Braised beef short ribs are my go-to recipe when I want to make a special meal for a family birthday or holiday. They are decadent, yet homey. This meal is comfort food, a bit gussied up. Another perk is that the beef is not that expensive, compared to other cuts. Once these have cooked, the meat is tender, falls off the bone, and the liquid it was cooked in has rich flavor. These take some time, but I promise they are worth it!
Cooking Videos
I shared videos while making these on my instagram story this week, and I saved it to a highlight, so check there to see a full cooking demo. The recipe is also at the bottom of this post! If you guys make these, please tag me and use the #sevenlayercharlotte hashtag! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see when people try my recipes.
Side Dishes
You can serve these short ribs over polenta, mashed potatoes, cauliflower mash, rice, or whatever you prefer. And y’all, the leftovers make some killer tacos!
I included the directions for how to make them ahead of time in the recipe below. I made them one day and we had them the next night for dinner. They are a perfect leftover because they get even better the next day.
Materials Needed
I talked about a fine mesh strainer and the Le Creuset dutch oven in the recipe. Here is a similar strainer and here is a less expensive version of a Le Creuset. I’m a big fan of using my red dutch oven for soups, too.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Passive Time | 3.5+ hours |
| Servings |
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- 6-7 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
- 5 Tbsp kosher salt
- 24 "spins" fresh ground black pepper
- 5 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves picked off of the stem
- extra virgin olive oil enough to coat the bottom of the pan
- 3 cups hearty red wine
- 1 1/2 cups port
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 cups beef stock
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 3 large carrots diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Ingredients
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- Mix the salt and pepper in a bowl. Remove the thyme leaves from the stem and place on a paper towel. Place all of the short ribs in a large pan. Season each and every side of the ribs with salt and pepper and thyme leaves. Press the thyme leaves into the meat. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Heat two large pots or a pots like a Le Creuset large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom of the pans with extra virgin olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, begin to brown the short ribs. Do not overcrowd the pan. I only browned 3-4 at a time. Brown them on each side and take your time. Use tongs to rotate them. Do not rush this step. I brown each and every side. If they start to burn, reduce the heat to medium.
- Once the ribs have been browned, set them aside. I placed them back on the pan that I used to season them. Continue until each of the short ribs have been browned. This step takes longer than you might expect. For this many ribs, using 2 pots, it took about 45 minutes.
- While browning the short ribs, you can chop up the onion, celery, and carrot.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Once the ribs are all browned and removed from the pots, add the diced veggies to the pot(s). Let those cook for about 8 minutes, until somewhat softened.
- Add the red wine, port, and balsamic. Let simmer and reduce by half. Scrape up the bottom bits from the pan using a wooden spoon and stir into the wine mixture. (This step will make your kitchen smell amazing).
- Once the wine blend has reduced, add the beef stock. Bring to a boil.
- Add the ribs to the pot, bone side up. Scrape any of the veggies off of the top of the ribs. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme to each pot. Turn the heat off on the stove.
- Cover the pots tightly with aluminum foil, and then the lid. Place the pots in the oven for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours of braising, check the meat. It should easily fall off the bone with a fork. If the meat is very tender, then they are ready. If you started with larger ribs, they may take a bit longer in the oven.
- You can serve them immediately with some of the braising liquid, or you can make them ahead of time. Ideally, you will want to strain the braising liquid.
- To do this, start by removing the ribs from the braising liquid. Strain the braising liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a heat-safe dish, like a Pyrex measuring cup (or a clean pot if serving immediately and you want to keep it warm). Use the back of a ladle to press through the sieve. I had to do this in batches and I placed the already-strained braising liquid into a large glass bowl.
- If you are serving them immediately, check to see if the liquid needs more seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed. Drizzle this over the short ribs to serve.
- If you are making this ahead of time, allow the braising liquid to cool and store overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, remove the layer of fat from the top of the liquid.
- To reheat, add the ribs and the braising liquid to a large, shallow pot and warm over medium heat.
- Serve the ribs over polenta, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, etc. The leftovers are fabulous in tacos!
My mouth is watering and I need to make these asap!