Meat & Pork

Serving

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Name: Braised Beef Short Ribs
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Meat & Pork
Ingredients: 4 lb bone-in beef short ribs; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 2 cups dry red wine; 3 cups beef stock; 2 bay leaves; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Bone-in short ribs braised in red wine and beef stock until the meat falls off the bone, finished with a silky pan sauce.

210 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner

74 min prep

116 min cook

Contains common allergens

celery Wheat

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

6 steps

1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Season short ribs with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess.
2
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat and sear the ribs on all sides until well browned, about 8 minutes; remove and set aside.
3
Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4
Pour in the red wine and simmer 3-4 minutes to reduce slightly, scraping up browned bits. Add beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, then return the ribs to the pot, nestling them into the liquid.
5
Cover and braise in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone.
6
Transfer ribs to a platter, discard bay leaves and herb stems, and skim excess fat from the sauce. Simmer the sauce on the stovetop until slightly thickened, then spoon over the ribs to serve.

Braised Beef Short Ribs — plated and served — Serving moment. How Braised Beef Short Ribs looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

61/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 51

Budget-friendly 54

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 31

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

1410

Calories

123 g

Protein

20 g

Carbs

79 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Red-wine braised short ribs sit in the same practical family as French beef braises: inexpensive, hardworking cuts cooked slowly with wine, stock, aromatics, and herbs until the connective tissue turns tender. In North American kitchens, the dish often lands between bistro comfort food and Sunday dinner, with a glossy sauce that feels special without needing fussy plating.

Listahan note

This version keeps the method classic and direct: hard sear, softened vegetables, wine reduction, then a low oven braise. The real payoff comes from taking a few minutes at the end to skim and reduce the sauce instead of serving it straight from the pot.

Technique cues

Short ribs need deep browning before the liquid goes in; pale ribs will still get tender, but the sauce will taste flatter.
Reducing the red wine before adding stock cooks off its raw edge and concentrates the browned bits from the pot.
The ribs are done when a fork slides in easily and the meat pulls back from the bone, not when the timer simply runs out.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic while the oven preheats, then measure the wine and stock before searing starts.
Make-ahead: Braise the ribs a day ahead and chill them in the sauce; the fat firms on top and lifts off easily before reheating.
Leftover move: Pull leftover meat from the bone and fold it into buttered egg noodles, polenta, or mashed potatoes with a spoonful of reduced sauce.
Cleanup rhythm: Scrape the pot well during the wine step, then soak the Dutch oven after serving so the reduced sauce releases without hard scrubbing.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Bone-in beef short ribs

Main cut

Purpose: The bone and marbling give the braise body, richness, and the pull-apart texture this dish is built around.

Handling: Pat dry, season well, and dust lightly with flour so the surface browns instead of steaming.

Adaptation: Boneless short ribs work, but they cook a little faster and give the sauce less body.

All-purpose flour

Browning aid

Purpose: A light coating helps the ribs develop a crust and gives the finished sauce a little thickness.

Handling: Shake off excess flour so it does not scorch in the oil or turn the sauce pasty.

Adaptation: You can skip it and rely on careful searing, then reduce the sauce longer at the end.

Onion, carrots, and celery

Aromatic base

Purpose: This trio sweetens and rounds out the wine and beef stock as the braise cooks.

Handling: Chop them roughly but evenly so they soften at the same pace before the liquid is added.

Adaptation: Leek can stand in for some onion, and parsnip can replace part of the carrot for a sweeter, earthier sauce.

Tomato paste

Savory concentrate

Purpose: It deepens the color and adds a roasted, slightly sweet backbone to the pan sauce.

Handling: Cook it briefly with the vegetables until it darkens a shade before pouring in the wine.

Adaptation: A small amount of canned crushed tomato can work, but the sauce will be looser and less concentrated.

Dry red wine

Braising liquid

Purpose: Wine brings acidity and depth that keep the rich beef from tasting heavy.

Handling: Simmer it for a few minutes while scraping the pot so the browned bits dissolve into the sauce.

Adaptation: Use extra beef stock with a splash of red wine vinegar if you want a less wine-forward version.

Bay leaves, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary

Herb structure

Purpose: The herbs add a steady background aroma that suits a long braise without competing with the beef.

Handling: Leave sprigs whole so they are easy to remove before reducing the sauce.

Adaptation: Dried thyme and a small pinch of dried rosemary can work, but use less because dried rosemary can dominate.

Technique notes

Do not crowd the ribs during searing. Work in batches if needed so each side gets a dark crust.
Keep the braising liquid below the top of the ribs; the exposed edges brown and concentrate while the submerged parts tenderize.
After braising, rest the ribs on a platter while the sauce reduces so the meat stays intact and the sauce can tighten separately.

Ingredient swaps

Flourless thickening path: Skip the flour dusting, sear the ribs carefully on a dry surface, and reduce the sauce a little longer for body.
No-wine direction: Use additional beef stock with a small splash of red wine vinegar; the sauce will be rounder and less complex but still balanced.
Weeknight shortcut: Braise until tender one day, chill overnight, then skim and reduce the sauce before a faster dinner service the next day.
Vegetable-forward sauce: Mash some of the cooked carrots, onion, and celery into the sauce before straining for a thicker, sweeter finish.

Serve alongside

Creamy mashed potatoes
Buttered egg noodles
Soft parmesan polenta
Roasted green beans with shallots
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dry hard cider
Black tea with lemon

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate the ribs with the sauce in a sealed container once cooled.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a covered baking dish with a splash of stock or water until the sauce loosens.
Freeze ribs and sauce together, thaw overnight, then simmer uncovered to bring the sauce back to a glossy consistency.

Equipment

Large Dutch oven with lid
Tongs for turning ribs
Wooden spoon for scraping browned bits
Fat separator or wide spoon for skimming

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