Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Two plates of Wine Braised Short Ribs garnished with Italian parsley.

Red wine braised short ribs have melt-in-your-mouth tender beef with a rich red wine sauce. This hearty, savory, and indulgent dish is perfect companion for mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or butter noodles.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Red Wine Short Ribs, Wine Braised Short Ribs

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 665kcal

Author Heather

Ingredients

5 pounds bone-in short ribs (English style cut short ribs) *see Note #1 below
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons high heat oil *such as avocado oil
1 large brown onion *roughly chopped
1 large carrot *roughly chopped
1 large celery stalk *roughly chopped
6 large garlic cloves *minced or crushed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 cups red wine *see Note #2 below
5-6 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs

Instructions

Salting the Ribs

Dry ribs with paper towels and remove the silver skin from the bone side of the rib. See Note #1 below for step by step instructions.
Salt snd pepper all sides of the ribs and lay flat in a single layer on a sided cookie sheet lined with a rack. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. Note: It is ok to sear immediately after salting if short on time.

Searing the Ribs

Heat a dutch oven or large skillet pan over medium-high heat with oil. Working in batches sear ribs on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove ribs and set aside. Pour off excess grease leaving behind 2-3 tablespoons.

Preparing the Braise

Preheat oven to 325℉.
Keeping the pan on the same medium-high heat, add the roughly chopped onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook stirring constantly until vegetables are coated and turn a deep red color, about 5 minutes.
Stir in wine and deglaze pan by scraping up the fond (brown bits of flavor) sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Stir in beef broth.
Transfer beef back in pot. Add bay leaves and rosemary.
Bring to a simmer and then cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 hour, remove pan from oven and flip ribs. Cover and cook for an additional hour or until ribs are tender.

Making the Sauce

Transfer ribs to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.
Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer and discard veggies.
Add liquid back to pot and reduce over medium heat, about 10-15 minutes. Spoon excess fat from surface of sauce and then taste test to see if additional salt or pepper is needed. See Note #3 and #4 below.
Add beef back to pan to reheat, about 3-5 minutes.
Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or creamy polenta.

Notes

Recipe Notes

Note #1- How to remove silver skin off of ribs:

Place rib bone-side up. Locate white membrane covering it.
Start peeling up membrane at one end using fingers. Note: A small knife may be needed to begin lifting the skin.
Grip freed edge and slowly pull membrane off, peeling it away from meat.
Keep peeling back until entire membrane is fully removed.
Discard membrane. Rinse rib and pat dry.

Note #2- Best type of red wine to use:

The key is using a dry red that is full bodied but not too tannic or oaky. Avoid very expensive wine as medium price ranges offer great quality for braising. Here are a few options:

Cabernet Sauvignon – This full-bodied red has nice acidity and bold fruit flavors that complement the beef. A classic choice.
Merlot – Merlot brings cherry and plum notes and soft tannins to balance the rich ribs.
Malbec – Deep ripe fruit flavors like plum and dark cherry work well with short ribs. Affordable too.
Zinfandel – Jammy berry flavors and black pepper spice pairs nicely. Not too tannic.
Syrah/Shiraz – Full tannins provide structure and peppery flavor to the sauce.
Blends like Bordeaux – Blends balance light and heavy notes in the wine and ribs.

Note #3- A great way to lower the total fat content of this dish is to make it a day ahead of serving. This will the fat to rise to the top of the braising liquid and solidify, making is very easy to remove and discard.

Remove ribs from braising liquid and allow to cool slightly before storing.
Store ribs and braising liquid in serrate air tight containers.
The next day the fat will rise to the surface of the braising liquid and will be solidified.
Remove the solidified fat and discard.
Reheat gently either on the stovetop over medium-low heat or baked in a 350°F oven. This will bring the ribs up to temperature slowly to maintain moisture and prevent drying out.
Cook just until heated through, about 15-20 minutes. Don’t overcook.

Note #4- If the braising liquid has not reached a desired thickness, follow ones of the following tips:

Make a slurry by mixing 1/2- 1 tablespoon cornstarch with an equal amount of water. Stir it into the simmering sauce until thickened.
Make a paste of 1 tablespoon of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir it into the simmering sauce until thickened.
Puree vegetables from the braise and stir them back in to act as a natural thickener.

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