Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Rich, tender braised short ribs served in a red wine and garlic infused sauce. Whats 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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What Does 'Braised' Mean?

If you have never hear 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 300-350F) , 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. This 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, are fairly lean and are 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 & Garlic Braised Short Rib Recipe

Enough of the technical stuff though, lets 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

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.



3. While the short ribs are searing, peel and chop the vegetables.
4. Once the beef short ribs are fully seared, remove them from the pan and place them in a roasting pan.



5. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan, Sear the vegetables until they too start to brown along the edges.



6. 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.



7. Pour this liquid/vegetable mix over top of the seared short ribs. Cover 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.



8. 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.



9. 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.



10. 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.

Once the red wine braised short ribs are gently heated in the thickened sauce, serve the ribs along side 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

Chef Markus Mueller

Rich, fall of the bone tender, and surprisingly easy to make, these red wine braised short ribs are perfect for any special occasion, or dinner party. 

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 7208.7 kcal

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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 whole bay leafs
• salt
• 8 whole 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

Calories: 7208.7kcal

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Keyword How long does it take to braise short ribs?, what does it mean to braise ribs?

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