wrong. Followed the cooking instructions and thought I did not overcook in the oven.
I made this tonight but I used shoulder chuck roast and it was amazing! The gravy was thick and rich. I served it with rutabaga garlic mash. Everyone loved it. I will being making this again for sure. Thanks Jenn
Hi Jenn,
I made this tonight, it was outstanding, everyone loved it.
I made it for my family and it will definitely be made next for company.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Tracey
In your opinion do the bone-in short ribs add more flavor to the sauce?
Thanks,
Gari
They add a touch more flavor, but the difference isn’t significant.
Made the Red Wine Beef Ribs for our Valentines dinner at home and it was fabulous! And your Lava cakes for dessert…thank you for a wonderful dinner!
Good Morning Jenn
This recipe came out spectacular
One of the best short ribs I ever made
Definitely a recipe to keep
Thank You
Anthony De Pasquale
Where do you buy your short ribs? My store only has bone-in ribs with mostly fat.
I live in Loudoun County near Leesburg.
Hi Carol, I get mine at Harris Teeter. 😊
I’m in Montgomery County MD. They’re available at Whole Foods and I bought mine at Balducci
What about making Red Wine Braised Short Ribs in a slow cooker? What heat level and cooking time would you suggest for making this in a slow cooker rather than an oven?
Hi Chris, Yes, you can use a slow cooker – I’d make the recipe up to the point that it goes into the oven, then transfer the contents of the pot (and the carrots) to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, I so appreciate your quick response. I can’t wait to try it out on family and friends!
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes and have impressed guests with your complete menu suggestions! I was wondering how you think this short rib recipe would work using Marsala wine instead of red? I have never tried Marsala with beef but have been thinking it might be good? Thank you!
Hi Donna, so glad you like the recipes! I don’t love the idea of Marsala here — I’m sorry!
Absolute perfection!! I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks Jenn!
Another fabulous, fool-proof, recipe from Jenn! I used bone-in short ribs and the meat just fell off the bone. We had enjoyed a similar dish at a wedding at the Bacara in Santa Barbara years ago. When my daughter tried these she said, “Mom these taste just like the ones from the Bacara!” Thank you Jenn for sharing your fabulous recipes and helping us create such wonderful meals and memories.
Hi Jenn!
We’ve made this recipe before and absolutely loved it. We have invested in a half cow share and have been working through your beef recipes! We plan to make this in the coming days but I’m wondering, can I use our homemade beef broth that is more like a stock than broth? Or will it alter the flavor too much? Thanks for ALL of your amazing recipes!
Hi Taylor, Glad you liked it! While I don’t know how different your broth tastes, I’m sure the dish will still be delicious, even if it tastes slightly different.