This impressive braised short rib recipe features mouth-wateringly tender beef slow-braised in a caramelized onion and red wine broth.
Think of this dish as a combination of French onion soup and red wine braised short ribs. It’s cozy, rich, and perfect for a cold night. We caramelized plenty of onions to add sweetness and richness to the broth. The beef is then braised for three hours to achieve the crumbly texture, all done by hand.
You’re left with incredibly tender, flavorful beef and a rich, rich gravy that intertwines with caramelized onions. Best is to serve this over something that will absorb it all, like creamy polenta, grits, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or thick, crunchy bread.
main ingredients
Short ribs: There are two popular types of beef short ribs sold in stores: shoulder ribs and plates. If you have a choice, cut plate short ribs into smaller pieces (3 to 4 inches long) and use those labeled English style. It has the perfect balance of meat and fat, and becomes especially tender when cooked slowly at low temperatures. Chuck short ribs are small and a little irregular in shape, but they still work. This BBQ beef rib also uses short ribs. Onions: Use yellow or sweet onions for this dish. Both will caramelize nicely. Tomato paste and garlic: Tomato paste adds richness. I like the dual concentrate tube because it has a screw on tube and lid, which makes it easy to store what you don’t use. Fresh garlic is best here. Flour: Use all-purpose flour to thicken the gravy. Wine: Dry red wine is best. Please use something that is easy to drink. We like Chianti, Bordeaux blends, and Merlot. Stock: Short ribs add quite a bit of meat to the gravy, so plain store-bought beef stock works well. However, here’s a beef stock recipe to make this completely from scratch. Herbs: We love fresh thyme and always add bay leaves. Rosemary is also good, but it can be too strong. If you have it on hand, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary to the beef before cooking in the oven.
See the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to make braised short ribs
Tip 1: Brown the short ribs. Before you braise the beef, you must first brown the short ribs on all sides. This adds flavor to the pot you use to make the braising liquid and adds flavor and texture to the beef.
Heat a Dutch oven or braiser, add olive oil and brown on all sides. Since the amount of short ribs is large, you will need to divide it into two portions.
Tip 2: Caramelize the onions. If you’ve ever made French onion soup, you know the beauty of caramelized onions. It may take a little time, but we promise this fancy dish is worth it.
To do this, add a little butter to the rendered beef tallow in a saucepan (yes!). Next, add the onions, stir well and cover the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes. When you open the lid, it will soften and release moisture into the pot. From there, uncover, continue to cook, stirring frequently, until dark brown and smelling sweet (about another 30 minutes).
Tip 3: Boil the wine. Add the wine to the pot while making the simmering liquid. Flavorful red wine braised short ribs are a true classic. Simmer the wine for a few minutes to evaporate some of the alcohol before adding anything to the pot.
Tip 4: Cover and steam slowly in the oven. Short ribs need to be slow-cooked for about 3 hours to produce perfectly tender beef. Think of this like making beef stew. You need to dissolve the fat and collagen and soften the connective tissue to make it really soft.
Add the browned beef to the braising liquid, making sure it’s mostly covered so it doesn’t dry out. Then cover and bake slowly in the oven for about 3 hours. After 3 hours, the beef will be amazingly tender and very tasty.
offer suggestions
A large amount of broth will remain. It’s thick, full of sweet onions, and really delicious (with or without beef!). I highly recommend removing the fat from the top of the pan. I guess there are quite a few. Beef can be served with or without the bone. Some bones may have already slipped out of the meat (it’s very tender). Remove the bones and place the tender beef chunks over polenta, grits, or mashed potatoes, then spoon a generous amount of the braising liquid over the top. You’ll probably run out of beef before you get to the gravy, but I still think you should save it to spoon something else over for dinner another night.
This dish is intentionally rich. If you want something a little lighter to start with or as a side, you’ll love this fennel salad, veggies with a tangy lemon vinaigrette, classic roasted carrots, or these roasted carrots and parsnips.
See more mouth-watering tender beef recipes
Tenderly braised beef short ribs
preparation
20 minutes
cook
3 hours 50 minutes
total
4 hours 10 minutes
These short ribs are cooked in a rich caramelized onion and red wine sauce, making them incredibly tender. Perfect served over creamy polenta or homemade mashed potatoes, or next to thick, crunchy bread.
6 doses
will be needed
8 bone-in beef short ribs (about 3 ¾ pounds), cut into 3-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced, about 6 cups
2 tablespoons butter (28g)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (32g)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (16g)
1 1/2 cups (355ml) of dry red wine, such as Chianti, Bordeaux blend, or Merlot
4 cups (945ml) beef stock
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
direction
1Prepare the short ribs. Season on all sides with salt (I use 2-3 teaspoons of good sea salt). Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or brazer over medium heat and sear the beef for about 8 minutes on each side. Transfer the browned beef to a plate. You may need to do this in batches.
2Cook the onions. Once all the beef is removed from the pot, reduce the heat to medium, add the butter and onions, and cover. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue cooking the onions, stirring occasionally, scraping up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom and sides. It will take 30-40 minutes for the onions to turn golden brown. Keep a close eye on them. Once it starts to brown, stir frequently to avoid burning.
3Prepare the oven: Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C).
4Make the gravy: Add the tomato paste, garlic, and flour to the caramelized onions. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring around the pan.
5Add the wine: Slowly pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Stir around the pot and simmer for about 2 minutes. Once the strong alcohol smell is gone and replaced by a wine scent and sweet onion smell, it’s time to move on to the next step.
6Simmer: Add beef stock, thyme, and bay leaves. Check the taste and adjust with a little salt and pepper. after that. Return the browned short ribs to the pot, covering them with the liquid. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and bake for about 3 hours, or until the meat separates easily from the bone. Check halfway through to make sure most of the beef is covered with the liquid.
7To serve: Remove pan from oven. Remove excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Before eating, remove and discard the thyme stalks and bay leaves.
Adam and Joan’s Tips
Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. When storing it, we recommend removing it from the bones and pouring onion stewed liquid over it. Heat slowly over low to medium heat. How to buy ribs: Because ribs are cut from a larger board, the width varies depending on the store. In most cases, the length used in the photo above is 2 to 3 inches. There are two popular types of beef ribs sold at stores: shoulder ribs and plates. Both are effective, but plated short ribs have the best balance of meat and fat and are especially tender when cooked low and slow. This recipe does not use beef back ribs. The nutritional information provided is an estimate.
Nutritional information per serving
Serving size
1/6 of the recipe
/
calorie
705
/
total fat
37.8g
/
saturated fat
15.5g
/
cholesterol
177.7mg
/
sodium
1298.9mg
/
carbohydrates
20.7g
/
dietary fiber
3.2g
/
Total sugar content
7.8g
/
protein
58.3g
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