This is what I call comfort food.
These short ribs are melt-in-your mouth and coated in an incredibly red-wine based sauce. I think there are a couple secrets to making this extra delicious. First off, it’s hard to emphasize how important it is to brown your meat. Well-browned meat = flavor! Secondly, the generous portion of tomato paste gives the sauce sweetness and body that harmonizes so well with a healthy pour of red wine.
The final key to making this dish just perfect; serve it up over something creamy and starchy. My pureed potatoes or polenta are great choices, if I do say so myself. Pureed celery root or parsnips are equally amazing, so it’s your pick.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Description
These short ribs are melt-in-your mouth and coated in an incredibly red-wine based sauce. I think there are a couple secrets to making this extra delicious.
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, English cut short ribs (about 2lbs)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low sodium beef stock, or as needed
- 1 bundle fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven & pan: Preheat oven to 375°F. Preheat a dutch oven to medium-high.
- Season & sear: Pat the short ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Coat the pan with oil, and sear meat on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Set ribs aside and discard excess oil from the pot.
- Cook aromatics: Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil to the pot. Add onion, celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Sauté 5-6 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add garlic and sauté about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato & wine: Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until slightly darkened in color. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to high and reduce wine by half, stirring occasionally.
- Braise: Return short ribs to the pan and add enough stock to just cover. Stir in thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for a total of 2½-3 hours or until meat is very tender, checking liquid level every 30-60 minutes. Try to maintain the liquid at about ¾ way up the short ribs, adding additional stock or water, as needed.
- Thicken sauce & serve: Remove ribs from sauce and keep. Skim off any visible fat from the surface of the sauce. Strain sauce through a sieve and discard herbs and vegetables. Return sauce to the pan and reduce to desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of sugar, if desired. Add short ribs to pan, coat in sauce and garnish with parsley. Serve this with my pureed potatoes, polenta or side dish of choice. Enjoy.
Notes
- You can easily double this recipe, and should to have leftovers from my Pappardelle with Short Rib Ragu. You’re welcome.
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ribs + sauce
- Calories: 594
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 505mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Protein: 41g
Keywords: short ribs, beef, braised, red wine
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Can you cook this recipe in a crock pot?
Hi Emma! Sure you could! For the best results, I would still do steps 2-4 (brown meat, cook aromatics, add tomato and wine) in a separate pot before putting into the slow cooker to cook through. A lot of flavor development occurs in those first few steps.
Why throw out b the celery and csrrots?
I just used them to flavor the braising liquid and discarded them, so I’d be left with a nice smooth sauce. Very French and wasteful-sounding, I know haha. I’ve made the short ribs the same way without putting the sauce through a sieve and getting rid of the veggies. I’ve also pureed everything together before and then ran it through a sieve at the end. You can really do it any way you prefer 🙂
But then do you pick them up to get the meat off the bone? Or do you just squish the potatoes all around trying to cut the meat off the bone? Can you tell I am a boneless meat kinda girl?
Once the short ribs are cooked, the bone separates very easily (or may literally fall off). So I usually just remove it and dig in 🙂
But if there is a bone I can’t pretend there was never an actual animal . . . . 🙂 (Perhaps I am a vegetarian disguised as a meat eater?)
Just found your blog via instagram and i will be enjoying looking at your recipes…I am a horrible cook but not my sweet sister she looks to me to give her ideas and this short rib dish will be a wonderful menu item for our Easter gathering.
Aw, thank you so much! I hope you she makes the short ribs and I’m sure you’re not as bad as you say 🙂
Short ribs are my absolute favorite. Yours look divine.
Thank so much, Ai! They’re my favorite too 🙂
AiPing’s my first name. 🙂
Sorry for the mistake! I appreciate that you corrected me, AiPing 🙂