It’s the classic template for slow n’low red wine braised short ribs but I’ve added few minor tweaks to create the very best recipe ever!!! Enjoy this cozy, decadent, elegant, and comforting red meat dish!
Does the world really need another red wine braised short rib recipe? Well you see, I’ve added 2 secret (not-so-secret) ingredients and have the chutzpah to proclaim that I’ve perfect the classic short rib recipe! So YES, the world does need to hear about my 2 secret ingredients in this classic dish: brown sugar & fish sauce!
Why this Recipe Works
- Searing the meat! Caramelizes the meats natural sugars, for a more intensely flavored meat.
- Low & slow braise! Resulting in meltingly tender and juicier meat.
- The red wine & port combo! The port adds sweetness that balances the acids and tannins in the wine, deepening the wine flavor and adding additional flavor complexity.
- Reducing the sauce! For a thicker and glossier finished sauce.
- Extra umami! Thanks to the fish sauce!
- Do ahead! Make the recipe a day (or even two) before serving.
I was a woman on a mission to perfect my short rib recipe. I hope you love the result as much as I do! Being 80% plant based means meat is only made for special occasions in my household, which generally means Shabbat and/other Holidays. Like this year for Passover, I swapped the more traditional brisket for these short ribs.
For best results, sear all sides!!!
How to Make these Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
The recipe follows the same basic template for beef stews and braises:
- brown the meat
- add the aromatic veggies
- add the braising liquid
- cook gently in oven for a few hours until tender
- once the short ribs are fork tender, remove from pot
- strain sauce and pour it back in the pot
- add 2 secret ingredients and reduce sauce
- taste sauce and adjust seasoning
- place short ribs back in
- voila you’re all done!
The History of My Personal Mission to Find the Perfect Classic Red-Wine Braised Short Rib
It all started with these Cranberry Braised Short Ribs I developed for US Cranberry Marketing Committee. They were soooooo good, I love how the sweet tartness of the cranberry juice in there and I had so much fun developing (and taste testing!) the recipe.
My shabbat guests ate pretty much every single iteration of this dish along the way. The cranberry-red wine-beef combo was so festive and fitting for the Holidays.
Cranberries went out of season, and I decided to make a very traditional red wine braised short rib dish. Ya know… the classic: aromatics, dry wine, tomato paste… just the regulars at this traditional braised short rib party.
But just wasn’t wholly satisfied with results. And in that very moment I decided I wanted to
absolutely positively perfect my short rib recipe! I wanted my dinner party guests to proclaim after eating my short ribs that they were the very best they’d ever had!
What I wanted was: a more deeply flavored, complex and sweeter sauce that was a bit thicker and glossier.
The desire for sweetness led to the half red wine/half port experimentation and I was sold! But I wanted it even sweeter… please meet the ingredient that added that perfect sweetness I was looking for: brown sugar!
For the complexity I thought about either adding anchovies to the aromatics when browning them (inspired by Alison Roman’s shallot pasta) and also fish sauce as it’s def one of my go to party tricks for adding complexity to sauces (thanks to Kenji Lopez for first introducing me to this when he added fish sauce to his chicken tinga… mind blown!).
Truth be told I went with the fish sauce first and my guests adamantly exclaimed it was the very best short ribs they’d ever had and NOT to tweak the recipe. But one of these days I’ll make it again, testing it with anchovies, and see what happens. If you happen to try that first, please share the results with me!
A Note about Cooking Time
The most time consuming part of this recipe is searing the short ribs. And it’s gonna take some real will power to not pick the brown bits of goodness off the edges if the short ribs.
Anyhow, don’t worry about cutting the veggies all perfect, we’re going to be straining them outta of the liquid anyways so no one will see all those preciously symmetrical cuts you slaved over. I just cut my whole head of garlic in half and put it in there like that, no cloves to peel or chop.
Once you brown the short ribs, the rest of the time is pretty much passive. So, sit back and relax (or do whateva ya wanna) for a few hours while magic happens in the oven!
This is all to say: DO NOT be intimated by the cooking time. Most of it takes place in the oven and requires no attention from you.
Cooks Tips
- Buy bone-in short ribs. Non-negotiable.
- When possible, buy organic and grass fed short ribs.
- Either English style Flanken short ribs can be used, I’ve always gone for English style for this classic braised.
- For best results, get thicker and meatier short ribs. Ask the butcher to cut them into 2-inch pieces for you.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a large oven safe pot.
- Either beef stock or bone broth can work or these can be subbed for chicken or even veggie stock if in a pinch (even a beef boillion dissolved in water can work)
- Exact braising time will depend on the thickness and style of your short ribs, start checking after 2 ½ hours. We’re going for fork tender.
- Braise meat side down/bone side up.
- If refrigerating short ribs overnight, let the ribs sit in the sauce and cool to room temperature. Scrape away the hardened layer of fat from the top before re-heating.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #wavesinthekitchen. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Stoked on red meat? I got ya! Check out my Peachy Bone-In Pork Chops, Fresh Cranberry Braised Brisket, Lamb Gyro Salad, and Hummus with Spiced Ground Lamb!
Let's make waves in the kitchen!
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beef short ribs cut into 2-inch pieces
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegetable or other high smoking point oil just enough to coat bottom of your pot
- 2 large heads of garlic halved crosswise
- 4 celery ribs chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups ruby port wine
- 2 cups of beef stock or bone broth
- 2 cups good-quality brown beef stock brown chicken stock, white chicken stock, or store-bought chicken stock (see note)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sace add more to taste
- parsley or chives optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Dry short ribs with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Season them with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches so all the short ribs fit in a single (not too crowded layer), sear on all sides, about 4-8 minutes per side, until a nice brown crust has formed.
- Transfer browned short ribs to a platter and repeat with remaining short rib until all done.
- You’ll have some good browned bits left behind in your Dutch oven (we want ‘em!). Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, cut side down, and cook, undisturbed, 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Add onion, celery and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat veggies with the oil left behind from the short tibs and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, about 6-10minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to coat and prevent any scorching; cook until tomato paste has started to caramelize at the edges, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add dry red wine and port, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom and sides of pot. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Add stock, return short ribs to pot along with any accumulated juices, meat side down, nestling them so that they’re submerged in the braising liquid. Add thyme and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to oven.
- Cook, undisturbed, until short ribs are meltingly fall of the bone tender, 2 ½ -3 ½ hours (exact timing will depend on how thick you’re short ribs are).
- Using tongs, carefully remove short ribs from pot and transfer to a plate.
- Stain braising liquid through a strainer set on over a large, heatproof bowl, (the vegies have turned mushy and we’ve used all their flavor), extracting as much braising liquid as possible.
- Return braising liquid back to Dutch oven (may want to wipe it clean – personal preference), add brown sugar and fish sauce and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer until braising liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 40 minutes.
- Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Return short ribs to Dutch oven, spooning the sauce all over and around them to glaze and rewarm.
- Top with fresh herbs such as parsley and chives (optional) and serve.
Video
Notes
- Buy bone-in short ribs. Non-negotiable.
- When possible, buy organic and grass fed short ribs.
- Either English style Flanken short ribs can be used, I’ve always gone for English style for this classic braised.
- For best results, get thicker and meatier short ribs. Ask the butcher to cut them into 2-inch pieces for you.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a large oven safe pot.
- Either beef stock or bone broth can work or these can be subbed for chicken or even veggie stock if in a pinch (even a beef boillion dissolved in water can work)
- Exact braising time will depend on the thickness and style of your short ribs, start checking after 2 ½ hours. We’re going for fork tender.
- Braise meat side down/bone side up.
- If refrigerating short ribs overnight, let the ribs sit in the sauce and cool to room temperature. Scrape away the hardened layer of fat from the top before re-heating.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Really tasty and Delicious
Was so soft and flavoursome
Will definitely repeat this recipe over and over again a sure fire winner in my house
Wooohooo's!!! So super stoked to hear that Linda! I love the addition of brown sugar & fish sauce! Love that they were a winner in your house too :)!
Great tasting recipe and especially good by adding the 2 ingredients
Right on the brown sugar + fish sauce? Other than that it's a pretty classic red wine braised but I swear by those 2 ingredients really taking the short ribs over the top :)!
Great tasting ribs. I used flanken which didn't take as long to brown. I had less than a head of garlic so I separated it into cloves, peeled them and crushed them with the handle of a knife and browned them for a couple of minutes before adding the other veg. Having not tasted yours Daniela, I can't guarantee mine was as good but it was still damned delicious.
Super stoked to hear that Michael and it def sounds damn delicious! Did ya add the brown sugar & fish sauce :)? And I really appreciate the feedback :)!
First glance, it's so delicious and yummy and then when you start staring at these ribs you'll definitely don't want to take your eyes away. I may say that this is such a masterpiece, I love everything you've done on this recipe. It's so fulfilling and craving.
WOWIE Amy so stoked, honored and flattered to hear ya call my recipe a masterpiece! Really worked on perfecting the classic red wine braise. Thank ya so much :)!
Wow, I've never made these before but came across this recipe...have heard so much about this preparation, so I'm now excited to try it myself!
YAYA! Let me know how it goes Paige! Really stoked for ya to make these short ribs. It's the classic red wine braised recipe with the addition of my 2 secret ingredients :).
The answer is YES the world DOES need this braised short rib recipe - especially with that fish sauce! Talk about a perfect secret ingredient, we absolutely loved it and your chutzpah!
Hehehe Tracty + right?! It's legit the classic red wine braise with *just* the addition of fish sauce + brown sugar and I swear these 2 ingredients really take 'em over the top!!!
Wow these short ribs look amazing and so juicy. Love the ingredients you have put together, so flavourful! Excited to try it.
Thank ya so much Sam! Please let me know how yours come out! Happy cooking + know you'll love them :).
I love ordering short ribs out at a restaurant but always intimidated to make them at home. No longer!!! These were fantastic, will definitely make these again and again. Thank you!
The deep rich color alone tells me how much love went into making this delicious supper. The thought of the aroma coming from the Dutch oven is enough to get me into my butcher and ask him to cut it into small thick pieces for sundays dinner.
Yessss!!! Thank ya Jessica! Def ask your butcher + I'd love to see how they come out! Happy cooking :).
These ribs are fantastic just like all of your amazing recipe! Yum... can't wait to make these again.
So stoked to hear that Candice! Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback and I cant wait to cook for ya again :)!
Oh, I'm making this soon... very soon! My husband will be so surprised when I make him this. Looks amazing and I love all the flavors. Perfect dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Absolute pleasure Natalie! Hope the hubby absolutely adored them! Really appreciate the sweet feedback ~ thanks so much for it :)!
This is an awesome and perfect recipe. Your images are fantastic. My brother made this last night and we all enjoyed heartily.
AMAZZZZZING Gunjun!!! So super stoked to hear that! Thanks to your bro for making them! And to you for taking the time to leave me this super sweet feedback :).
When I first looked at this red wine braised ribs, I instantly fell in love with them! look at how amazing and delicious they look. I would die for this right now. I can't wait to make this recipe, thank you for sharing this recipe, I cant wait to try it out!
So super stoked to hear that Ramona! They're legit a super hit each and every time! Let me know how it goes when ya make them - would love to hear :).