These tender red wine braised short ribs are the perfect winter dinner. They are braised low and slow in the oven with fresh thyme, garlic and red wine until they fall of the bone. Serve them with carrots and gouda mashed potatoes. Use the liquid in the pot to make an easy red wine reduction sauce.
Looking for more beef recipes? Try my beef stroganoff, homemade lasagna or spaghetti bolognese.
This recipe was originally published on 01/09/2018.
Braised short ribs is one of those fancy looking dinners that looks like a professional chef prepared it, just like pot roast or beef bourguignon. Truth is, anyone can make braised short ribs.
You'll have the entire family thinking you are a master world class chef in the kitchen. If done right, the meat should fall right off the bone.
You may be asking, what's the difference between this and pot roast? I'd say this is an elevated pot roast.
They do have a similar tenderness when cooked just right, but these are way better because they get drenched in a red wine sauce.
It's up for debate which is better, the juicy short ribs or the gouda mashed potatoes! They are thicker than my traditional mashed potatoes and have gouda cheese in them. Paired with that red wine sauce, it's so good!
Jump to:
What Are Short Ribs?
Short ribs are beef. They are a cut of meat taken from the chuck area. Very similar to making a pot roast, since you use a chuck roast for that.
You can get short ribs bone-in or boneless. Always opt for bone-in, because in my experience, they turn out way more tender.
Short ribs have fat marbling throughout them, which makes for the perfect cut of meat to braise, the fat melts throughout and everything becomes so tender.
How to Braise Short Ribs
Braising is a style of cooking.
The first step in a successful braise, is to sear your meat stovetop in the pot you'll be braising in. You'll need a pot that has a lid.
After you've seared it, you add liquid to the pan.
It's very important when you make braised short ribs that you sear all the edges of the short ribs in your pan prior to braising. It locks in the flavors and juices.
This method requires a low and slow approach. You'll usually find recipes for braising with a 300 degree oven temperature. Braising takes hours. If you try to speed up the process, you'll end up with tough meat.
The process of braising allows the meat to get super tender, fall apart, melt in your mouth delicious.
Throw in some smashed garlic cloves and a sprig of thyme to give you a nice aroma and taste. Make sure, like always, to season your meat with salt and pepper.
Red Wine Sauce
I use a bold Spanish Rioja wine. It doesn't need to be a fancy wine, the one I use runs about $10. Rioja is known to be a great red wine pairing for beef.
A lot of the flavor comes from this wine. Especially when you are making the sauce.
The red wine sauce is the creme de la creme, the cherry on top, the ultimate fancy meal finisher.
Do not skip making the sauce.
After the short ribs are done cooking, strain out the liquid into a gravy fat separator. Then pour that liquid back into the pot and bring to a low rolling boil, cook until the sauce has reduced by half. Add a pat of butter, stir and the sauce is ready.
Gouda Potatoes and Carrots
For the gouda mashed potatoes, you'll prepare these like traditional mashed potatoes, stove top.
My secret for the best mashed potatoes ever, is once you drain out the water from boiling potatoes, return them to the pan with the stovetop heat on, let them steam like this for a minute or so.
It helps to release any extra water moisture that could make your potatoes gummy. Instead you get super creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes.
The hint of gouda cheese in the potatoes is the perfect accompaniment to the red wine sauce, tender meat and carrots.
About 30 minutes before braising, you'll add some large chopped chunks of carrots to the pot to cook them. Couldn't be any easier.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
These tender red wine braised short ribs are the perfect winter dinner. They are braised low and slow in the oven with fresh thyme, garlic and red wine until they fall of the bone. Serve them with carrots and gouda mashed potatoes. Use the liquid in the pot to make an easy red wine reduction sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs bone-in short ribs
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 7 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 16 oz Campo Viejo Rioja Wine
- 2 c water
- 2 tsp beef better than bouillon base
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large sprig of fresh thyme
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 1 tbsp butter
Gouda Potatoes
- 2 russet potatoes
- 1 c gouda cheese, shredded
- ¼ c milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325.
- Pat ribs dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot (the same pot they will braise in) over medium/high heat. Place the short ribs in the pot and sear all sides. Remove the meat to a plate.
- Turn heat down to low.
- Add tomato paste and garlic, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and beef broth. Return the short ribs to the pot, bone side down and bring to a boil. Top with a sprig of fresh thyme.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven.
- Braise for 3 hours in the oven.
- 30 minutes before braising is done, add the chopped carrots.
- Meanwhile, make the gouda mashed potatoes.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into even pieces. Add the potatoes to a pot, cover with water and a few pinches of salt. Boil the potatoes until a fork can pierce them, strain and transfer back to the pot, over low heat. Steam the potatoes for 2 minutes like this.
- Transfer the potatoes to a bowl. Beat until the potatoes are starting to look smooth. Add the milk, beat again until smooth. Stir in the gouda cheese. These are thick mashed potatoes, if you'd like them thinner, add more milk.
- Remove the short ribs from the oven. Transfer the short ribs and carrots to a plate while you strain the red wine liquid out into a gravy fat separator. Return the liquid to the pot, stovetop, heat until boiling. Boil until the liquid reduces by half and has thickened. Add the butter and stir.
- Add the red wine sauce to a gravy boat.
- To serve, spoon mashed potatoes on to a plate or bowl, top with short ribs and carrots and pour on the sauce.
Notes
Tough Meat: If your short ribs aren't tender after 3 hours, try cooking them a bit longer. This could also be due to a bad cut of meat, sometimes pieces are just so gristly it's takes much longer to get it tender.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1185Total Fat: 79gSaturated Fat: 36gTrans Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 328mgSodium: 624mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 84g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Kimt
Made this last year for Christmas for 18 people. Everyone raved about it and fought over the left overs. This year am making it for the 2 of us (Covid). Bought my short ribs and rioja today. Cant wait. It is delicious. Try this one.
Tara Moore
No way, that is awesome! Cooking for 18 people, you are amazing, I hope it's just as good for the two of you 🙂 Thanks for letting me know it turned out well and happy holidays! -Tara
Lex
I made this exactly as the recipe is written and it was delicious! My picky teenage boys were in heaven and ate every bite. The mashed potatoes are so good and pair beautifully with the flavorful short ribs... Oh and the sauce-- sooo good! I made the short ribs early in the day then put them in the fridge to cool so I could skim the fat easier. It worked well. I put the pot, lid and all, into the fridge, then reheated on low on the stove top. Perfection! Highly recommend the recipe!
Tara Moore
Thank you Lex for your wonderful and detailed review! I am so glad it turned out great, I appreciate you trying the recipe and your feedback 🙂