braised short ribs

Braised Short Ribs

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I have a confession. When I first started cooking, I really had no idea what I was doing. It wasn’t until I made these braised short ribs that I gained the confidence I needed to really delve into cooking. 

Braised Short Ribs

Prior to make these ribs, I had viewed myself as a baker and a baker only. When I’d ask my mom for recipes I could practice my cooking with, I’d be begging her for step-by-step directions. 

I’d have to plead for actual measurements rather than her version of measurements (i.e. a little bit of this or a dash of that). In any case, I got tired of trying to decipher her recipes and attempted an online recipe for braised short ribs.

To say they turned out beautifully would be an understatement; they were some of the best short ribs I’d ever had. I remember the group of family that I had over for dinner that night was oohing and aahing over the short ribs, declaring me a born chef!

Can you believe it? I felt like I was in one of those frozen meal commercials, where the hostess pretends she made a homemade meal but it’s really store-bought.

braised short ribs

Even though I had made the braised short ribs from scratch, it just felt like it had been too easy to make to get such superb results. Everyone thought the short ribs were so fancy and so scrumptious; they were acting like I had invented the dish, for gosh sake!

The thing is, as beautiful as a plate of braised short ribs may look, it’s really just slow-cooked meat, and slow-cooked meat will always impress.

Getting such rave compliments over a meal I had practically tossed into a dutch oven and left alone for a couple of hours almost made me feel like I shouldn’t have been beaming with as much pride as I was….almost. 

braised short ribs

So to say this meal is foolproof, well, it would be an understatement.

Honestly, if you want all of your guests to think you are some culinary wizard and prepare gourmet meals on the regular like it’s no one’s business, make these braised short ribs.

My only cooking note to add here would be to make sure you nicely sear the short ribs during one of the initial steps of making this dish. That step really helps lock in the short ribs’ juices and contribute to the overall dish’s flavor.

braised short ribs

I think my favorite part about these braised short ribs are how incredibly tender they are. The “test” to check if the ribs are done cooking is to sort of pull at the beef with your fork, and if it’s coming off the bone and sort of “shredding” off, then you’e good to go.

Whenever I test for their readiness, I can already feel myself salivating over how incredible they will taste. I’m just like, “They’re ready! Yep! Let’s eat!”

And while short ribs are the not the cheapest type of beef to buy, it always amazes me that one serving of them at a restaurant can cost upwards of $20! Instead, you can make this dish for many more people for much less, making it a lovely meal for the holidays.


braised short ribs

Braised Short Ribs

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

Fork-tender, slow-cooked beef cooked in a red wine stew with fresh herbs. 

Ingredients

  • 8 whole beef short ribs
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 oz of diced pancetta or 6 strips of bacon, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 whole onion, diced
  • 3 whole carrots, diced
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 3/4 cup red wine, merlot works well
  • 2 1/4 cups beef broth
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 2 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large dutch oven, cook the pancetta or bacon over medium high heat until browned and crispy. Remove the pancetta/bacon using a slotted spoon so that you don’t remove its residual grease from the pot; set aside.
  2. Place the ribs in the pot and let both sides of each short rib brown. If you have very large ribs, brown the sides that add depth to the ribs too. Use cooking tongs to carefully remove the ribs from the pot; set the ribs aside on a plate.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the olive oil, then add in the diced onions and shallots; cook until the onions are translucent. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of pot to release the bits of fat from the previously cooked pancetta/bacon.
  4. Add the beef broth, 3/4 tsp of salt, and a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if desired. Add the ribs back into the pot, and then the sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
  5. Place the lid on the dutch oven and transfer to your oven. Cook at 350°F for 2 hours. About 20 minutes before the ribs are ready, add the carrots into the pot.
  6. Once the ribs and carrots are fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes, with the lid on, before serving.

Notes

Serve with mashed potatoes, potato dauphinois, or mixed veggies.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 409
braised short ribs

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24 Comments

  1. Hi Beeta,
    When you say “large” Dutch Oven, what size did you use? I don’t own one, was Googling and found Le Creuset at Bed Bath & Beyond. They have a nice deep teal blue one (6.75QT) but it’s wicked expensive $384.99. (ouch).

    – What brand do you use?
    – And is it pure cast iron? Or, enameled?

    1. Hi Cynthia! So I now have a Le Creuset dutch oven, but before I had one, I used to use my Martha Stewart dutch oven, which I loved! It’s a quality enameled cast iron dutch oven (6 quart) and I got it for about $60 back then from Macy’s. I handed that down to my sister when I got the Le Creuset but honestly, it’s still doing great in her hands and has held up for over probably 6 or 7 years now. I just did a search on Macy’s and I found it on sale for a similar price to what I paid. You can find it here.

  2. Made this recipe last night and it turned out really well! If a fancy restaurant served me a dish with this recipe, I’d be fully satisfied.

    1. Fantastic, Martin! So glad you were happy with this recipe – it’s one of my favorite “restaurant knock-offs” 🙂

  3. Cooked for 2.5 hours as in recipe or 1.5 hours in cook time listed on top? I want to make tonight and I have not heard back. Sob a little. 🙁

    1. Hi Kerry! Sorry about that – been having a crazy week! Thank you for catching that – it should be 2.5 hours (not 1.5). So the directions are correct, and now the timing at the top of the recipe card is correct too. Thank you and I hope you enjoy! <3

  4. The recipe calls for 2.5 hours of baking but the info at the top says baking time is 1.5 hours. Which is correct? I can’t wait to try this recipe.

  5. These sound delicious and we love short ribs. Looking forward to trying them. Did I miss if you use the bacon/pancetta again later in the recipe or were they only included for the fat to render? TIA!

    1. Hi Kelly! You didn’t miss it – they’re just used to render the fat from them. What I do is I either mix the crispy pancetta/bacon into mashed potatoes, or I save them to stir into pasta or eggs later in the week. 🙂 Hope you enjoy and thanks for leaving a comment!

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