With red wine braised short ribs you’ll find melt in your mouth beef that falls off the bone. Braised on the stove and then cooked slowly in the oven with red wine for a delicious dinner with minimal prep work.
Whether you’re stuck at home or just hanging around the house for a few hours, it’s the perfect time to braise short ribs. To get that fabulous flavor extracted from this cut of meat, you have to cook it slow. Sometimes I’m not planning on being in the house for two and a half hours, but this week, I’ve got all the time in the world.
I decided to make short ribs after learning that all the restaurants in town were closing. A friend of mine and her husband own a local restaurant in Greensboro, Kau, that has a meat market attached and we learned that the market would stay open to sell meat and produce. They always have the freshest seafood and beef around so I stopped by on my way home. I already have chicken and pork in my freezer so I picked up these beautiful beef short ribs.
It’s so important to try to support your local restaurants during this time when they’re struggling to stay afloat. If you’re in Greensboro or the surrounding area, check out the market at Kau. They’re serving to-go orders, and family meals and the market is staying stocked with meat and prepared meals. I picked up some prepared collard greens to go with the short ribs, they are the best!
So with short ribs in hand I went through my fridge and pantry to see what I could come up with. I had the basics, carrots, celery, onion and garlic along with tomato paste. I keep fresh rosemary and thyme growing in pots outside and I always have red wine (more valuable than toilet paper in my book). I found a box of chicken stock so I was all set to make the best short rib recipe for dinner.
Let me tell you, by the time dinner rolled around everyone in the house was drooling over the fabulous smell. I served it over mashed potatoes and we felt like we were at an upscale restaurant. These were so easy to make, with just about 30 minutes of prep time, the oven did all the work and I got all the oohs and ahhs! If you have leftovers, you can freeze it for later or add it to a quiche for breakfast.
What you’ll need
You have to have short ribs, red wine, and chicken stock. Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme and tomato paste add a lot of flavor but you can get by without all of those ingredients. If you don’t have fresh herbs, the general conversion is 1 teaspoon of dried for 1 tablespoon of fresh. For braised short ribs I would use 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon of thyme.
Step by step directions
To pull out all the flavor you need to brown them on the stove and then let them cook slowly in the oven.
Step 1: Heat some oil in a large Dutch oven until it’s pretty hot, then add short ribs that you have generously salted and peppered. They should sizzle when you add them to the oil. Let them brown for a few minutes and turn so that all sides are nice and brown. This will take about 15 minutes. If you have more ribs than will fit in the pan, you’ll need to do this in two batches. Remove them to a plate.
Step 2: Remove any grease and add more olive oil to the Dutch oven. Sauté the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until they start to soften and then add tomato paste. Next add the red wine, chicken broth and rosemary and bring it to a simmer. Add the ribs back to the Dutch oven. You want the liquid to cover the ribs, if it doesn’t add more chicken broth. Add the fresh thyme and bay leaf to the pot.
Step 3: Cover the Dutch oven first with aluminum foil and then the lid and cook for two and a half hours. The meat should be fork tender when it’s done. Remove the meat to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
Step 4: Put the Dutch oven back on the stove and cook the broth down until there is about ½ of an inch of sauce and it’s slightly thickened. This will take about 20 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs for the best beef dinner around.
What type of short ribs should you use
There are two types of short ribs an English cut and a Flanken cut. The most common that you’ll see in the grocery or butcher shop is the English cut, you generally have to ask for the Flanken cut. An English cut short rib is one that has been cut between the ribs so you have meat sitting on one bone about 2-3 inches long.
A flanken cut is thinner and is cut across the bone. This cut is used for Korean barbecue. For braised short ribs the English cut will work best.
Which WINE to use
Make sure you use a good quality wine that you would enjoy drinking, you’ll have a glass left in the bottle to sip on while waiting for it to cook. The beef will be cooking in it for a long time, so you want a decent bottle. My favorite is a zinfandel which is a dry red wine. A cab would be equally good. I would stay away from a sweet wine.
What should you serve with short ribs
Since you have this amazing beefy sauce to serve with the short ribs, it’s great over some type of starch. I had potatoes in the pantry so I served it over mashed potatoes. It would also be good over polenta or egg noodles. If you don’t have any of those, then try homemade dinner rolls to sop up the delicious sauce.
Side dishes that go with a short rib dinner
- Creamy mac & cheese
- Bread pudding
- An egg noodle casserole
- Cheesy broccoli casserole
- Cucumber salad
- Bacon green beans
- Packets of fresh vegetables
- Skillet corn
- A pan of cornbread
- Fresh salad with broccoli
What else could you make
- Try my favorite chili recipe
- Make this amazing manicotti
- You’ll love short ribs over pasta
Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 lbs short ribs About 8
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 ½ cups red wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Salt and pepper ribs. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. When hot, add ribs and brown all sides. If needed, do this in 2 batches. When nice and brown, remove to a plate and drain off any fat in the Dutch oven.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the Dutch oven and when hot, add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add rosemary and tomato paste. Cook for about 3 minutes until slightly browned.
- Add wine and chicken stock to the pan and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Bring to a simmer and add ribs back to the Dutch oven. The liquid should cover the ribs. If not, add more chicken stock.
- Preheat oven to 325º.
- Tie the thyme and bay leaf together and add to the pot. Cover tightly with a sheet of tinfoil and then cover with a lid. Place in the oven and cook for about 2 ½ hours until the meat will almost fall off the bone.
- Remove the ribs to a plate and cover with the tinfoil to keep warm. Remove the bundle of herbs.
- Place the Dutch oven on the burner and cook over medium high heat until it has reduced by more than half and is slightly thick. Spoon the sauce over the ribs.
Nutrition
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5 Stars! Barb, these short ribs were delicious. The kind of recipe that makes the cook feel like they can make it better than a restaurant! High approval ratings from 2 teenagers, as well.
That’s awesome! I thought of you last week when I made Tater Tot CasseroleTater Tot Casserole
I keep coming back to your site again and again for recipe ideas! Your green bean casserole is my go-to dish at Thanksgiving. These ribs are on my list now! Plus, I will definitely support Kau.
Tammy, Natalie says hello! I love short ribs and it’s getting that kind of whether again.