Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

There are certain meals that make you feel like a serious cook even if you’ve never taken a cooking class in your life. These Red Wine Braised Short Ribs is one of those. Short ribs with the bone intact seared until they get a deep color, then slowly cooked in a whole bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with bacon, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and bone broth in the oven for two and a half hours until the meat is falling off the bone and the sauce has been reduced to such an intense flavor that you could pour it over anything. This type of dinner smells so good that it has everyone in the house asking what’s cooking before the food is even ready.

A whole bottle of wine is used to make the recipe and, at the end, it will become such a savory and fruity concoction that would cover each morsel of meat and seep into the veggies. A Cabernet is typically recommended for this recipe.

Why You Will Love Red Wine Braised Ribs

This is genuinely impressive dinner party food that requires mostly patience rather than skill. The Dutch oven and oven do the heavy lifting for two and a half hours while you do other things.

Bacon rendered into the pot before the vegetables go in adds a smoky, slightly salty depth to the braising liquid that you can taste in every spoonful of sauce.

The 25-minute stovetop reduction before the oven concentrates the wine and builds a sauce base that’s already deeply flavored before the long braise even starts.

Ingredients Needed To Make Red Wine & Bone Broth Braised Ribs

The Short Ribs and Sear

The short ribs must be bone-in. The bone and surrounding cartilage release collagen during the long braise which thickens the sauce naturally and keeps the meat incredibly moist. Your favorite herb and spice blend helps to season the exterior before searing. Avocado oil works well with the high heat needed for a proper sear.

The Aromatics and Bacon

Chopped bacon rendered in the pot after the ribs sear adds a smoky, fatty depth to every component that follows. Onion and carrots cooked in the bacon fat and beef drippings build the vegetable base of the sauce. Tomato paste caramelized briefly and a chopped tomato add concentrated tomato depth.

The Braising Liquid

A full 750ml bottle of dry red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is specifically recommended for its bold, tannic structure that stands up to the beef and bacon and reduces beautifully. Beef bone broth adds body and a savory depth that regular broth can’t quite match.

How to Make Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Step 1: Seasoning and Browning

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Make sure that every side of the short ribs is dry. Season them generously with the herb mixture, salt and pepper. Get the avocado oil hot in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Brown the short ribs in small batches, not overcrowding the pot until all sides are browned. It will take about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer them to a plate.

Step 2: Render the Bacon and Aromatics

Most of the fat needs to be poured off leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons inside. Add bacon and sauté it for 2 minutes until the fat is rendered. Add onions and carrots and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often and releasing the browned pieces from the bottom. Add tomato paste and sauté it for 2 minutes until it turns dark.

Step 3: Create the Braising Sauce

Add an entire bottle of wine along with the bone broth. Scrape all the browned parts from the bottom of the pot. Place the ribs and the juices back in the pot, pushing them under the liquid. The level of the braising liquid needs to cover half of the ribs.

Step 4: Add Meat

Let it boil and then lower the heat to medium. Simmer for 25 minutes uncovered, reducing the wine mixture by half. Cover with the lid and put it in the 350° F preheated oven. Let it braise for 2 1/2 hours until the meat becomes very tender and falls off the bones.

Step 5: Serving

Place the short ribs in a serving platter. Pour the vegetables and sauce over them making sure that all the liquid from the pot is included. Serve it right away.

Storage & Reheating

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. Keep in mind that it is going to solidify once cooled, so you will have to remove any fat from the surface before reheating it for a perfect finish. Gently reheat under a lid on medium-low heat.

This dish also keeps well in the freezer for 3 months. The taste improves immensely overnight and many people consider it even more delicious than the fresh one.

How to Serve Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Creamy mashed potatoes are the classic and best base for this dish. The sauce absorbs into the potatoes and every spoonful has both the beef and the braising liquid in it.

Polenta is an excellent alternative with a slightly more rustic, Italian-leaning character.

Crusty bread alongside for soaking up every last drop of sauce from the plate is non-negotiable.

A simple green salad or roasted vegetables on the side round the meal out without competing with the richness of the short ribs.

For a full dinner party spread, I love starting with Blistered Shishito Peppers as an appetizer before these short ribs hit the table. It creates a light and casual to start, then something really dramatic and impressive as the main.

Read in Spanish

Shop This Recipe

Add us as a Google Trusted Source

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs (Easy Dutch Oven Recipe)

These red wine braised short ribs sear bone-in short ribs and braise them in a full bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with bacon, bone broth, carrots, and onion for a rich, fall-apart tender dinner ready in 3 hours.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 5 lb bone?in beef short ribs cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp herb and spice blend your favorite all?purpose or steak blend
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp avocado oil
• 7 slices bacon chopped
• 2 medium yellow onions chopped
• 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into thirds
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 medium tomato chopped (on?the?vine if possible)
• 1 bottle dry red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon) 750 ml
• 2 cups beef bone broth

Instructions

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pat 5 lb bone?in beef short ribs dry with paper towels.
2. Season the short ribs all over with 2 Tbsp herb and spice blend, plus a generous pinch of salt and black pepper on each side.
3. Heat 3 Tbsp avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium?high heat. When hot and shimmering, add half the short ribs in a single layer and sear until deeply browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining ribs.
4. Pour off most of the fat from the pot, leaving about 1–2 Tbsp behind. Add the 7 slices chopped bacon and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until it starts to render and crisp.
5. Add 2 chopped yellow onions and 4 chopped carrots. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the onions begin to soften and pick up the browned bits.
6. Stir in 1 Tbsp tomato paste and 1 chopped tomato. Cook for about 2 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste slightly and build flavor.
7. Pour in the 750?ml bottle of red wine and 2 cups beef bone broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to release all the browned bits.
8. Return the seared short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot, nestling them down into the liquid and vegetables. The liquid should come at least halfway up the ribs; if it doesn’t, add a bit more broth or water to reach that level.
9. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, until the wine mixture is reduced by about half.
10. Cover the Dutch oven with a tight?fitting lid and transfer it to the preheated 350°F oven. Braise for about 2½ hours, or until the short ribs are very tender and the meat is almost falling off the bone.
11. Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the short ribs to a serving platter. Spoon the vegetables and plenty of the sauce over the top, making sure to get all the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot.
12. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

• Pat the ribs completely dry before seasoning. Any surface moisture prevents browning and you’ll end up with grey steamed meat instead of that deeply caramelized crust that makes this dish so good.
• Sear in batches with space between each rib. Crowding the pot drops the temperature and causes steaming. Take the time to do this right — it’s worth every minute.
• The 25-minute stovetop reduction before the oven is the step that concentrates the wine and builds the flavor base of the sauce. Don’t skip it.
• The braising liquid should come at least halfway up the ribs. Check it and add more broth if needed before the lid goes on.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!