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 only had two pounds of bone in short ribs, so I made some adjustments to the recipe. I browned the ribs, and then used a whole, smaller onion and two cloves of garlic, along with the Worchestshire sauce and rosemary. I used 1 1/2 cups of beef stock and added a cut up carrot.
I think the temperature at 350F for two and half hours is too high, or the time is too long. When I checked after 90 minutes, the ribs were cooked and there was barely any fluid left in the braiser. The thickest part of the meat was 177F. If I do this again, I’ll turn the temp down to about 275-300F and check again after 90 minutes.
The internal temp of the meat is irrelevant in longer braises. 3 to 4 hours is plenty of time, and I usually go 325 degrees for 3.5 to 4.5 max. When braising, I usually do a layer of plastic wrap…then foil, otherwise the liquids tend to dissapate and evaporate.
Should never be afraid to check at the half way point on anything thats slow and low. You risk scalding the bottom of the pan when it goes dry and the braising process pretty much stops when the liquid has evaporated. The oven gods can be cruel after a few hours.
If I’m using boneless short ribs, should I reduce cooking time and if so, by how much?
Check on them about 30 minutes sooner.
Thanks Rachel. As I don’t have a good dish for the oven, I braised them on the stove top. I also substituted 2 cups of chicken broth for the wine. Amazing dish, extremely flavorful and tender, Served with mashed potatoes and pickled beets. Great recipe!!!
Decided to make this dish on a wet and cold Oregon coast day and she was right when she called it comfort food. Very satisfying with fall off the bone meat from a clean uncomplicated recipe.
I made this recipe several times now. The first time was a total flop-all of my liquid evaporated in under one hour and my meat was overcooked and tough. I think the problem was that I made it with beef stock. Second time I made it, I added two cups of better than buillon broth, and still had to add more halfway through cooking. The last few times I made it, I used boneess beef ribs instead, and put in 3 cups of broth. My fiance snd I both love short ribs, but I’m always unhappy with the cost and how little it yields. Came out perfect! So tender and deliscious! Just as good if not better than short ribs! This has become a favorite in our house!
I dredged in flour and ‘Montreal Steak Seasoning’ and then browned with olive oil – took out the ribs and then made the sauce with a can of Italian Stewed tomatoes, 1/2 cup each barbeque sauce, med. salsa, and red wine. Bring to boil while scrapping bottom of pan of bits from browning creating a ‘fond’. Returned ribs to pan, covered, and braised in oven at 300* for 3 hours.
After 3 hours turned off oven and allowed ribs to slow cool in oven another hour.
Today I made this Classic Braised Beef Short Ribs, and it was fantastic! Easy to make and very tasty. Unfortunately I cooked it a bit longer than what the recipe calls for, even so, it was still very good. Next time I will add more liquid as other reviewers seem to have done, and check at the 2.5 hours mark.
Absolutely Delicious!
Hello! I have made many a short rib dinner in my life, however it has been at least 20 years since my last SR soiree,so I wanted to look at a recipe for time and temp. The basic recipe is great, I modified it a bit so here are my changes: I dredged my SR in flour to create a crust around the SR and establish those brown bits that make a base for great gravy. Used 1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir left over from last night and 1 can of Chicken Broth for my braising liquid. All of my herbs have frozen for the winter so I used 1 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1 Tablespoon of beef demi-glace to add to the braising liquid. I also added 3/4 cups of carrot chunks for flavor. After simmering in the oven for 2.5 hours, I removed the pot and placed it in the fridge, in order to easily remove all of that extra fat. This took about 2 hours, and I removed the sheet of beef fat that was floating on top. I then placed it on the stove to re-heat the SR and proceeded to make the gravy. Of course, it was fabulous! Nothing can beat mashed potatoes as a “nest” for your steaming rib of perfection!
Best, easiest recipe for fall off the bone short ribs!
This was super easy for someone like me who can cook but has zero self confidence while doing it. This recipe made me look like I’m a pro! I did add more beef broth and after reading these reviews I will try to add some red wine too. So delicious though just the way it is.
I made this last night and is was delicious! I used an enameled cast iron pot and used a whole diced onion, increased the beef broth to 2 cups instead of 1 and increased the worcestershire sauce to 4 TBSP and added 1 cup of dry red wine. There was no problem with the meat drying out and there was plenty of sauce leftover at the end so I strained and thickened that with a little cornstarch on the stove to create a wonderfully tasty sauce for the meat and mashed potatoes. Homemade popover rolls were the perfect compliment to this fantastic meal. True comfort food on a cold snowy night! Thank you!