BEST Braised Short Ribs Recipe

Braised short ribs in a tan and brown bowl with thyme sprinkled in and around it

5 from 3 votes

BEST Braised Short Ribs Recipe

One of my favorite recipes of all time is this short ribs recipe. These short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender, braised in a red wine reduction sauce that’s absolute perfection. It’s seriously the best!

Prep Time50

Cook Time4 25

Total Time5 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: medium servings

Author: Grace Vallo

Equipment

Large (6-quart or larger) oven-safe pot or Dutch oven
Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

4-5 pounds boneless short ribs cut into roughly 3 inch pieces
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
8 cups low-sodium beef broth 64 ounces
6 large shallots peeled
3 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery stalks roughly chopped
1 medium leek dark green part removed and white/light green part roughly chopped
1 head garlic cloves peeled and smashed
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 medium fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Flavorless oil to sear beef like avocado, canola, or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep and chop all ingredients first. Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a medium pot, add wine and bring to a gentle boil. Uncovered, let wine gently boil and reduce by about half. This should take about 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat. When reduced, set aside.
Lightly dredge short ribs in flour mixed with salt and pepper.
Preheat a large (6-quart or larger) oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once preheated, add about 2 tablespoons of flavorless oil.
Add as many short ribs as possible to the pot in a single layer, not touching each other. Let sear on side #1 for 1-2 minutes until light golden. Flip. Sear on side #2 for 1-2 minutes until light golden. Don’t worry about searing the other sides. Set aside, and finish searing the rest of the short ribs in batches, adding a little more oil each time.
Leaving drippings from the beef in the pot, add shallots, carrots, celery, leek, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper if desired, keeping in mind the reduced broth is somewhat salty. Sauté mixture for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat until fragrant.
Add in short ribs, wine, and broth. Do not stir. Cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, place in the oven, covered and undisturbed, for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Use a spatula to gently remove short ribs from the braising liquid, setting aside on a baking sheet or plate.
Strain braising liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a large pot.
Gently boil the liquid, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 60-80 minutes, until it reduces by about two-thirds (or until there is 1 quart of sauce left). Stir occasionally.
Add short ribs back into the sauce, cover, and warm through on low heat for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

The bottle of Cabernet doesn’t need to be expensive; as long as you’d drink it alone, it will be great in the sauce!
You can save the veggies that you strain out of the braising liquid to serve with the short ribs if desired.
These short ribs are amazing made ahead or even frozen and enjoyed months later!
I bought roughly 4.5 pounds which made 25 short ribs (3-inch pieces).

Nutrition