Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

I first shared these Red Wine Braised Short Ribs back in 2022, and they’ve become one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted. My husband and I actually joke that this recipe might be the reason he married me—they’re that good. I make these at least a few times every fall and winter, and somehow I still find little ways to make them even better every year.

Over the years, my videos of this recipe have racked up millions of views across social media, which is still so wild to me. I’m incredibly grateful for how much love you’ve shown this recipe, and seeing all of your beautiful recreations is genuinely one of my favorite things. It makes me so happy knowing that something I love making in my own kitchen has made its way into so many of yours.

And the best part? These short ribs are surprisingly simple to make. There are just a few basic steps to get everything into a big Dutch oven, and then it’s mostly a matter of patience while the beef slowly braises in red wine, beef broth, and fresh herbs until it’s fall-apart tender. The result is a restaurant-quality dinner with the most incredible red wine sauce. I’ve also included instructions for making these in a pressure cooker if you’re short on time, or a slow cooker if you’d rather let them cook all day. Whichever method you choose, I hope you love these as much as we do!

Why You’ll Love It

• Restaurant-quality: These short ribs taste like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant, but they’re surprisingly simple to make at home. A few basic steps and a little patience are all you need!
• The red wine sauce: Honestly, the sauce might be my favourite part. The red wine, beef broth, and fresh herbs come together to make a rich, decadent sauce that’s incredible spooned over the short ribs.
• Fall-apart tender beef: Braising the short ribs low and slow gives you incredibly tender, juicy beef that practically falls apart with a fork.
• Customizable sides: Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes and some greens like asparagus or broccolini, then top with plenty of the red wine sauce.
• Multiple cooking methods: Whether you want to braise them in the oven, let them cook all day in a slow cooker, or speed things up with a pressure cooker, I’ve included instructions for all three methods.

Ingredients

• 4-8 bone-in beef short ribs
• Kosher salt (I recommend Diamond Crystal)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging the short ribs
• Neutral oil, for searing
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1-2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 head garlic, halved horizontally
• Fresh rosemary and thyme
• 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
• 3-4 cups beef broth
• ¼ cup whole black peppercorns
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

What You’ll Need

You don’t need anything fancy for these, but a few tools make it a lot easier. Everything I reach for when I make this recipe is linked below!

Prep Steps

• Take the short ribs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before searing them—this will help them cook more evenly.
• Pat the short ribs dry, season generously with kosher salt, and dredge in a light coating of flour. The flour helps to get a nice golden brown crust on the ribs as we sear them, and it will also help thicken the sauce.

• Peel and roughly chop the carrot.
• Peel and roughly chop the onion.
• Rinse and roughly chop the celery.
• Slice a head of garlic in half horizontally to expose all of the cloves (no need to peel).

• Since you’re using a whole bottle of wine in this recipe, I recommend choosing one you’d actually enjoy drinking! It doesn’t need to be expensive, but I’d skip anything labelled as cooking wine or anything too sweet. A decent bottle of dry red wine makes a big difference in the flavour of the finished sauce. I usually reach for a Cabernet Sauvignon, but Merlot and dry red blends work beautifully too. Here are a few bottles I’d recommend:
• Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
• Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon
• Avaline Red Wine
• Bonterra Merlot
• Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon

How to Make It

Step One:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step Two:

Trim any excess fat from the short ribs, if desired. Season generously with sea salt, then dredge in flour on all sides, shaking off any excess.

Step Three:

Heat a little neutral oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the short ribs for 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove and set aside.

Step Four:

Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the same pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the halved garlic head.

Step Five:

Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir and let the wine reduce for about 5 minutes.

Step Six:

Stir in the brown sugar and whole black peppercorns, then add the sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary. Return the short ribs to the pot and pour in 3-4 cups of beef broth, or enough for the liquid to come about ¾ of the way up the sides of the short ribs without fully submerging them. Bring the braising liquid back to a simmer.

Step Seven:

Cover and transfer to the oven for about 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Alternatively, you can cook the short ribs on the stovetop. Keep the pot covered over low heat, maintaining a very gentle simmer for about 3-3½ hours, or until tender. Check occasionally to make sure the liquid isn’t boiling too rapidly or reducing too much, adding an extra splash of beef broth if needed.

Step Eight:

Remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. Strain the braising liquid, discarding the vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns.

Step Nine:

Return the strained liquid to the pot and simmer over medium heat until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15-20 minutes. Whisk occasionally and give it a little more time to reduce if needed. Finish the sauce by stirring in 1-2 tbsp of butter until combined.

Step Ten:

Plate up the short ribs with a generous pour of the red wine sauce. I like serving over mashed potatoes with steamed broccolini or asparagus. Enjoy!

Cooking Notes

Want to make these in a slow cooker or pressure cooker instead? I’ve included instructions for both methods below!

Slow Cooker/Crockpot Instructions

• Trim any excess fat from the short ribs, if desired. Season generously with sea salt, then dredge in flour on all sides, shaking off any excess.
• Heat a little bit of neutral oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the short ribs for 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove and transfer to the slow cooker.
• Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the same skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the halved head of garlic.
• Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a simmer and let reduce for about 5-10 minutes to cook off some of the alcohol.
• Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Add the beef broth, brown sugar, whole black peppercorns, and sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
• Carefully remove the short ribs and set aside. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, discarding the vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns.
• Bring the strained liquid to a simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This may take 20-30 minutes or longer, depending on how much liquid is left. Whisk occasionally and give it more time if needed.
• Stir in the butter until melted and combined. Serve the short ribs with a generous spoonful of red wine sauce. Enjoy!

Pressure Cooker Instructions

• Season the short ribs generously with sea salt, then dredge in flour on all sides, shaking off any excess.
• Heat the pressure cooker on Sauté mode with a drizzle of neutral oil. Sear the short ribs for 2-3 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding. Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the short ribs. Add the halved head of garlic.
• Pour in the red wine, scraping up any remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes to reduce slightly.
• Add the beef broth, brown sugar, and whole black peppercorns, then add the sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary. Bring everything to a simmer with the pressure cooker still set to Sauté mode.
• Nestle the short ribs back into the braising liquid. Make sure the pot isn’t filled past the maximum pressure cooking fill line, reducing the amount of broth if needed. Seal the lid and pressure cook on High for 45 minutes.
• Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 15 minutes, then carefully use the quick release button to release any remaining pressure.
• Transfer the short ribs to a plate and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, discarding the vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns.
• Simmer the strained liquid over medium heat until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15-20 minutes or longer if needed. Whisk occasionally, then finish by stirring in the butter until combined.
• Plate the short ribs with a generous spoonful of red wine sauce. I love serving these over mashed potatoes with steamed broccolini or asparagus on the side. Enjoy!

Substitutions You Can Try

Short ribs: I recommend using bone-in short ribs for the best flavour and texture, but boneless short ribs will work too (they may cook a little faster). You can also use beef chuck roast cut into large chunks!

All-purpose flour: You can use a gluten-free flour blend, corn starch, or skip the flour altogether if needed. The flour helps the short ribs develop a nice crust when searing and adds a little body to the sauce.

Fresh herbs: I love the combination of rosemary and thyme in this recipe, but you can use just one if that’s what you have. Dried herbs work in a pinch too, although I’d recommend fresh if possible.

Brown sugar: You can substitute with a little honey or maple syrup, although both will change the flavour slightly. The sugar helps balance the acidity and tannins from the red wine.

Unsalted butter: Salted butter works too, but taste the reduced sauce before adding any extra salt. You can also leave out the butter, although it gives the finished sauce a little extra richness.

I will never get tired of making these short ribs. The ultimate comfort meal!

If you make them, tag me (@britacooks)on Instagram or TikTok, I’d love to see your recreations. It also means so much when you leave a review in the comments below!

You can save this recipe for later on Pinterest, or head over to my YouTube channel to cook along with me while I walk through the whole recipe. And while you’re there, you’ll find plenty more recipes to try next!