In this recipe, short ribs are cooked in a flavorful sauce made with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, red wine, tomato sauce, beef broth and spices. The sauce is just as good as the ribs!
Here we cook the short ribs on the stove-top instead of the oven, low and slow until they’re fall off the bone tender.
Don’t be put off by the long cooking time; the prep work on this dish is quick and easy. Once everything is in the pot it is mostly hands off, just a stir every once in while is all that’s needed.
To make this short ribs recipe you will need
3 – 3½ pounds Beef Short Ribs, bone-in
1½ teaspoon 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 cup Beef Broth
Cook’s notes:
If the short ribs are too big, say longer than 4-5 inches, then I will ask the butcher at my local market to cut them in half, to make two shorter pieces.
What pot should I use to make short ribs?
You want to use a heavy pot to cook the short ribs. Use something that will hold and distribute heat, even when it’s on moderate-low to low heat. We used a 7 quart, enameled, cast iron Dutch oven.
Prep Work
Like I mentioned earlier, the cook time on this delicious comfort dish may be long but the work is short.
Dice the onions, carrots and celery. A small to medium dice will do. They will all be going in the pot at the same time, so keep them in the same bowl.
Then, mince the garlic and measure out the oregano and liquid ingredients.
Now all that’s left is prepping the short ribs. 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!
Finally, sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the salt.
Brown the Short Ribs
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, and/or placing them in the microwave or oven. The ribs will stay warm away from drafts.
Cook the vegetables and start the sauce
In the same pot, still over medium heat, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Next, add the garlic and oregano and cook them for 1 minute while stirring.
Now, carefully add the red wine to the vegetables and stir, while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking 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. Give everything a good stir.
Finish the short ribs
Place the short ribs back into the pot, meaty side down. Use tongs to place them in and arrange them so that they are not overlapping.
Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Once simmering, cover the pot and lower the heat to medium low.
Cook the short ribs for 2 – 2½ hours. The short ribs are done when they easily fall apart with a twist when a fork is inserted. A knife should not be necessary to cut the meat. Most of our short ribs came off the bone while cooking. That’s ok, it’s a good thing!
Keep the sauce at a simmer, it may be necessary to knock the temperature down (or raise it) just a touch. Make sure the liquid is not boiling; a constant, simmer is what we’re looking for.
Give the sauce a stir occasionally, and check that the liquid is simmering how we want it. If the sauce is boiling too vigorously, too much of it will cook away and we risk the bottom burning. Check throughout the cooking time, not just at the beginning.
What to serve with the short ribs
Serve the short ribs on a bed of something that will hold the sauce. Because this sauce is just as good as the ribs!
We serve them over mashed potatoes here. But they’d be great over egg noodles, white rice, mashed malanga, or with a nice piece of crusty bread.
Once the ribs are on low and slow you’ll have plenty of time to get your side dishes going.
If you want more delicious comfort food recipes, try one of these:
Short Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 - 3½ pounds Beef Short Ribs bone-in
- 1½ teaspoon 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 cup Beef Broth
Instructions
- 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, and/or placing them in the microwave or oven.
- 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.
- Place the short ribs back into the pot, meaty side down. 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, it may be necessary to knock the temperature down (or raise ijust a bit. Stir the sauce occasionally, and check that the liquid is simmering how we want it. Check throughout the cooking time not just at the beginning.