Braised Short Ribs

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Braised short ribs are a rich, hearty dish that features beef short cooked low and slow in a flavorful braising liquid until the meat is fall-apart tender. It’s the kind of comforting dish that’s perfect for a cozy Sunday supper, yet fancy enough to serve company for a dinner party or special occasion. Plus, the ribs are even better reheated the next day, making them a great make-ahead dish (and leftovers you’ll look forward to). With Anne’s fool-proof recipe, you’ll learn how to prepare restaurant-worthy braised short ribs at home, including the one step you should never skip, how to build a braising liquid with flavor and body, what kind of wine to use and the simple tip that creates a luscious sauce for serving.

How to Make Braised Short Ribs Like a Pro

Choose bone-in beef short ribs. Anne uses bone-in short ribs because they have more flavor and cook more evenly. Look for short ribs that are meaty with plenty of well-marbled fat.

Use a large enough pot. Choose a pot with a lid that is large enough to accommodate all the meat and vegetables, such as a Dutch oven.

Sear the short ribs in batches to build a flavorful crust. Searing the short ribs on all sides helps build a flavorful crust on the meat itself as well as the fond in the pan. Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan and ensure that the short ribs brown evenly.

Drain the rendered fat. After you’ve finished browning all the short ribs, drain the fat away to prevent the dish from having a greasy texture and becoming overly rich.

Puree the aromatics and vegetables to create a flavorful paste. Anne purees a sofrito of onion, carrot, celery and garlic into a thick paste to give the braising liquid body and flavor.

Brown the pureed vegetables and tomato paste to create flavor. Anne browns the pureed vegetable paste until it forms a very dark fond (what Anne calls crud), then the tomato paste to create a deeply flavorful braising liquid.

Reach for a hearty red wine. Anne recommends using a hearty red wine for braised short ribs. Look for a full-bodied, dry wine that has enough acidity to cut the richness and savory flavors of the meat.

Deglaze the pot with the wine. Pour in the wine and scrape up all the flavorful brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Season with salt to develop all the layers of flavor. Seasoning with salt as you go helps to develop layers of flavor with each step.

Cook the ribs in the oven low and slow. Anne braises the ribs in a 375 degree F oven for 3 hours. This slow-and-low method cooks the meat gently and helps break down the tough connective tissue, ensuring that the meat is juicy and fall-apart tender.

Turn the ribs halfway through cooking. Turning the ribs halfway through cooking ensures that the both sides of the meat have equal time to gently cook in the braising liquid.

Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to reduce the braising liquid. Removing the lid for the last 20 minutes of cooking allows moisture to evaporate and reduces the braising liquid into a sauce that can be spooned over the short ribs for serving.

What Is Beef Short Rib?

Beef short ribs come from the lower part of the cow’s rib cage (also known as rib plate or short plate). Beef short ribs have a lot of connective tissue, which makes them good for slow-cooking applications, and their well-marbled fat makes them juicy and flavorful. Look for English-style short ribs for making braised short ribs. English-style ribs are cut parallel to the bone so that there is a rectangular slab of meat attached to one side of the bone. Flanken-style short ribs are cut thin crosswise through the rib bones and have shorter pieces of meat attached to the bone. Flanken-style short ribs are best suited for making galbi, Korean-style marinated short ribs, though they can be used for making braised short ribs with adjusted cooking times.

How Long to Cook Short Ribs In the Oven

Cook short ribs in the oven for 3 hours. Before baking short ribs in the oven, Anne recommends searing them on all sides, browning the vegetables and deglazing the pan to build flavor.

What to Serve with Short Ribs

Serve short ribs with side dishes such as mashed potatoes, root vegetable puree, polenta, pasta (like pappardelle), salads and roasted vegetables. Try making comfort food sides like Anne’s Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Celery Root and Potato Puree and Soft Parmesan Polenta, all of which make an ideal base for plating the ribs. Pair short ribs with salads like Anne’s hearty Roasted Acorn Squash and Portobello Mushroom Salad with Radicchio, Apples and Pumpkin Seeds or her simple Arugula Salad, or try a roasted veggie medley like her Roasted Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts and Jerusalem Artichokes.