As the shadows get longer and daylight gets shorter, this is the perfect time of year for savory, slow-cooked meals. These red wine-braised beef short ribs are perfect for long Sunday afternoons when it is cold outside.
The ribs are slow-cooked and braised in a thick, hearty sauce of red wine and herb-seasoned vegetables, and the whole house will smell cozy with herbs and savory goodness.
This is one of those cozy dishes you’ll want to make while lazing around the house on Sunday. There is minimal hands-on time, and the ribs pretty much cook themselves into tender, fall-off-the-bone rib meat goodness!
These ribs are like the ones you find in fine restaurants, making them perfect for special occasions to share with your friends and family. A definite crowd-pleaser!
What Are Beef Short Ribs?
There are three cuts of beef short ribs from three different sections of the cow.
- Back ribs – the most common. Comes from the thick side of the prime rib.
- Plate ribs – come from a section right below the primal rib called the plate section.
- Chuck Short Ribs – located right under the chuck from the first to the fifth rib.
Short ribs are bone-in plate short ribs consisting of rib and plate sections. The ribs are usually made into short-cut ribs in the grocery store, also known as “riblets.” You can use the shorter cut if you cannot get your hands on the long bone cut.
English-style ribs are cut parallel to the bone, one bone per piece. They are commonly packed in racks of three or four bones at the meat counter of your local grocery store. However, we recommend supporting your local butcher shop.
Look for short ribs that are well-marbled with fat, so stay moist, tender, and juicy.
What Is Braising?
Braising is a moist-heat cooking method that uses a combination of wet and dry heat to cook meat or vegetables gently in a flavorful liquid. Braising can help you cook tough cuts of meat because it breaks down the connective tissue and makes it very tender.
Basic Steps to Braising
- Brown the Meat and saute any vegetables that accompany it.
- Bring the braising liquid to a simmer.
- Add the braising liquid, but do not completely submerge the meat in the liquid. The liquid should only come up about two-thirds of the way up the meat.
- Cover the pot, and cook the meat low and slow until the meat is tender.
- Skim off the fat from the braising liquid.
- Serve the meat with the liquid.
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bacon: bacon fat is the base of the braising liquid. If you don’t have bacon, substitute it with a ½ stick of butter.
- Short Ribs: you’ll need at least 6 English-style beef short ribs or a few more as long as your pot is big enough to hold them.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Vegetables: chopped onions, carrots, and mushrooms. You can use any onion or mushrooms you have on hand. I used sweet onion and baby portobello mushrooms.
- Garlic: I smashed four cloves of whole garlic and removed it once I rendered out the flavor. I have also minced the garlic and left it in. It’s up to you and what you prefer.
- Broth: Chicken broth provides a much more flavorful liquid than water. Substitute with beef broth or vegetable broth or stocks.
- Wine: Any full-bodied red wine will work.
- Tomato Paste: To give the braising liquid a burst of umami, sweetness, mild acidity, and helps with thickening.
- Fresh Herbs: Sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Roux: flour and butter thicken the gravy and combine with the vegetables to smother the ribs.
How To Make Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
This recipe is relatively easy to make, with little hands one time. Here’s a basic overview of how to make the ribs. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.
Render the Bacon
This recipe starts with browning the bacon. The rendered bacon fat is the base of the delicious braising liquid. You chop up the bacon and serve as a garnish for the ribs.
Brown the Ribs
Sprinkle the short ribs with the salt and pepper; sear in the hot bacon drippings on all sides until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the short ribs from the pot.
Saute the Vegetables
Smash the garlic cloves and add to the pot; saute for a minute to flavor the oil. Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms to the drippings in the pan. Cook the vegetables for about 7 to 10 minutes or until they have released their liquid. Remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon; discard whole garlic cloves.
Make the Braising Liquid
Add the tomato paste to the pan and allow it to brown. Before the tomato paste burns, stir 2 cups of the chicken broth and 1 ½ cups of the red wine. Cook, stirring often, over high heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced in half. Turn off the heat; stir in the vegetables until well combined.
Cover and Cook
Place the short ribs into the pot with the vegetable mixture and top with fresh rosemary and thyme. Cover and bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
Skim the Fat
Remove the stems from the rosemary and thyme; discard. Remove the ribs, place them on a plate, and wrap them in aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour vegetables through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Reserve vegetables and keep warm with the ribs.
Let the cooking liquid stand for about 10 minutes. Using a spoon, skim the fat from the top of the liquid; discard.
Make the Gravy
In the same Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir the flour into the melted butter; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir the cooking liquid back into the pot, along with the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth and remaining ½ cup wine. Cook for ten more minutes or until the liquid has thickened. Stir vegetables into the sauce.
Serve The Ribs
Place the ribs onto a plate with vegetable sauce poured over them, with mashed potatoes, over egg noodles, or creamy polenta.
Tips For Making Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Look for short ribs that are well-marbled with fat; this will keep them moist, tender, and juicy!
- Use a heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven. This will ensure the heat is evenly distributed and the ribs cook evenly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot, mainly when browning the ribs.
- Be patient. The ribs may take a while to cook at such a low temperature, but trust me; it will be completely worth it!
Recipe FAQs
Any full-bodied red wine works well with this recipe, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or a Bordeaux red blend.
No, not at all. You can’t tell if the wine is $100 a bottle or $10 a bottle, but make sure it is a wine you would drink if you were not using it for this recipe.
Yes, substitute with more broth, plus a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce.
I made a few modifications to the original red wine-braised short ribs recipe by Paula Dean. I added garlic and fresh thyme. Beef and garlic are a wonderful combination, and the thyme has such a wonderful fragrance and pairs perfectly with the rosemary.
Certainly, the leftover wine was consumed with this meal. As I learned many moons ago from Justin Wilson: “Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink!”
Enjoy the ribs and the wine!
Making these red wine-braised beef short ribs? We’d love to hear your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We really appreciate it!
See ya on the mountain!
Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon raw
- 6 beef short ribs 5-inch-long
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 cups onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 ½ cups carrots chopped
- 8 ounces Portobello mushrooms quartered
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth divided
- 2 cups red wine Any full-bodied red wine will work, divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until bacon is crisp. Drain on a paper towel. (Use as bacon bits or for a sandwich later.) Reserve pan drippings in pan.
- Sprinkle the short ribs with the salt and pepper; sear in the hot bacon drippings on all sides until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the short ribs from the pot.
- Smash the garlic cloves and add to the pot; saute for about a minute to flavor the oil. Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms to the drippings in the pan. Cook the vegetables about 7 to 10 minutes, or until they have released their liquid. Remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and allow it to brown. Before the tomato paste starts to burn, stir 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 ½ cups red wine. Cook, over high heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced in half. Remove from heat and stir in vegetables until well combined. Place the short ribs into the pot with the vegetable mixture and top with fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Cover and bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender.
- Remove the stems from the rosemary and thyme; discard. Take the ribs; place them on a plate a wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour vegetables through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Reserve vegetables and keep warm with the ribs.
- Let cooking liquid stand for about 10 minutes. Using a spoon, skim the fat from top of the liquid; discard.
- In the same Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir flour into the melted butter; cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Slowly stir the cooking liquid back into the pot, along with the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth and remaining ½ cup wine. Cook for 10 more minutes or until the liquid has thickened. Stir vegetables into the sauce.
- To serve, place the ribs onto a plate with vegetable sauce poured over them accompanied with mashed potatoes or over egg noodles.
Notes
- Look for short ribs that are well-marbled with fat; this will keep them moist, tender, and juicy!
- Use a heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven. This will ensure the heat is evenly distributed and the ribs cook evenly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot, mainly when browning the ribs.
- Be patient. The ribs may take a while to cook at such a low temperature, but trust me; it will be completely worth it!
Elaine @ foodbod says
I can imagine that smelt AMAZING whilst cooking!!! thank you for sharing it with us at fiesta Friday 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Elaine! Glad to share it. It tasted as good as it smelled! Happy FF!!
Michelle says
Debbie-
These look absolutely stunning!
I might not share!
Red wine + meat= ❤️??
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing dish at Fiesta Friday #142!
Michelle
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Michelle. Sorry for the delayed response. I found this comment inside my spam folder, yikes!
annie says
Perfect fall food…and beautiful photos Debbie! TGIF! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you Annie!
Julie says
Debbie, this recipe is just singing to me. This is exactly the food I like to cook on a cool Sunday. I will be trying this one. And, leftover bacon is never a problem for us. I agree that it doesn’t do anything in this dish other than using that delicious rendered fat.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much Julie. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Like we need another reason to drink wine, right? 😉
J says
My son would totally love this meal, Debbie! And your photos look so delicious!!! Hope you are well!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Jenny! I’ve been doing well and hope the same for you. I hope your son will enjoy the ribs as much as we did! 🙂
Liz says
Anything with red wine, count me in. I’m sipping some right now!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Liz. Please sip some for me too! 😉
Sarah says
Oh my goodness! I need a big bowl of this please and thank you! What a decadent and flavorful dish, I’m drooling 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you Sarah!
frugal hausfrau says
Debbie I think I can almost smell this from here! Seriously it sounds amazing. I just made a wine braised pot roast from a pretty famous chef I admire and it was so lackluster…I think when I make the next go round (I bought two on sale) I’ll adapt this recipe for it. That gravy. That bacon….I just ate and want this now!!
Mollie
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Mollie. Adapt away, you’ll love this!
Nandini says
Yum! Yum! yum!…You got me hungry. Wishing you a very Happy birthday Debbie saw it on a post from Cheryl 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Nandini!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I agree with your changes, I’m sure the ribs were delicious.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Karen. They sure were! Back from your holiday? Hope all is well in FL. How did your home do during the hurricane?