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This red wine braised short ribs recipe makes a special meal when only comfort food will do. It has fall-off-the-bone tender ribs in a richly flavored red wine sauce!
You may also enjoy my Beef Stew or Creamy Lemon and Herb Pot Roasted Chicken next.
Why you’ll love it
My Crockpot Red Wine Braised Short Ribs recipe was so good that I had to create a version for readers that don’t own a slow cooker. The beef is just as juicy and tender, and the savory red wine sauce has beautiful concentrated flavors of garlic and thyme and seasonings.
Learning how to make short ribs in the oven is straightforward! These beef short ribs are a real treat for a special occasion or easy yet impressive entertaining. They’re cozy, richly seasoned while using everyday ingredients, and are sure to hit the spot on a cold day.
What you’ll need
- Beef short ribs – braising makes them so tender. Read on for tips!
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onions, carrots, garlic – a tasty aromatic base
- Tomato paste – for enhanced concentrated flavor
- Red wine – cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Côtes du Rhône, malbec, or pinot noir are all good choices
- Worcestershire sauce – it’s another layer of flavor
- Seasoning – brown sugar, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper are the tasty blend I use. Be sure to adequately salt this recipe!
- Thyme – it adds a lovely subtle herb flavor
- Cornstarch – to thicken up the sauce
What exactly are short ribs?
- It’s the cut from the chuck, brisket, rib, or plate regions of the animal. “Short” is in reference to the fact that the full rib bone is not included.
- If needed, tell your butcher to cut the bone-in short ribs into 2″ pieces.
- Short ribs need time to tenderize, so braising is the ideal method to cook them. That means seared at a high temperature, then cooked in a liquid.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is the 5.5 quart Dutch oven I use for these short ribs.
- This is my go-to corkscrew to open up the wine.
- A garlic press makes it effortless to mince the cloves without even peeling them first, and a garlic keeper is great to store the rest.
How to make braised short ribs
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven, and season the ribs with salt & pepper. Heat up the oil in a Dutch oven. Working in two batches, sear the meat until browned, then transfer to a plate. Sauté the onions and carrots until golden brown.
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste until fragrant. Add the wine, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and thyme. Scrape up any tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then add in the short ribs.
Cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender enough to fall off the bone. Skim the fat off the surface and discard. Make a cornstarch slurry, then add to the pot and stir. Taste, and season with extra salt & pepper as needed to bring out the flavors.
Pro tip
Short ribs are quite fatty, so it’s completely normal to have to skim some fat off the surface when they’re done cooking.
Substitutions and variations
- My version has been tested well, so I definitely recommend trying it as-is before making any substitutions or changes to ratios of ingredients, etc. The flavors are classic!
- You could get away with leaving out the thyme, but it adds a nice something-something.
- Sub 1/2 the wine with beef broth if necessary, but then also reduce the salt quantity.
What to serve with short ribs
- The sauce is fantastic over a mountain of mashed potatoes. Make my Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes for a change from regular garlic ones!
- For a vegetable side, my Easy Glazed Carrots or Easy Garlic Sauteed Mushrooms make a nice pairing.
- Craving a salad? Try spring mix and my Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- These short ribs will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- In a covered saucepan, reheat over a low heat until warmed through.
- Store leftovers for up to 3 months in the freezer if you wish.
If you made this short ribs recipe with a red wine sauce, please leave a star rating and review below! Questions not answered above? Let me know. Tag me on Instagram if you made it.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3.5-4 pounds beef short ribs (bone-in)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large carrot peeled & chopped finely
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt see note
- Pepper to taste
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F.
- Season the short ribs with salt & pepper.
- Add the olive oil to a Dutch over medium heat, and once the pot is hot, sear half the short ribs for about 3-4 minutes/side or until nicely browned. Transfer to a plate and then repeat for the second batch. The ribs may release a lot of fat, and if they do, spoon some of the excess fat out, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons in the pot.
- Add the carrots and onions to the pot and sauté for 6-8 minutes or until they start to lightly brown.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for about a minute.
- Add the red wine, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and thyme to the pot. Give it a stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring it to a simmer. Add the short ribs in as even of a layer as possible (some will likely stick out and that's ok). Cover and transfer to your oven and cook for 3-3.5 hours (the meat should be falling off the bone).
- Once the ribs are done, skim the fat off the surface (I just use a spoon to do this… don't worry about getting it all). Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until you've got a smooth mixture, then stir it into the pot. The sauce should thicken up right away but you can always bring it to a boil on the stove to activate the cornstarch if needed. Give it a taste and season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- If you’re not using sea salt or kosher salt, you may want to start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more once you’ve tasted it. This recipe needs enough salt to bring out the flavors, so definitely don’t under-salt this one.
- Serves 6+ depending on how much people eat.
- Try the slow cooker version of this recipe if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’m worries abt a whole bottle of wine. Everyone’s says it’s so good. Will it be real rich?
Hi Connie! If you’re worried, just replace half the bottle with more beef broth. 🙂 It is pretty rich.
As per all your recipes I love this one and will make it again. Turned out exactly as expected and incredibly flavourful. I made two errors – one small, one stupid. I omitted the brown sugar. The big error was grabbing Kashmiri Chili Powder instead of my go-to Smoked Paprika. Thankfully it was a gentle spice that added depth rather than heat. I’ll do better next time. The short ribs were fall apart tender and in most cases the ribs separated during cooking.
I’m so happy it worked out despite the little errors haha! Thanks for your review, Scott – it’s much appreciated! 😀
I bought a Dutch oven just to try out this recipe. It was worth it. The ribs were incredibly tender, the sauce was flavourful.
Definitely a recipe I will use again, but perhaps with a more cost effective cut of meat.
That makes me so happy!!! Yes, it’s definitely a treat meal. Dutch ovens are so versatile so you will definitely get tons of use from it. 😀
This recipe exceeded my expectations! It was delicious and simple. The instructions are foolproof., just allow yourself the time. It’s perfect for a lovely Sunday supper. I served it over risotto and we finished every last morsel.
I’m thrilled to hear it was a hit, Kerri!! 😀 Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!
Hi! If I were to use boneless short rib instead of bone-in, how would you adjust the oven time? Thanks 🙂
Hi Millie!! I would probably test after a couple of hours to see how tender they are, and then pop it back in the oven to cook for a bit longer as needed. Let me know how it goes if you try!
I made this last night for the 4th time, it’s such a beautiful, velvety, deep, lip smacking dish! We made your garlic mashed potatoes along with a salad. This without question is our #1 favorite recipe you have Natasha! Love, love, love it!!!! 🙂
Awwww I’m thrilled to hear that, Linda!! Your comment made my morning!! Really appreciate you taking the time to write me a review.
You do a lovely job , at every point in the cooking. thanks for filling in any blank spaces.
You’re very welcome!!
Can you make this recipe with Country Ribs?
Hi! I don’t see why not. Let me know how it goes if you try! 🙂