This recipe for Braised Boneless Short Ribs makes the most fall-apart tender beef you will ever have. It’s comfort food at it’s best!
Serve over mashed potatoes for a warming meal the whole family will love.
I’m so excited to share this fantastic shorts ribs recipe with you! When craving comfort food, you can’t beat super tender short ribs. This dish is braised low and slow until they get that fall-apart deliciousness everyone loves in a stew.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using boneless short ribs, which are less fatty than ribs with bones helps to produce a non-fatty sauce.
- Using bacon adds an extra depth of flavor to the dish.
- Thoroughly browning the ribs helps the sauce develop a deep meaty richness.
- Reducing the wine before braising helps to ramp up the richness of the dish.
What are Short Ribs
Short ribs are the meaty ends of beef ribs from the chest and shoulders of the cow. They are best cooked using slow, moist-heat methods like stewing or braising. The connective tissue, which softens as it cooks to helps create a deeply flavored sauce.
Short Ribs Buying Guide
Choose the meatiest, well-marbled, bright-colored short ribs without too much surface fat. Try to find ribs that are 4 inches long and 1 inch thick.
If you can’t find boneless ribs, substitute 7 lbs of bone-in beef short ribs that are at least 4 inches long with at least 1 ” of meat above the bone.
How To Make Braised Boneless Short Ribs
- Brown the beef in batches and set aside.
- Soften the vegetables and coat with flour.
- Add the wine and reduce.
- Add stock, herbs, and seasoning and stir to combine.
- Cook low and slow the oven until fall-apart tender.
Step by Step Instructions
Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt.
If you have the time, this is best done the day before. then re-wrapped and stored in the fridge until ready to use. Then be sure to pat dry before cooking.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all, but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot.
Add half of the beef to the pot with the bacon fat and cook, without moving, until well browned (about 4 to 6 minutes). Turn the beef and repeat on the other side. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and the liquid cooks off. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the flour and coat the mixture well. Cook, stirring constantly until it browns on the sides and bottom of the pan then increase heat, add wine, and simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced by half.
Add the stock, parsley, pepper, and bay leaf. Add cooked bacon, browned beef, and any accumulated juices to pot; cover and bring to simmer.
Transfer pot to oven and cook, until a fork slips easily in and out of meat, 2 to 2½ hours.
Using tongs, transfer meat to a cutting board and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.
Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed before serving.
Erren’s Top Tips
- When browning the meat, work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan which will result in steaming the meat instead of searing.
- To get a good sear, don’t move the ribs after adding to the pan for at least 3 minutes.
- White or red wine are both good choices, but vermouth and dry sherry work too.
- For a nonalcoholic option, use extra stock with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- For extra richness replace the flour with tomato paste.
- If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, store in a roux of butter and flour to thicken on the stovetop before serving.
Other Cooking Methods
- Slow cooker: cook 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
- Stovetop: Simmer on low for 2.5 hours
- Pressure Cooker: Omit the flour and cook 1 hour on high. Use a roux to thicken once cooked.
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Make ahead, cool completely, and store in the fridge for up to three days in advance. Reheat on the stove until warmed through.
- To freeze, cool completely before transferring to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove until warmed through.
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Let’s Make Braised Boneless Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds boneless short ribs trimmed of excess fat
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 oz bacon chopped
- 2 large onions peeled and sliced
- 4 large carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 1 lb brown mushrooms Cremini, baby Bella or chestnut mushrooms
- 4 medium garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups wine red or white both work
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Fresh parsley chopped
- fresh ground pepper.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven.
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan, and set aside. Drain all, but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot.
- Add half of beef and cook, without moving, until well browned (about 4 to 6 minutes). Turn the beef and continue to cook on the second side until well browned, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke.
- Transfer beef to a plate and repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and short ribs. Set the browned ribs aside on a dish.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. (If onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to the pan.)
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and the liquid cooks off. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the flour and coat the mixture well. Cook, stirring constantly, until it browns on the sides and bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high, add wine, and simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the stock, parsley, pepper, and bay leaf. Add cooked bacon, browned beef, and any accumulated juices to pot; cover and bring to simmer.
- Transfer pot to oven and cook, until a fork slips easily in and out of meat, 3 to 3½ hours.
- Using tongs, transfer meat to a cutting board and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed before serving.
Slow Cooker
- Follow the stovetop instructions through step 10. Then transfer to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Using tongs, transfer meat to a cutting board and shred or cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed before serving.
Tips + Notes
- When browning the meat, work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan which will result in steaming the meat instead of searing.
- To get a good sear, don’t move the ribs after adding to the pan for at least 3 minutes.
- White or red wine are both good choices, but vermouth and dry sherry work too.
- For a nonalcoholic option, use extra stock with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- For extra richness replace the flour with tomato paste.
- If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, add a roux of butter and flour to thicken on the stovetop before serving.
Jen says
For me the prep time is almost 45 minutes not 15 minutes as stated in the recipe. Thank goodness I gave myself enough time this morning to prep before I put it in the crockpot before I left for work. It smells amazing so I’m hoping that it tastes just as delicious.
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Jen!! How did it turn out? I hope it was as delicious as you were expecting!
lindsey says
I dont see any place to add salt besides the browning of the meat. Are we supposed to add any?
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Lindsey. Besides the salt while browning the meat, I suggest to taste for seasoning when it is finished cooking and add salt as needed before serving. Everyone’s salt preferences are different and this allows for the amount to vary person to person. I hope you enjoy the short ribs. Please come back and let us know how it turns out! 😊
Betty Smith says
Great recipe, very tasty but I ended up having hardly any liquid, as a matter of fact the food was stuck to the bottom of the dish when i took it out of the oven. I cooked it at 300 in a convection oven for 2 1/2 hours. Like I said it was delicious but drier then I thought if would be. What could I have done wrong?
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for trying the recipe! It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the flavors, but I understand the concern about the lack of liquid. If the short ribs were on the leaner side or were cut into smaller pieces, they might not have released as much moisture during the cooking process.
Here are some tips for next time:
Ensure that the pot is covered tightly during most of the braising process. This will help to trap moisture and prevent excessive evaporation.
If you notice the liquid level getting low during cooking, you can add a bit more wine, stock, or water to maintain the desired moisture level.
Since convection ovens can cook faster, you might want to reduce the total cooking time or check for doneness earlier.
Give these suggestions a try next time, and hopefully, you’ll achieve the perfect balance of tenderness and moisture in your braised short ribs. Please come back and let us know how it turns out next time.