Description
This Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe features tender, fall-apart meat cooked slowly in a rich sauce made from red wine, beef stock, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. Perfect for a cozy dinner, these ribs are seared for deep flavor, then oven-braised until exquisitely tender and served with your favorite hearty sides like mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 5 pounds meaty bone-in short ribs (1 ½ inches or thicker)
Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
Vegetables
- 6 medium carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 4 ribs celery, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Liquids and Condiments
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Cotes de Rhone)
- 4 cups beef stock or chicken stock, plus more as needed
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Herbs
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied into a bundle
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
For Serving
- Cooked pappardelle pasta, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or creamy polenta
Instructions
- Preheat and Sear: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and season all over with 5 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat without adding oil. Working in batches, sear the short ribs until they are deeply browned on all sides. Transfer the browned ribs to a baking dish.
- Sauté Vegetables: Carefully discard excess fat from the Dutch oven, leaving about 2 tablespoons to cook with. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped carrots, celery, onion, and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they become tender and caramelized, which brings out their natural sweetness.
- Add Tomato Paste and Garlic: Push the vegetables to the side of the pot. Add the tomato paste and stir it for about 30 seconds to cook out its raw flavor. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Deglaze with Wine: Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the pot’s bottom. Simmer the wine until it reduces by half, concentrating the depth of flavor in the sauce.
- Add Broth and Seasonings: Stir in the beef or chicken stock, fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, the thyme bundle, and dried oregano, combining everything thoroughly.
- Braise Short Ribs: Nestle the seared short ribs back into the pot so they are partially submerged in the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil on the stovetop, then cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour, then remove the lid and continue baking for another hour until the meat is tender and falls apart easily with a fork.
- Remove Short Ribs and Thyme: Carefully remove the short ribs from the pot to a serving plate. Discard any loose bones and remove the tied thyme bundle from the sauce.
- Reduce Sauce: Place the pot back on the stovetop over medium heat and simmer the sauce uncovered for 15 minutes to thicken. Skim off any excess fat from the surface for a cleaner sauce.
- Combine and Serve: Return the short ribs to the sauce and heat through gently. Sprinkle with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for brightness. Serve the ribs hot with your choice of sides such as cooked pappardelle pasta, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or creamy polenta for a satisfying meal.
Notes
- Make sure to pat the ribs dry before seasoning and searing to ensure a good crust.
- If you prefer, use beef stock for a richer flavor, but chicken stock works well too.
- Adjust seasoning to taste near the end if necessary because saltiness can vary between stock brands.
- Leftover ribs and sauce reheat beautifully, making this dish great for make-ahead meals.
- For an even richer sauce, you can strain the sauce after simmering and reduce further if desired.
