Looking for a hearty, healthy meal for cold weather? This braised beef short ribs recipe will warm your family to their core.
Braised beef short ribs
I cannot recommend having a quality braised beef short ribs recipe enough. It is a cozy meal for fall or winter and is the perfect way to cook the ribs from your last beef order. My family always eats it without complaint and I am sure yours will as well.
This recipe is a red wine braised short rib and can be made in a crock pot or dutch oven. The meat is tender and the entire meal is so filling that your family will be begging for it over and over again.
The best part? For such a savory, nutritional meal, it is one of the easiest recipes!
Ready to learn all about making homemade braised beef short ribs? Keep reading…
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What are short ribs?
Short ribs come from the beef chuck portion of a cow. They are the 5 shorter ribs that don’t have enough meat to become a steak, but the perfect amount to braise for your family.
Because of where the meat comes from, short ribs have the delicious marbling that high quality steaks come with as well as that deep beefy flavor that a chuck roast has. For most butchers, this is one of the best types of meats that you can serve.
What is braising?
Braising is a way to cook a meal that combines pan searing and slow cooking. It is a way to take meat and vegetables to the next level.
While it might add a few extra minutes to the food prep, it is often worth it. Braising combines flavors and tenderizes the dish to be some of the best tasting meals that my family loves.
When braising, I love to cook with my dutch oven because it can all be done with one pot. With how big my family is, the less dishes that I need to wash, the better.
How do you make braised beef short ribs?
To make the most tender, savory beef short ribs, I love to sear the meat and vegetables on the stove top then slow cook it either in the oven or using a slow cooker.
When slow cooking beef short ribs in the oven, it’s as easy as placing everything in the dutch oven and cooking for 6-8 hours at 225 degrees.
If you prefer to use your slow cooker, either set your Instapot to the crock pot setting or use a traditional crock pot. When you do this, add the ingredients to the pot after you have pan seared and then cook for 6-8 hours on the low setting.
Things to note when making braised short ribs
For as simple as this recipe is, there are a few tips that I have picked up that I have to share. After cooking this recipe for years, here is what I have learned:
- Due to the rich connective tissue on short ribs, the liquid in your dutch oven will become a meat stock. Serve it in mugs alongside your meal for more nutritional value. These stainless steel mugs are perfect for little hands and they are spill proof!
- If you do not have time to braise, you can still throw all of these ingredients into your dutchoven or crock pot and still have a great meal. Just know that it may be lacking in flavor, but I still love the results.
- When adding your liquid to the recipe, be mindful of how full you fill your dutch oven. Remember, you don’t want it to become a soup. Fill with water so that everything is covered, but the top of the meat is still sticking out.
Ready to make your own braised short ribs? Keep reading for the recipe…
Braised beef short ribs recipe directions
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of tallow
- 3 lb. short ribs
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 9 carrots
- Dry red wine
- 1 16-oz can of organic crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups of filtered water
- Salt and pepper
- 3-4 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 Fº
- Melt tallow on the stovetop in dutch oven on medium heat. You don’t want to create steam, so keep an eye on the heat
- Brown all sides of the ribs, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side
- Cut vegetables into larger chunks for more flavor in the slow cook time
- Remove browned short ribs and add onions and carrots to pot, cook for 3 minutes until vegetables are slightly softened This step will enhance the flavor so don’t skip it
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute
- Add splash of dry red wine and tomatoes
- And then add in water, enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not enough to cover the tops of the ribs
- Sprinkle in a generous amount of salt and pepper to taste
- Turn heat to high on the stovetop and bring to a boil
- Add in Bay leaves and nestle ribs between the liquid and vegetables. You may need to add more water so that the top of the meat is still exposed but it is still mostly covered
- Cover pot with lid and add to oven. Cook for 6-8 hours
What kind of short ribs are best for braising?
When I am braising short ribs for my family, my preference is to cook beef short ribs (as opposed to pork). We choose to support local farmers and buy an entire cow that can be stored in our deep freezer.
If you do go to the store to buy your short ribs, look for lots of marbling in the meat or ask the butcher which cut is the best one for your meal.
Is it possible to overcook short ribs?
While it is difficult to do, it is possible to overcook your short ribs. Keep an eye on your meat in those last few hours and once the meat becomes tender, then it is done.
For overcooked short ribs, you should know when it has happened because the meat will completely fall apart. Again, it is really hard to do, so don’t stress about it too much.
Keep scrolling for how to tell when your meal really is done…
How to know when braised short ribs are done?
For this recipe, you will know when the meat is ready when it is tender. Stick a fork in it and if it falls off easily, then you are ready to serve.
An added bonus to this recipe? The tender meat is easy to eat, so with little ones serving them dinner is much easier. And there are bones for them to chew on and play with!
What is the main difference between spare ribs and short ribs?
One common confusion that people have when cooking ribs is what beef cut should be used. It is important to note that there is a big enough difference between spare ribs and short ribs that they cannot be substituted in this recipe.
Spare ribs come from the back of the animal. This type of meat cut is what you would typically serve for ribs at a barbeque in the summertime.
Short ribs are taken from the plate cut. This meat cut is more marbleized and is best cooked in a slow cooker, like the recipe in the article.
What other foods goes well with braised short ribs?
There are plenty of foods that go well with braised short ribs. While this meal can be served with the vegetables cooked with the meat in a cup of meat stock, it’s sometimes nice to add another side to the mix.
Here are a few foods that go well with braised short ribs to keep your family well nourished:
- Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- For kids, I love to serve some Beef Tallow Fries or mashed potatoes
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Sourdough Pasta Noodles
- Salad
How do you store braised short ribs properly?
If you are like me, you think ahead and try to cook a little bit of extra food at dinnertime to help make lunch the next day a little easier to prepare. For this braised beef short ribs recipe, I do just that.
To properly store your braised short ribs, store in a shallow, air tight glass container in your fridge for up to 4 days.
More nourishing recipes
Have you ever tried braising beef short ribs?
If you have already done so, how did you go about in doing it? What were the steps you took? Please share it in the comments!
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Looking for a hearty, healthy meal for cold weather? This braised beef short ribs recipe will warm your family to their core.Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 773Total Fat: 52gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 60g