Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs Recipe
Tender braised short ribs in a rich and flavorful sauce, served over creamy mashed potatoes—it's the perfect one-pot meal to make on the weekends and is the ultimate winter comfort dish!
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Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 pounds short ribs
- Salt and pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1½ to 2 cups)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine*
- 1-2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce or both, optional
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 300℉.
- Remove any excess fat or silver skin from the short ribs and generously season them with salt and pepper all over. Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Working in batches, place the short ribs into the pot, giving them enough room to sear without moving for around 3 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Flip them over to sear the other side, then take the ribs out of the pot and set aside. Repeat with the remaining short ribs, adding more oil if necessary.
- Pour off any excess fat from the pot (you should reserve around one to two tablespoons) and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the yellow onion, carrot, and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt, cooking until the onion is soft and translucent (around 5 minutes).
- Add in the fresh garlic and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, until fragrant but not burned. Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the tomato has caramelized and turned a darker color.
- Add the flour to the pot and stir for around 1 minute, until completely absorbed. Stirring continuously to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, pour in the red wine. Let the wine simmer for a few minutes to reduce, then add in 1 cup of beef broth, the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce (if using), bay leaf, thyme, and fresh rosemary. Increase the heat and bring everything to a rapid boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the reserved short ribs and any of their juices back into the pot. At this point, you may need to add more broth; add enough to submerge the short ribs about halfway to three-fourths up the sides.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer into the oven to cook for 3-4 hours, until fork tender and pulling away from the bone.
- Remove the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf from the pot and skim off any fat from the surface of the braising liquid. If desired, you may strain the sauce and discard the cooked vegetables for a smoother consistency. If the braising liquid is too thin, remove the ribs from the pot and let the sauce simmer on the stove for around 10-15 minutes or until the desired thickness is reached.
- Remove the bones from the ribs and taste the sauce to check for seasoning. Shred the meat or serve whole on top of mashed potatoes, risotto, or polenta with the braising sauce.
Notes
*A dry and full-bodied red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot will work well—it doesn't need to be the most expensive wine on the shelf, just something that's good enough to drink.