Braised Beef Short Ribs

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Ready for some fall-off-the-bone yumminess?

This dish is so comforting and you can slow-cook it in the oven or in your slow-cooker. Serve with some delicious mashed potatoes and maple glazed carrots! Perfect for a weeknight meal, but stunning enough for a dinner party!

A plate of mashed potatoes topped with braised beef short ribs and a tomato vegetable sauce.

How To Make Braised Beef Short Ribs

Beef short ribs are about as delicious as they come. Learn more about this incredible cut of beef here.

All you really need for this dish is a little time. They take a couple of hours to braise in the oven, but the preparation is not difficult or time-consuming.

 

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The Ingredients You Will Need

Obviously, the most important ingredients for this dish are the ribs. Ask your butcher to cut you 6 to 8 beef short ribs. He/she will need to cut the “English-style” in pieces that are about 2″x2″ or 2″x3″.

In addition to the ribs, here are the other items you will need:

Flour – All-purpose
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Pancetta – Cubed (can substitute bacon)
Onion – Chopped
Garlic – Minced
Red pepper flakes – For a nice depth of flavor
Carrots – Chopped
Tomato paste – To slightly thicken the sauce
Sugar – Enhances the flavor profile
Red wine – Dry
Plum tomatoes – Canned is just fine
Beef stock – Have extra in case you need to thin the sauce
Balsamic vinegar – Aged is wonderful
Herbs – Bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano

EXPERT TIP: Dusting the ribs in flour and then searing them helps to lock in the flavor and gives them a nice crust.

Four beef short ribs that are being seared in an oval Dutch oven with olive oil.

Tips for the Best Braised Beef Short Ribs

Timing – These ribs are best right out of the oven. Be sure to allow about 30 minutes to prep and then sear the meat. And then allow about 2 hours for braising in the oven.

Keep an Eye on the Ribs – Depending on the size of the ribs, they make take less than 2 hours to become fully cooked and fork tender. After about 1½ hours, check them. Remove the lid and use a fork to test the tenderness. If the meat easily pulls away from the bone, they are ready. If not, let them go until they easily pull away from the bone.

Skim the Fat – Beef short ribs are highly marbled which means they will be incredibly flavorful and tender, but they will also render a decent amount of fat. The fat will stay on the top of the sauce. Use a large spoon to skim the fat off the surface and then dispose of it safely.

A person using a pair of tongs to place a beef short rib into a large Dutch oven filled with other short ribs and a tomato and vegetable sauce.

How To Serve

This is truly one of the ‘special feeling’ kinds of dishes. It’s perfect for a wonderful Sunday evening dinner with the family, but it’s also elegant enough for an amazing dinner party.

We highly recommend serving this with perfect mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. The sauce is an amazing gravy that is begging to be poured over everything!

You can serve guests directly from the pot, or carefully remove the ribs and place them on a platter with the sauce served on the side. Or, you can plate the dish for each guest.

An overhead view of a large oval Dutch oven that is filled with braised beef short ribs in an Italian tomato and vegetable sauce.

Other Slow-Cooked Rib Recipes

Ribs, when cooked right, are extremely flavorful and fall-off-the-bone delicious. Here are a few of our favorites:

Instant Pot Italian Short Ribs
Wagyu Chuck Short Ribs
Incredible Slow-Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Country-Style Pork Ribs
Asian Braised Short Ribs

In the meantime, aren’t you in the mood to make these epic ribs?

A plate filled with braised beef short ribs that have been pulled apart with a fork all on top of mashed potatoes.

Ready to make the braised short ribs in town? Go for it! This is one recipe you will want to make again and again.

And when you make them, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

A plate of mashed potatoes topped with braised beef short ribs and a tomato vegetable sauce.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

The braised beef short ribs have an Italian flare to them, and wow, oh wow, are they good. Fall off the bone delicious. Amazing!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: beef, how to braise short ribs, Short ribs
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 274kcal

Equipment

  • 1 6 to 7-liter Dutch oven or large oven-ready pot with a lid

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 6 beef short ribs cut English style, into 2x2" or 2x3" pieces
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup pancetta chopped
  • 2 medium yellow onions chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup red wine dry
  • 1 14.5 oz can plum tomatoes diced, with juice
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs rosemary fresh
  • 2 sprigs thyme fresh
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • Liberally salt and pepper the ribs all over.
  • Add the flour to a platter or plate.
  • Turn the ribs in flour, shaking off any excess.
  • In a Dutch oven (or large pot), over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches, cook the ribs, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside. Drain off most of the oil/grease, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pot.
  • Add the pancetta to the pan and saute until just beginning to crisp, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the onions and carrots and sauté until beginning to soften, abut 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the tomato paste and sugar and cook, stirring until well blended, about 1 minute.
  • Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil.
  • Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and vinegar, and return to a boil. Stir in the oregano, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.
  • Add back in the ribs and place the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and thyme sprigs on top.
  • Cover and place in oven. Cook for about 2 hours.
  • When the ribs are done (they will be super tender), use a large, shallow spoon, or ladle to skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the liquid.
  • Season to taste with a little more salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Transfer the ribs to warmed plates, and then spoon the juices and veggies over and around them.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel
The ribs can be seared and the sauce can be made up to 8 hours in advance.  Refrigerate them if prepped for 1 hour or more before braising. Take them out of the fridge for 1 hour before adding the oven. 
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 2 months. 
For a delicious meal, remove the meat from the bones and lightly shred it. Mix with the sauce and serve with pasta. 

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 540mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3577IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in August 2014 but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in September 2022!

7 Comments

  • 5 stars
    These were just fabulous! Fall off the bone tender. Cooking time was perfect. I used a half of a bottle of Zinfandel since that works well with beef usually. So a little more than a cup. Thought it would be a little heavy but wasn’t at all. Of course I had to drink the other half quickly. Put it in my big Dutch oven just like yours (except mine is red) and what a feast with mashed potatoes a little more than two hours later. The sauce was excellent on the perfect mashed potatoes as well. In fact,I probably could’ve drank that at well. Just super delish and the flavor was spot on. This was another recipe that made me look like a way better cook than I really am. My sister loved watching the video with me yesterday. Keep up the good work my friends! Oh….. I forgot to tell you, the tomato house that I was working on like yours will maybe be reality after all since all of my current landscaping is gone from the hurricane. Wish me luck!

    • Hi Diane! You are killing it with all of these amazing dishes! Sounds absolutely heavenly!! We are so so happy you made the short ribs! And that is so exciting about your future tomato house! Keep us posted on that! You will LOVE it! Thanks again for sharing and as always, thank you so so much for the GREAT review! xoxo

  • What is the normal serving size for the Franklin style ribs? I’ve been told that only one rib is correct for regular.

  • Kris, in the top part of the recipe, you say “Cook time 20 hours” (which seems really long), and in the recipe itself you say 2 hours. I’m pretty sure you mean 2 hours, but could you clarify? This seems like a recipe I can actually handle.

    Thanks.

    Minx

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