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Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs are braised in an amazing red wine tomato sauce! These short ribs are fall off the bone tender. The best idea for a special occasion, but easy enough for a busy weeknight. This cozy comforting meal is sure to be a hit!
Tis the season for all the comfort food recipes, and wine braised anything. Are you on board? Whether it’s my Cabernet Pot Roast, Herb Mustard White Wine Chicken, or Beef Burgundy, I am loving all of these comforting “Sunday” style dinners. There is something about cooler weather that gets me in the mood for my slow cooker recipes, and for for a meal that is so cozy and delicious.
These braised red wine short ribs are exactly that!!! They are perfectly tender, fall off the bone, and absolutely loaded with amazing flavor. Each year for Christmas, my friend Katie has been making her amazing braised short ribs for a group of us girls. For the last few years, I’ve either watched or help her make them in hopes of finally sharing the recipe with you all.
So here it is in all it’s glory! This meal is one you would order at a fancy restaurant, but are simple to make at home. They certainly impress with the robust red wine flavor, and absolutely perfectly succulent with all the right herbs.
If you love hearty, flavorful dinners like this, be sure to check out all my delicious beef recipes for even more cozy meal inspiration!
What are Beef Short Ribs and what is the best way to cook them?
Beef Short Ribs differ from beef ribs in that they are cut differently. So although it’s the same type of meat, as beef spare ribs, they are shorter. This cut of meat has a very rich marbling and deep beefy flavor. It’s for sure a comfort food choice of meat! Short ribs are meant to be braised and cooked very slow to get that tender flavor. I have chose the slow cooker method here, but I am also giving you options for a dutch oven!
Ingredients for braised red wine short ribs
Here is what you need to make this short rib recipe:
- Beef short ribs
- Salt and pepper
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Bay leaf
- Dried basil
- Dried rosemary
- Red wine
- Tomato Paste
- Diced Tomatoes
- Fresh thyme sprigs
Method in making these short ribs:
- Heat a large dutch oven or skillet to medium high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Once the pot is hot, add 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil and sear the short ribs on each side until browned. Remove and place in the slow cooker.
- Drain the excess fat, but leave 1 tbsp. Toss in the diced onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and let saute for 5-7 minutes. Add the dried herbs and flour or arrowroot and saute another minute or so. Deglaze the pan with broth and red wine, scraping the bottom. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Pour the veggie and broth mixture on top, add bay leaves to the top. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the short ribs from the slow cooker. Skim off any excess fat if you’d like. Serve as is or over mashed potatoes.
Serving
What do you serve with these short ribs? A few options:
- Mashed Potatoes: these are the perfect pairing with short ribs. You can also do mashed cauliflower for a low carb option.
- Polenta: I serve mine over polenta quite often! I love polenta, and this gives me a good excuse to eat it.
- Rice or Cauliflower rice
- More veggies! I I am making this for a full dinner, it would be fantastic with green beans or even a big green salad like my Easy House Salad
Make ahead, storing, and reheating
- Make ahead: I loved making this recipe ahead the day before and let it refrigerate. This allows the flavors in the sauce to really develop! Plus, this creates a layer of fat on top that is easy to discard if you would like to get rid of it. This is such a perfect recipe to make for company because you can do everything the day before.
- Storing: store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: If you decide to make in advance the day before, simple place in a large skillet or dutch oven. Heat on low to medium low for 20-25 minutes. You can also stir in 2 tbsp of arrowroot starch to really thicken up the sauce.
Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 5-6 Beef short ribs* , (bone-in)
- 1 sea salt and pepper, (+ more to taste)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 large yellow onion, (diced)
- 3 celery stalks, (diced)
- 3 carrots, (diced)
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour, (you can also use 2 tbsp arrowroot starch)
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 cups red wine, (like a Cabernet Sauvignon or burgundy)
- 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh thyme sprigs for serving
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or large skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle your short ribs with salt and pepper. Once the pot is hot, coat with oil and add the short ribs. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until browned. Set the short ribs aside and drain all but 1 tbsp of the grease. Place the ribs in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the oil and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the dried basil and rosemary, flour (or arrowroot) and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine and broth and stir until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. Add in the tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Top the short ribs with the vegetable and red wine in the slow cooker, then add bay leaves. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the beef from the slow cooker, it should be very tender and falling apart. Also remove the bay leaves. You may even see the meat already off the bone. Spoon any additional fat off the top of the sauce if you prefer. See notes below on cooking in advance and refrigerating.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, or Polenta with fresh thyme (if using)
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was fantastic. We had it over polenta as you suggested and everyone loved. A definite keeper!