Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Are you looking for a restaurant-quality meal that you can make in the comfort of your own home? These red wine-braised beef short ribs sound like something that you would order at an upscale establishment, but believe it or not, you can also make them in your own kitchen — and they taste every bit as good. Follow these instructions and you'll get short ribs that are tender and flavorful, and that you and your crew will savor down to the very last bite. You can serve these as is or with a side of mashed potatoes or veggies. Trust us, you can't go wrong! 

Recipe developer Michelle McGlinn came up with this delicious recipe that can serve a crowd. "Short ribs are one of my favorite things to make — either for myself, for a special occasion, or for family. They are so easy I'd call them foolproof. And yet, because they are so richly delicious and expensive, they give a sense of importance to your meal," McGlinn shares. "I love serving short ribs to family because they make for such a loving meal — warm, hearty, and careful. You have to braise these for the best results, and that takes time. [But] it is always worth spending a few hours braising beef short ribs, because it will be one of the best meals you will ever eat!" Sound convincing enough? Let's get cooking.

To kick things off, you will need to gather all the ingredients. Be sure you have beef short ribs, salt, pepper, a neutral cooking oil, a yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, dry red wine, beef broth, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, dried chiles de árbol, and cinnamon bark or cinnamon sticks. "This recipe will work for 2 to 4 pounds of short ribs as written. For 5 to 8 pounds, double the measurements in the recipe," McGlinn advises. 

Once you have those items, you can make these red wine-braised beef short ribs.

Take out your short ribs and season each side with a little bit of salt and pepper. You can season them a few hours in advance (or overnight) and keep them in the fridge; just let the meat rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you cook it.

Once you are ready to cook the short ribs, turn the oven to 325 F and let it preheat. In the meantime, take out your Dutch oven and place it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the oil. Once the oil is nice and hot, add the seasoned ribs and give them a good sear on each side until deeply browned. This should take about 5 minutes per side. If all your ribs don't fit in one layer, don't crowd the pan; instead, cook them in batches. Don't cut corners on this step — a hard sear ensures delicious flavor!

Once the short ribs are nicely seared on each side, remove them from the Dutch oven and set them aside. Add the onions to the Dutch oven and sauté in that rendered beef fat for about 3 minutes, until softened. Then, add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.

Next, add the tomato paste and stir until it's well combined with the onions and garlic. Continue cooking until the paste starts to stick to the bottom, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Deglaze the pot with red wine and bring the liquid to a simmer. It's helpful to stir with a wooden spoon, making sure you scrape up those brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Now, you can add the short ribs and let the wine reduce by half. This should only take about 10 minutes. As for what wine to use? McGlinn says don't overthink it: "Use a wine you love! Assuming it's not too sweet, it will work well here."

Once the wine is reduced, add broth until the short ribs are submerged in liquid. "Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need more than 2 cups of broth," McGlinn notes.

It's time to add even more flavor to this dish! Toss in the thyme, rosemary, chile peppers, and cinnamon. Be sure the nestle the herbs and spices into the broth. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and pop it into the oven for about 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender. "There are two ingredients I would like to point out: the chiles and the cinnamon," McGlinn explains. "This is red wine-braised, which has a way of making the beef even richer if not balanced," she says. "To get nerdy: The beef is salty and fatty, the wine and tomato paste bring the acid, and the cinnamon and chiles balance it with heat. Two different kinds of heat, which is why I love using them both!"

Once the ribs have had a nice, long braise and are tender, raise the temperature to 425 F and remove the lid. Continue cooking the ribs in the oven until the liquid is reduced to a sauce and the beef is nice and crispy. This should take around 30 minutes.

Take the short ribs out of the oven and plate as you wish. Be sure to spoon the sauce over the finished ribs to add even more nice flavor to them. These are great on their own, but McGlinn also offers up a few serving suggestions that she loves. "Definitely serve these with mashed potatoes! So, so good for soaking up the sauce. Sometimes, I throw potatoes in with the meat to braise, but with how spicy and rich this sauce is, I do prefer it with mashed potatoes on the side. You can also toss in carrots or parsnips for vegetable options," McGlinn shares. "For sides, this goes well with Caesar salad or any leafy green and light salad. You can also serve with crusty bread, peas, broccolini, or polenta. Oh... and the rest of that wine!" 

We'll cheers to that!