Rich, tender red wine braised short ribs served in a red wine and garlic infused sauce. What's not to like? This easy to make yet impressive dinner is perfect for special occasions, dinner parties, or simply because you love braised ribs!
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Table of Contents
What Does 'Braised' Mean?
If you have never heard the term 'braised', it simply means 'slow cooked in liquid'. Have you ever used a crock pot? That's basically braising.
By cooking meats at a low temperature, (usually between 300-350°F), for long periods of time (2 - 3 hours), while partially submerged in liquid you very gently break down all the tough connective tissues of the meat. This results in extremely tender, fall of the bone short ribs.
The great thing about braising meats, or slow cooking them, is that recipes such as this are in their very nature, easy to do, and fairly hands off. Once the meat has been seared and all the flavorings added to the pan, you can sit back and relax as the braised short ribs cook away in the oven on their own.
Can you braise any cut of meat?
In theory yes, but in practice you wouldn't want to. As I mentioned above, braising is used to break down connective tissues such as fat, collagen, and elastin. These tissues make certain meats such as ribs, shoulder cuts, briskets, and shank all very tough because they are high in these types of tissues.
A strip-loin steak or sirloin tip roast, on the other hand, is fairly lean and is more tender when they are cooked less (ie:. medium rare), not more. This is why these types of cuts are roasted, or grilled/pan-seared instead of braised.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Garlic Recipe
Enough of the technical stuff though, let's get to the actual cooking!
As the recipe name suggests you'll need quite a bit of red wine to make these braised ribs. Worst case, you can leave out the wine, and substitute it with some rich beef stock. Trust me though, the red wine just adds that much more flavor and richness to the end result!
You'll need:
- 5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs - cut to a 1.5 inch width
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups good quality beef stock - avoid store-bought if you can as it can be very salty.
- 1 head garlic - whole cloves crushed, no need to chop
- 1 large Spanish onion - peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot - peeled and large diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 bay leafs
- salt
- 8 peppercorns
Cooking Instructions
Once the red wine braised short ribs are gently heated in the thickened sauce, serve the ribs alongside some creamy garlic mashed potatoes, and vegetables of your choice for a fancy, and delicious meal!
You can choose to serve the braised short ribs bone-in, or remove the bones from the meat prior to serving, the choice is yours!
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Recipe
Red Wine & Garlic Braised Short Rib Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lbs bone in beef short ribs cut to a 1.5 inch width
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups good quality beef stock
- 1 head garlic whole cloves - crushed
- 1 whole large Spanish onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 whole large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 5 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- 8 whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 325F. If the short ribs are not already cut up and are instead in one long 'rib section', cut the short rib into individual sections by cutting through the meat in between each bone.
- Place a cast iron skillet or thick bottomed frying pan on the stove with a splash of oil, and heat it till it's smoking hot. Immediately place the cut up rib sections into the hot oil and sear until golden brown on all sides.
- While the short ribs are searing, peel and chop the vegetables.
- Once the beef short ribs are fully seared, remove them from the pan and place them in a roasting pan. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan, Sear the vegetables until they too start to brown along the edges.
- Add in the garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the 2 cups red wine, using a wooden spoon to remove any sticky brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, and the remaining herbs. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Pour this liquid/vegetable mix over top of the seared short ribs. Cove the roasting pan with a tight fitting lid, or cover it with tinfoil, making sure to crimp the edges really well to prevent steam from escaping.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven and braise for 2.5 hours. Check the red wine braised short ribs once done to make sure the meat will easily fall of the bone.
- Remove the braised ribs from the liquid, and set aside. Strain the liquid from the pan, and thicken it on the stove top with a cornstarch or flour slurry. Learn out how to thicken sauces here.
- Season the red wine sauce with salt, pepper, and a splash of red wine if needed. Return the red wine braised short ribs to the sauce, bring to a simmer and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Sherry
This is now one of my favourite beef recipes! So, so good.
Heather
Super hearty and the perfect comfort food! Love the step by step instructions and I will definitely be picking up some short ribs this weekend!
Ruchi
Cooking with red wine always intrigues me. The flavor is so full and rich, its hard to stop after eating just one portion.
Amanda Mason
This looks so good and hearty! And I could not agree with you more...a good quality beef broth makes all the difference in the world! Loving the section on braising on any cut of meat. Good points in there! Definitely will be making this recipe!
lauren
Short Ribs are my favorite thing to make for a fancy dinner or if we're having company. They're on the richer side, look fancy but are super forgiving since they braise slowly. The red wine and fresh herbs give the sauce so much flavor! The thickened, strained sauce makes for a lovely presentation too.
Deseree
I will be picking up everything to make these this week. My husband loves short ribs and this recipe sounds fantastic!
Chef Markus Mueller
You will absolutely love the ribs! They are so tender...let me know hot it turns out!
Jacque
These look amazing! The red wine really brings out the flavor of the ribs.
Colleen
Any time is a good time for braised short ribs! I like how you made them into this delicious looking stew with gravy. Great recipe!
Jennifer
My family loves these short ribs!! So delicious and super simple to make!
Karyl Henry
Oh short ribs are SO amazing! I could seriously eat them every day. I like that you do a gravy with all those vegetables. What a great way to infuse even more flavor into the ribs.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've just started cooking with short ribs and I love them. They're so soft and tender! I can't wait to try your method!
Chef Markus Mueller
Short Ribs are one of my favorite meats to slow cook, they are always so tender, and not as fatty as pork ribs!
Anna
This looks seriously good! My other half absolutely loves ribs, and your recipe looks like something he will enjoy very much! Even better there is some red wine involved! 😉
Heather Perine
Braised short ribs is the first thing I order on a menu at a restaurant if they have it. This looks delish. I am going to have to see if I can find some short ribs in my grocery store and make this. Excellent step by step photos thanks!
Chef Markus Mueller
Thanks Heather, I hope you enjoy cooking them at home!