Short Ribs that Fall Off the Bone
These braised beef short ribs are first seared and then braised in red wine until they fall off the bone. Braised beef short ribs, comfort food at it best.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
There are many ways to cook short ribs. They can be smoked, baked and even cooked in a wood fired oven. I have tried a lot of cooking methods for short ribs and braising them is by far my favorite way to cook them. Braised beef short ribs are incredibly tender and literally fall off the bone.
The secret to tender short ribs is the braising process. The ribs, vegetables and liquid are placed in a Dutch oven with tight fitting lid and cooked for three hours. The liquid essentially steams the ribs and breaks down all of the tough fibers. That is what makes them tender. By the way, this is the same process used in the 3-2-1 method of making baby back ribs where three hours of smoking are followed by two hours of braising then an hour on the grill. Again, it's the braising that makes ribs fall off the bone.
Sear the Ribs
This dish would be a little dull if the short ribs were not seared first. Searing adds both flavor and color. All those little burned bits on the bottom of the pan will dissolve when the Dutch oven is deglazed with red wine.
To sear the ribs, add a little canola oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the ribs until they begin to brown. Turn the ribs over and sear another side. Don't forget to sear the small ends of the ribs as well as the back of the bone. All together, you will sear six sides of each rib. Give yourself working room and try not to crowd the Dutch oven with too many ribs. It's better to have a little bit of room and work in batches.
Cook the Vegetables
After the ribs have all been seared, and add the onion, carrot, leak, garlic and tomatoes to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
Then deglaze the pan with some red wine and stir. Scrape up all the bits that are stuck on the bottom of the pan. There is a ton of flavor in those little nuggets. Add the beef stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.
Bake the Ribs
Add the seared short ribs Dutch oven. Push them down and make sure they are covered with liquid. Add some water if needed. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 3 hours at 350˚F.
After three hours, carefully remove the Dutch oven and place it on your range top. Then skim off any fat that is floating and discard. Strain the braising liquid into a small saucepan and heat over high heat for about 10 minutes. Be sure to keep the ribs covered while the braising liquid is reducing.
Serve with the braising liquid. If you have leftovers, be sure to save the braising liquid as well.
Some Other Great Recipes to Try
- Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragu
- Short Rib Ravioli with Creamy Mushroom Ragu
- Smoked Beef Dino Bones with Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookies
Watch the Braised Beef Short Ribs Video on You Tube
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 3 lb beef short ribs about 8
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- 1 each carrot chopped
- 1 each leek chopped, white part only
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 each roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 2 sprigs thyme fresh
- 2 sprigs oregano fresh
- 2 cups beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the short ribs and sear them on all sides until browned. Remove the ribs from the pan.
- Add the onion, carrot, leak, garlic and tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until the onion has softened. Deglaze the pan with red wine and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano and beef stock and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Add the seared short ribs back to the Dutch oven. Then add enough water to make sure the ribs are completely covered. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 3 hours. Check the ribs after one hour and again after two hours to make sure there is enough liquid, otherwise they can dry out. Remove from the oven, skim off the fat and discard, and strain the liquid into a small saucepan. Keep the ribs covered. Heat the braising liquid on high for about 10 minutes.
- If you have leftover short ribs, be sure to keep any leftover braising liquid.
