This easy, fork tender, red wine short ribs recipe is perfect for these cold fall nights. Bone-in short ribs, slow-cooked in a dutch oven, leaving you with tender fall-off-the-bone meat.
If you are in the mood for more cozy eats, then you have to try my Herbed Mashed Potatoes, Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pork Chops and Garlic and Mushroom Skillet Chicken recipes, next!
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Red Wine Short Ribs
Nothing says comfort more than a generous portion of these rich and savory red wine short ribs. Red-wine braised beef is always a win in our home, and during the latter part of the year we always look forward to filling our dutch oven with this tasty goodness. Short ribs are cooked in a red wine and beef broth sauce for 3 hours in a dutch oven, yielding a deep and rich flavor that will swoon your tastebuds after the first bite!
Ingredients in Red Wine Short Ribs
We’re using classic ingredients to make these braised shorts ribs. When all the flavors marry over time, they produce an exquisite sauce and deeply flavored short ribs. Are you hungry yet? Let’s breakdown the ingredients:
- Short ribs
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Leek
- Onion
- Beef broth
- Tomato paste
- Red wine
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
Tools You’ll Need
- This 4-quart dutch oven is the perfect vessel for holding all the goods
- Double rod strainer, to separate the juices from the vegetables just before serving.
How to Make Red Wine Short Ribs
Let’s breakdown the details for these red wine short ribs. There’s a little prep involved, but its worth it, we promise! It’s starts by browning the meat, followed by making a mirepoix-with-a-twist. The mirepoix serves as the flavor base of this braised dish, so don’t rush this step. Once the sauce base is made, short ribs are placed back into the dutch oven and cooked in the oven for 2½ – 3 hours.
While you wait, re-organize the closet that’s been calling your name the last few months, knock out a few loads of laundry, or get started on the new Netflix series everyone’s talking about. Whatever you choose to do, be ready for the beautiful aroma that will fill your kitchen as the red wine short ribs cook. Alright, let’s dive into the details:
- Start by preheating the oven to 300°F and heat dutch oven over high heat.
- Generously season short ribs with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Add oil to dutch oven and slowly add short ribs. Sear on all sides until deeply and evenly brown. Remove from dutch oven and place on a plate.
- Reserve some fat from dutch oven and add onions, carrots and celery. Cook for a few minutes, then add garlic and leeks. Careful not to brown the vegetables, rather cook vegetables over medium low heat until they are translucent, soft, and fragrant. Add tomato paste and mix well into vegetables.
- Add red wine and cook until liquid has slightly reduced.
- Add beef broth, herbs and re-introduce short ribs to dutch oven.
- Place in oven and after the 2-hour mark, check to test tenderness of short ribs. Once meat is easily shreddable and falls off the bone–done!
How to Brown Short Ribs
It may seem obvious, but there are a couple of tips to keep in mind to ensure deeply browned, intensely flavored short ribs. The brown crust that’s caused by the below method is known as the Maillard Reaction; the chemical reaction that’s caused by amino acids and carbohydrates in food, imparting not only a color but also flavor to foods that tastes so good.
Maillard reaction (the brown color) can occur on foods like toast, eggs, steaks contribute to the flavor and aroma of food. It’s a highly perplexed process, but as it relates to this recipe, maillard reaction = browning = flavor, and that’s what you want. Okay, that’s my food science snippet, back to the how-to:
- Heat dutch oven over high-heat. The pot needs to be extremely hot before adding meat to achieve the beautifully browned surface. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
- Rinse short ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. It’s important that the surface of the short ribs are dry before adding to the dutch oven, and will help with the browning process.
- Check for browning. Once short ribs are added to the dutch oven, Check every minute to see if the surface has browned. Rotate and repeat until all sides are browned.
- Place on a plate and continue with making mirepoix.
What Type of Wine Should You Use?
Whenever I make a dish that calls for using wine, my motto is to choose a bottle that won’t break the bank, but also something you’d enjoy with the dish (if there’s any leftover, that is). I typically won’t go for the cheapest bottle, but more-so something that’s priced mid-range. As far as what type of wine to choose for this recipe, go for pinot noir (my personal go-to), merlot, or chianti. Don’t forget to save a glass to pair with this dish! A tasty reward for all the work you put into this dish–cheers!
What to Pair with Red Wine Short Ribs?
If you want to take this deeply savory and rich dish up a notch, then pair it with my Herbed Mashed Potatoes. The balance of creamy, herby spuds with fork-tender short ribs is an unbeatable pairing of flavors.
Tips on Making the Best Red Wine Short Ribs
- Be sure to brown short ribs on all sides. Don’t rush this step, as browning locks in flavor, not to mention impart a beautiful color on the short ribs.
- To achieve a beautiful brown crust, make sure dutch oven is ripping hot before adding short ribs.
- Don’t rush the mirepoix process, which typically takes 10 minutes for this recipe. The mirepoix serves as the flavor base and fundamental to the red-wine braised short ribs.
Looking for More Good Eats?
I’ll make searching for your next meal easy for you. These are a few of my favorites:
Red Wine Braised Ribs–The Official Fall Dish
We hope you love this dish as much as we do! Leave a comment below and share your love for this recipe on Instagram and Pinterest. We love to see you get down in the kitchen. Happy eating!
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons avocado oil
- 4-5 Short ribs
- 1¼ cups carrots, diced
- ¾ cup celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium leek, chopped, white and light green parts only
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups dry red wine, I use pinot noir
- 2¼ cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt, Diamond Crystal brand
To Serve
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 300°F and heat dutch oven over high heat.
- Generously season short ribs with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Add avocado oil to dutch oven and slowly add short ribs. Sear on all sides until deeply and evenly brown. Remove from dutch oven and place on a plate.
- Remove all but 3 tablespoons of fat from dutch oven and add onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 4 minutes, then add garlic and leeks. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Cook for an additional 6 minutes, careful not to brown the vegetables, rather cook vegetables over medium low heat until they are translucent, soft, and fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and press into vegetables using the back of spoon or cooking utensil. Cook for two minutes.
- Add red wine and cook over medium-heat until slightly reduced, 4-5 minutes.
- Add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves and stir. Nestle short ribs back into dutch oven.
- Cook for 2 hours undisturbed. After the 2 hour mark, check short ribs for tenderness. Once meat easily shreds with a fork and meat is falling off the bone, remove from oven. Oven time typically takes 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours. Once cooked, discard thyme and bay leaves.
- To serve, place short ribs atop Herbed Mashed Potatoes and spoon sauce over. If you prefer a thicker sauce, see below.
Notes
If you don't mind bits of vegetables, simple spoon over short ribs when serving. If you prefer a sauce, remove short ribs from dutch oven and cover to keep warm. Use a double rod strainer to separate vegetables from sauce. Discard vegetables as the flavor has been completely pulled out during cooking. Spoon and discard as much fat from the remaining sauce. In a saucepan, reduce sauce to desired consistency. Adjust with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Spoon over short ribs just before serving.
1 comment
Looks delicious!