These stovetop short ribs simmer low and slow in a red wine and tomato sauce with onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until they're fall-off-the-bone tender. The sauce is just as good as the ribs!
We make them start to finish in one heavy pot on the stove, so there's no oven needed. The prep is quick, and once everything is in the pot, the short ribs simmer, covered, for 2 to 2½ hours with just a stir now and then.
Recipe at a glance
- Main ingredients: Bone-in beef short ribs, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, red wine, tomato sauce, and beef broth
- Time: About 3 hours 15 minutes, mostly hands off
- Method: Braised on the stovetop in a heavy pot
- Best for: Sunday dinners and special occasions
- Servings: 5
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What's great about this recipe
- No oven needed - The short ribs brown and braise in the same pot on the stove, so it's a good fit if you'd rather not turn on the oven.
- Quick prep - A little chopping and measuring, then the pot does the work while you make the sides.
- Plenty of sauce - Red wine, tomato sauce, and beef broth cook down into a sauce worth spooning over potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Budget check
- The full recipe is about $33 to $38
- Per serving (5 servings): about $6.55 to $7.50
Uses conventional ingredients. Based on recent U.S. averages. Actual prices will vary by store and region. Garnishes not included.
Ingredients you'll need
- Beef short ribs - Bone-in short ribs. If they're longer than about 4 to 5 inches, ask the butcher to cut them in half to make two shorter pieces.
- Vegetables - Onion, carrots, and celery, plus garlic.
- Red wine - We used cabernet sauvignon.
- Tomato sauce and beef broth - These make up the rest of the sauce.
- Seasoning - Salt and dried oregano.
- Olive oil - For browning the short ribs.
📖 See the recipe card for quantities and full instructions.
How to make stovetop short ribs
Season and brown the short ribs
- If your short ribs have any large, thick pieces of fat attached, trim those off. Don't trim all the fat, though. We want some for flavor!
- Sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Arrange the short ribs, meaty side down, so they fit without overlapping. Cook them for 5 minutes, then turn each piece and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the pot and set them on a plate or pan. Keep them warm by loosely covering them with foil.
Cook the vegetables and start the sauce
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot, still over medium heat. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Carefully add the red wine and stir, gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Keep it at a simmer until most of the red wine has cooked out, about 2-3 minutes.
- Finish the sauce by adding the tomato sauce and the beef broth. Give everything a good stir.
Simmer the short ribs
- Use tongs to place the short ribs back into the pot, meaty side down, arranged so they don't overlap.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Once it's simmering, cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Cook the short ribs for 2 - 2½ hours. They're done when the meat falls apart with a twist of a fork, with no knife needed. Most of ours came off the bone while cooking. That's a good thing!
- Keep the sauce at a steady simmer, not a boil, turning the heat down (or up) just a touch if needed. Stir occasionally and check the simmer throughout the cooking time, not just at the beginning.
Recipe tips and notes
- Use a heavy pot - A heavy pot holds and spreads heat evenly, even on medium-low to low. We used a 7-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
- Prep before you brown - Dice the onions, carrots, and celery (a small to medium dice is fine) and keep them in one bowl, since they go into the pot together. Mince the garlic and measure the oregano and liquids, too.
- Simmer, don't boil - If the sauce boils too hard, too much of it cooks away and the bottom can burn.
Serving suggestions
Serve the short ribs over something that will hold all that sauce. We serve them over mashed potatoes, and they're also great over egg noodles, white rice, or mashed malanga, with a piece of crusty bread on the side. While the ribs simmer, you'll have plenty of time to get your sides going.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftover short ribs and sauce in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze the short ribs in their sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Warm them in a covered pot over medium-low heat, adding a splash of beef broth if the sauce is too thick, or in the microwave.
Food safety: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if it's above 90°F. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
More beef dinners to try
If you enjoyed these stovetop short ribs, try one of our other slow-simmered beef dinners. Our easy stovetop pot roast also cooks low and slow on the stove, beef tips and mushrooms come with a savory gravy, beef stew is a cold-weather favorite, and ropa vieja is our Cuban shredded beef in tomato sauce.
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📖 Recipe
Stovetop Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 - 3½ pounds Beef Short Ribs bone-in
- 1½ teaspoons Salt
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion diced, about 1 cup
- 2 Carrots diced, about 1 cup
- 2 Celery Ribs diced, about 1 cup
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ cup Red Wine we used cabernet sauvignon
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 1½ cups Beef Broth
Instructions
- You will also need: a large, heavy pot, such as a 7-quart Dutch oven, and tongs.
- If your short ribs have any large, thick pieces of fat attached to them, trim those off. Don't trim all the fat though, we want some for flavor!
- Sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
- Arrange the beef ribs, meaty side down, so that they fit without overlapping.
- Cook the short ribs for 5 minutes.
- Turn each piece and cook them for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the pot and set them on a plate or pan. Keep them warm by loosely covering with a piece of foil.
- In the same pot, still over medium heat, add the onions, carrots and celery.
- Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic and oregano and cook them for 1 minute while stirring.
- Carefully add the red wine to the vegetables and stir, while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Keep at a simmer until most of the red wine has cooked out, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Finish the sauce by adding the tomato sauce and the beef broth. Stir well.
- Use tongs to place the short ribs back into the pot, meaty side down, so they don't overlap. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium low. Cook the short ribs for 2 - 2½ hours or until they're fall-apart tender.
- Keep the sauce at a simmer, turning the heat down (or up) just a bit if needed. Stir the sauce occasionally, and check that it's simmering, not boiling, throughout the cooking time, not just at the beginning.
Notes
- Short ribs: If they're longer than 4-5 inches, ask the butcher to cut them in half.
- Pot: Use a heavy pot so the sauce holds a steady simmer without burning.
- Serving: Serve with plenty of sauce over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, white rice, mashed malanga, or with bread.
- Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Brittany Boyer
I only have dry white wine on hand, can I use that instead of red?
Elizabeth
Hi Brittany,
The wine is used to deglaze the pot after browning the meat and cooking the vegetables. The white wine should be fine, it won’t give it the exact same flavor but it will do the job. You can also use ½ cup of beef broth. Thanks for stopping by!