Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

This red wine braised short ribs recipe is cooked low and slow in the oven to give you perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone beef that melts in your mouth. Make this for a date night, a holiday meal, or anytime you’re craving out of this world comfort food.

 

Red wine braised short ribs was one of the first really “fancy” recipes I made when I was living on my own and it has remained one of my favorite things to make for special occasions.

It’s a great recipe for dinner parties or holiday meals because it’s easy to scale it up or down AND braised short ribs are truly better a day or two after you make them so you can prepare everything in advance and heat it up on the big day.

It’s taken me years to perfect but this is the BEST short ribs recipe serve it with some creamy polenta or mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort food or spice it up with a side of hot honey roasted carrots.

I’m a sucker for the flavor of slow cooked meats. If you agree make sure to try our beef brisket, beef braciole, and chicken cacciatore too.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

You don’t need too much to make this. Here’s what you’ll want to have on hand.

• Beef short ribs – You can use either bone-in or boneless. Both options taste great but we prefer them with the bone because it adds even more flavor.
• Olive oil – Olive oil or canola oil are both good options you can use for browning the ribs.
• Veggies – You’ll need a yellow onion, carrots, celery stalks, and garlic cloves.
• Herbs and Seasoning – To help season the ribs, you’ll need fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, Kosher salt and black pepper.
• Bottle red wine – I really like a malbec, but a good cabernet works well too! If you have another favorite, you can use that instead, but those two are sure to give the meat a great flavor. No need to spend a lot I usually stay in the $10-$20 bottle range. DO NOT use cooking wine. You won’t get the same flavor.
• Beef broth – This adds flavor and forms part of the liquid to braise the ribs with.

Can You Make Them Ahead of Time? 

Yes, in fact, I’d almost recommend it! They taste even better the second day. 

You can store the ribs in the refrigerator up to 3 days before serving or freeze for up to 2 months. Follow these tips when storing the ribs:

1. Place the meat in a tightly sealed container before placing in the fridge or freezer.  
2. If you don’t plan to eat them within 3 days, freeze the ribs (but wait until you add the juices back).
3. When storing, let the juices cool overnight separately in the fridge. The next day, peel off the hardened fat layer on the top. Once you remove the fat, you can add the juices back to the ribs and store them together. 
4. If you freeze them, you’ll need to let them thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before reheating.
5. When ready to reheat, set your oven to 325 degrees F and place the thawed ribs and juices into the same pot they cooked in originally. 
6. Tightly cover the pot with a lid and cook until they are warmed through. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to reheat. 

Turning the Sauce into Gravy 

Whenever you slow cook meat, they produce a lot of juices. You can use those juices to make an amazing gravy that compliments the ribs.

To make the gravy, remove the short ribs from the pan with the liquid in it and set them aside. Next, strain the vegetables from the juices so you only have the juices left in a bowl or pot. 

Turn a burner to medium high heat and let the juices come to a simmer either in the same pot or a smaller pot. 

In a small bowl create a slurry with 3 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk together until smooth and then pour the slurry into the simmering liquid, whisking the whole time to avoid lumps. 

As the liquid comes to a boil, it will begin to thicken. Let the liquid cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring often, then turn off the heat. Keep warm until you’re ready to use. 

Note: I usually serve my short ribs with just a spoonful or two of the juices poured over them. I don’t regularly make a gravy out of the juices but I wanted you to have the option if you like. 

What Does it Mean to Braise Ribs?

Braising is a cooking method that involves browning meat in a fat and then slow cooking it in a little liquid for a long time. The process creates a fall of the bone, tender meat that is juicy and full of flavor. For amazing ribs, this is one of my most preferred methods of cooking them.

Do You Cook Beef Short Ribs Bone Side Up or Down?

There is some debate about which makes more sense for cooking ribs. The general consensus seems to be this.

If you are cooking over direct heat, like on the grill or on the stove top in a cast iron skillet, you should cook them with the meat up. This prevents the meat from burning over the direct flame.

This method for cooking ribs though is generally not recommended. The reason is that ribs are a naturally tougher meat. Low and slow is the way to cook them up, which is why they are so popular with barbequers.

When you cook the ribs over indirect heat, people often recommend putting them bone up so the juices drip into the meat. For this recipe, you can place them up or down because you are cooking them both in liquid and over indirect heat.

You almost can’t go wrong with braising the ribs in wine too. The wine helps to break down the meat for more tender ribs.

Looking for More Delicious Dinner Recipes?

• Provolone and Prosciutto Stuffed Pork Loin
• Beef Braciole
• Instant Pot Brisket
• Pistachio Crusted Salmon
• Easy Broiled Lobster Tails Recipe
• Keto Instant Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
• Balsamic Steak Roll Ups
• More Dinner Recipes…

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Servings: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 hours hrs

Total Time: 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Created By: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell

This red wine braised short ribs recipe is cooked low and slow in the oven to give you perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone beef that melts in your mouth.

Print Recipe

4 from 2 votes

Ingredients

• 6 pounds Beef short ribs, bone-in
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 medium Yellow onion, cut into slices
• 2 Carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks Celery , sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
• 750 mL bottle Red wine, suggest malbec or cabernet
• 2 cups Beef broth
• 6 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs Fresh rosemary

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel and salt and pepper the ribs on top and bottom.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-safe pot (with a lid for later) over medium high heat. Once it is hot begin browning the meat, in batches if necessary, about 2 minutes per side. Make sure you get a nice brown crust on each side because this seals in the juices. If your oil starts disappearing you can add a little more. Finding the sweet spot with the heat for getting a nice sear and not cooking so hot that the oil starts burning is the key. Don’t rush this step.
• When the meat has finished browning set it to the side, patting off any excess grease with a paper towel.
• Add the onions to the pot and begin to cook over medium high heat. You should have enough grease in the pan from the short ribs but if you need to add a little olive oil you can. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add your carrots, celery, and garlic. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes until softened.
• Pour the wine into the pot and cook over medium high, bringing it to a boil and then cooking for 5 minutes. Use your spoon to scrape up any browned bits off of the bottom.
• Place the browned short ribs into the pot arranging them so that as many of them are in the vegetables and wine as possible.
• Wrap your rosemary and thyme in cheesecloth and nestle it between the meat. If you don’t have cheesecloth you can just nestle the herbs in amongst the meat but the cheesecloth makes it easier to remove everything at the end.
• Pour in enough beef broth to bring the liquid up to almost cover the short ribs. Some can be partially above the liquid.
• Place a tight lid on the pot and put it in the oven to cook for 3.5 – 4 hours. You’ll know they are done when they smell amazing and you can pull the meat apart easily with a fork.
• Remove the meat from the juices and then let the juices cool enough to handle. Place a fine mesh strainer, or a regular strainer with cheesecloth in it over a large bowl and pour your juices through it.
• Herbs and veggies will be removed. You can serve the vegetables if you like but I do not.
• Skim excess fat off the top of the juices before serving. See note below about making ahead of time.
• Serve beef over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta with a few spoonfuls of the juices over top.

Notes

I always make mine a day or two in advance and store them in the refrigerator. This allows the flavors to develop and makes removing the excess fat from the juices super easy.

You can store the ribs in the refrigerator up to 3 days before serving or freeze for up to 2 months.

Follow these tips when storing the ribs:

1. Place the meat in a tightly sealed container before placing in the fridge or freezer.
2. If you don’t plan to eat them within 3 days, freeze the ribs (but wait until you add the juices back).
3. When storing, let the juices cool overnight separately in the fridge. The next day, peel off the hardened fat layer on the top. Once you remove the fat, you can add the juices back to the ribs and store them together.
4. If you freeze them, you’ll need to let them thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before reheating.
5. When ready to reheat, set your oven to 325 degrees F and place the thawed ribs and juices into the same pot they cooked in originally.
6. Tightly cover the pot with a lid and cook until they are warmed through. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to reheat.

Nutrition

Serving: 7ounces (after removing bones), Calories: 560kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 989mg, Potassium: 1144mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 2633IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 6mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.

Course: Main

Cuisine: American