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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs are a rich and hearty dinner, with meaty beef short ribs simmered in a flavorful red wine sauce until fall off the bone tender. This special occasion dinner is perfect for Christmas, New Years or Valentines Day!
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
When the weather gets cold, there is nothing better than a rich and hearty meal braising in the oven. These Red Wine Braised Short Ribs are so delicious, they are a wonderful special occasion meal, but equally good for a cozy evening at home when you just need comfort food. Beef and red wine go together so well, and the result is tender, fall off the bone beef in a savory sauce that will warm up the coldest night.
What is braising?
Braising is a cooking method that uses both dry heat and moist heat. It starts with browning the meat in a small amount of fat and then some liquid is added and the meat is cooked while covered, allowing it to both steam and simmer. Braising is a combination of steaming and roasting which means you get the best of both worlds – Moist tender meat and a more intense flavor from the browning. In this recipe I also finish the beef short ribs with the lid off in the last house, allowing for further browning and concentration of flavor. This is the same method I used in my Red Wine Beef Stew.
What are Short Ribs?
Short ribs is a cut of beef that comes from the chuck, plate, or rib area of the cow. They have quite a bit of connective tissue, so they require a long, low and slow cooking process to break that down, which results in very tender meat. They also have plenty of fat, which makes the meat very rich as well.
English Cut short ribs vs Flanken Cut Short ribs
The cut used in this Red Wine Braised Short Rib Recipe is an English Cut Short Rib. That means the cuts are between the ribs, so each piece has a large bone with a thick piece of meat attached to it.
Flanken Cut Short Ribs are cut across the bones, so each piece has several pieces of bones. This is they style of cut often used in kalbi style short ribs.
How to make Red Wine Braised Shortribs
Braising is one of the best ways to cook short ribs. The meat has tons of flavor that needs to be unlocked with low and slow heat that will melt the tough connective tissue and give you tender and succulent meat. This recipe uses a dutch oven like THIS because it starts on the stove top and gets transferred to the oven. The full recipe is below, but here is an overview of how to cook short ribs.
- Season the meat well with kosher salt and black pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, then set aside.
- Reserve 3 tablespoons of fat, discard the rest. Cook the aromatics in the fat, along with more salt. Add in tomato paste (for umami flavor) and flour (this thickens the braising liquid).
- Add red wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan (called the fond). There is tons of flavor there don’t waste it!
- Add the beef broth, herbs and garlic, then the short ribs. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven.
- Allow to cook for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the sides of the pot back into the braising liquid – again, tons of flavor here that you don’t want to waste. Rearrange the meat if necessary so that most of the meat is out of the liquid.
- Return to the oven for one more hour this time with the lid off – this will further brown the meat and concentrate the liquid, giving the dish tons of flavor.
Which Wine is best for Red Wine Braised Short ribs?
You will want to use a dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir. The general rue when choosing a wine to cook with is to use a wine you would want to drink. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be a wine you would be happy to have a glass of.
What to serve with Braised Short Ribs?
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Red Wine Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef short ribs Bone-In, English Cut
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled, diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 cups low sodium beef stock
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
- 1 head of garlic Cut in half crosswise
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Season short ribs well with kosher salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, brown short ribs on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a plate.
- Reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat left in the pan, discard the rest. To the reserved fat in the pot, add the onions, carrots and celeray, along with 1 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until well combined and no dry flour remains, 2-3 minutes. Slowly stir in wine, scraping up the browned bits on bottom of the pan, simmer for about 1 minute. Add the broth, herbs, and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Nestle in short ribs, pour in any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, use a wooden spoon to scrape down the browned bits on the side of the pot. Return to oven uncovered and cook for another hour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Easy and delicious!!!