This recipe is so simple, and yet so flavorful! It is simply our favorite way to cook short ribs. Classic recipes like this are considered classic for a reason. They usually come down to just few, simple, flavorful ingredients. We’ve added our own twist by adding Worcestershire to give a broader depth of flavor to the braising liquid without any additional work. Combine all of that with fresh rosemary and the smell in your house will make you drool!
Short ribs are perfect for serving over garlic mashed potatoes or our creamy cheddar parmesan polenta. Round out your meal with our honey roasted carrots.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only requires a handful of simple ingredients.
- A largely hands-off recipe frees you up to work on delicious side dishes.
- The smell is intoxicating with the rosemary acting as an aromatic.
Braising is a combination cooking method where you first sear the food with a dry heat and then slowly cook it for a long period of time in a wet heat — usually a braising liquid with a lid to trap in the heat. Tough cuts of meat that require long cooking times to reach a tender, pleasant texture are great candidates for braising. If you have ever used a slow cooker, you have most likely braised meat without even realizing it!
Ingredient Notes
- Short Ribs: either boneless or bone-in can be used without altering the recipe. This recipe has been fully tested with both options.
- Beef Broth: use a low-sodium option for better control over the sodium content and flavor.
- Red Wine: enhances the flavor in this dish, but if you prefer not to cook with wine you can simply substitute with 1 cup of additional beef broth.
- Garlic and Onion: use fresh for best results, but onion powder and garlic powder can also be used.
- Fresh Rosemary: used as an aromatic in this recipe. While you discard it without eating, the flavor infuses itself into the meat and braising liquid as it cooks.
What to do with your braising liquid
This braising liquid is too delicious to go to waste! Remove the meat and pour the juices into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce reduces, about 15 minutes.
You can also make it into a gravy. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add in 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk together into a paste. Slowly pour in strained juices and heat over medium-high heat until thickened. If your juices are straight from the oven and still piping hot this will only take a minute or two.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Be sure to include some of the braising liquid to ensure moisture.
Microwave in 30-second increments on high until heated through.
More Braised Beef Recipes
Watch the video below where we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.
I didn’t cover the cast iron pan so the ribs were a little dried out. The moisture evaporated twice in the 2.5 hours, although it made an amazing gravy. Next time I will cook less time and covered.
Yes, braising requires a lid to keep the moisture in the pot.
This recipe is awesome. Loved the flavor and it cooked perfectly in my new le creuset.
this meal was a winner with my friends and family!
Used this for bone-in short ribs cut through the bone, leaving about 1/2 inch thick pieces 6 inches wide. Cut simmering time to 1.5 hours. Worked fine. Pretty hard to mess up this very good cut of meat I think!
This is the best short ribs recipe and my go to favorite on cold nights. I add more broth but my family loves it! My youngest loves the leftover liquid and will drink it like a soup if I let her. I cook mine in a cast iron Dutch oven. Reduce the time if you do. Cast iron retains heat longer.
Never ate short ribs until I saw this recipe! Best beef we’ve eaten in a long time! Thank you for sharing this recipe! ?
Recipe needs way more broth. Mine evaporated and wasted perfectly good short ribs by drying them out in the process.
Did you have a lid on?
Add a cup of red wine to the mix. After cooking, pour sauce into pan, make a flour roux to thicken and once rduced and creamy–pour over the meat on the plate.
The flavors are amazing. I used my slow cooker. It was recommended by America’s Test kitchen. It’s still in the 90’s here in Florida. I idea of having the oven on does not make me happy. My Slow Cooker can do many functions including searing. Then either temp. Or timed traditional cooking. I followed your directions, served over mashed potatoes and it is the Best recipe ever.
Delish!! The only change I made was to deglaze with red wine after sauteing garlic. Amazing recipe!
At what point in this recipe did you add the wine?
At the same time as the beef broth.
Delicious! Served it over a pillow of mashed potatoes and rosemary roasted carrots and onions drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. Added a 1/4 cup of red wine to the braising liquid.
That sounds wonderful! I will have to try that next time! I followed the recipe as is and they were wonderful!
doing exactly what you say! Making them tonight!