These Red Wine Braised Short Ribs will fall right off the bone and onto your plate. Cooking short ribs is a low and slow process that rewards you with tender braised beef.
My Red Wine Braised Short Ribs are perfect for a romantic dinner at home for two and comes together in about two hours. Don’t worry though, the actual prep time takes 20 minutes or less. You’ll pop your short ribs into the oven and forget about them while you prep a side of mashed potatoes or read a book. The long cook time makes short ribs a great dinner party recipe while you set up for guests to arrive but be aware that cooking five pounds of short ribs will take you four hours instead of two.
I found it challenging to find a short ribs recipe for two servings, so I decided to write one for you.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs bone-in short ribs (two pieces)
- 2 small carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef or chicken stock
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- a sprig of parsley
- salt to season
Instructions
Prepare your mise en place
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- Salt your meat on all sides generously. This is the primary way you will be salting this dish so don't be shy with the salt. Set aside while you chop your veggies.
- Prepare your mirepoix by dicing 2 small carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1/2 yellow onion. A mirepoix is these three ingredients that typically make the base of soups and stews.
- Mince 2 garlic cloves
Sear your short ribs
- Heat a heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat
- Place your short ribs with the side with the most fat down first in the hot Dutch oven. The goal is to render down the fat and brown the meat. Repeat this process for a couple of minutes on each side of the short ribs. You can press down on the meat to get a more even sear.
- When the short ribs are golden brown, set them aside.
Build the stew
- Add your diced carrots, celery, and onion to the Dutch oven and sweat them out for 8-10 minutes. After searing your short ribs there should be leftover fat to cook the onions, carrots, and celery in. If you need more oil to sweat out the vegetables, you can add a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Add in the minced garlic and stir until fragant (about 30 seconds).
- Add in 2 tsp tomato paste and stir until it turns a deep red brick color (about 2 minutes).
- Add 2 cups beef or chicken stock and 1 cup red wine.
- Add 3 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of parsley.
Cook the short ribs
- Add your short ribs back into the Dutch oven. The stew/liquid should cover at least two-thirds of the meat if not completely. If your short ribs are bigger and the liquid does not cover at least two-thirds of the meat, you can add water to make sure it cooks evenly.
- Bring the stew to a boil. Once it's boiling cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven at 300 degrees for two hours.
- After two hours, carefully take the Dutch oven pot out of the oven and put it back on the stove.
- Turn off the oven. Remove the meat and place it on an oven-safe baking sheet. Place the short ribs back in the turned-off oven to keep them warm until serving.
Make the sauce
- Strain your stew/liquid and put it back in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Allow the liquid to simmer until it reduces by half.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt if necessary. You can whisk in a pat of butter for a glossier and richer consistency.
Serving the short ribs
- Serve your short ribs over mashed potatoes or another starch.
- Spoon the sauce over the short rib and enjoy.
Buying Short Ribs
I went to the butcher counter at Whole Foods and picked out my individual short ribs. At larger grocery stores, you can find short ribs pre-packaged. Try to choose short ribs with good marbling, which means the fat is distributed throughout the cut of meat giving it a richer flavor.
If you’re serving short ribs at a dinner party, make sure to buy enough so each person can have their own individual cut of meat. Here is a good recipe from Wishbone Kitchen for a larger serving.
Bone-In Versus Boneless
This Red Wine Braised Short Ribs recipe calls for bone-in short ribs. Bone-in and boneless short ribs are from different parts of the cow. By getting bone-in your sauce/broth will have a richer flavor and you’ll save a couple of bucks. After two hours of cooking, the meat falls right off the bone, so don’t worry about having to debone your short ribs before serving.
Make these Creamy Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes to pair with your short ribs.
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