Best Savory Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Braised beef short ribs are pure comfort food. Slow-cooked until they are fall off the bone tender. Then make a delicious gravy to coat all this goodness.

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I’ve been trying to post some different recipes having to do with Thanksgiving and what you might try, to make the meal a little different this year.  I think you should try Red Wine Cranberry Sauce if you haven’t tried it already.  A couple of years ago, I deboned a 14-pound turkey and made a fresh turkey loaf that turned out really well and that would be an interesting blog topic.  I had to do that since the oven on the boat was pretty small. 

Anyway, I’ve been spending some time on Pinterest, looking at food pictures.  I kept coming back to beef and comfort food instead of traditional Thanksgiving fare.  While probably not the healthiest meal, it is one that satisfies.  Just remember smaller portions.

Making Braised Short Ribs 

I went to the local Publix grocery store looking for beef short ribs.  They had several packages of them, but they were cut too big for my standards.  I asked the butcher for 3 pounds, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.  Perfect for browning in the dutch oven. 

The dutch oven we have is 6 quarts and if you’re not familiar with a dutch oven, it’s an enameled cast iron pot with a lid that acts just like a normal pan but is much more versatile.  You can use it on the stovetop or throw it in the oven.  Once it heats up, it holds the heat and as you can see, is perfect for browning this meat.

If you would like to look at a Lodge Dutch Oven, you can find one here.  The Lodge brand is just like the really expensive Dutch Ovens from Le Creuset, only one-third the cost.  The Lodge is the logical choice if you are looking for a Dutch Oven

The Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe Step-By-Step

To start the braised beef short ribs,  heat the pot to medium-high, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add 4 or 5 pieces of meat that have been salted on all sides.  If you try to brown all the meat at once, it has a tendency to steam rather than brown.  I use my infrared thermometer to make sure that the temperature of the pan is around 350 to 375 degrees.  Keep turning the meat cubes to brown on all sides.  This takes about 5 minutes to sear the entire cube.

Once browned, remove and add more beef until it is all browned. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Next, add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and sauté until slightly softened which takes about 10 minutes.

Add half the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Next, add the remainder of the broth, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the browned meat and the beef broth then…

..pour in 1 pint of stout beer.  Guinness works great.

Look at that bubbly goodness.

Cooking the Short Ribs

Cover the dutch oven and turn to low heat for 2 hours 30 minutes.

When done, the meat is super tender and will fall off the bone.

Remove the meat and carrots along with some of the onions and celery.  Taste the broth and add salt if necessary.  You will have a lot of juices to make a nice gravy.  I used 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour mixed with 3/4 cup of cold water. 

Use a whisk to make sure there are no lumps.  Slowly pour in and whisk.  The hot juices will thicken within 1 minute.  Once thickened, take an immersion blender to chop up the leftover veggies. This made a lot of gravy!  You could probably get by with 1/2 of the liquid unless you like lots of leftover gravy.  (Not a bad thing)!

We had our beef with mashed potatoes and the carrots from the pot. Pour on as much gravy as you like on everything!  It is melt in your mouth delicious. Give this braised beef short ribs recipe a try.

And here are some more tasty recipes to try:

• Tender Beef Tips and Egg Noodles
• Pan Braised Baby Potatoes
• Smoked Fish Spread
• All-Purpose Homemade Brown Gravy
• Orzo Chicken Casserole

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Tender beef pairs well with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Makes tasty gravy.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beef, Beef main dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: braised beef short ribs

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 513kcal

Author: Joe Boyle

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 lbs beef short ribs , 1 1/2" cubes
• 1 large white onion , diced
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 3 stalks celery , cut into 1/2" pieces
• 5 medium carrots , cut into 1" pieces
• 14 oz beef broth
• 1 pint Guiness stout
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme, tied into a bundle
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and black pepper
• 6 tbsp all purpose flour, for gravy dissolved and shaken in 3/4 cup cold water

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Instructions

• Heat the pot to medium high, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add 4 or 5 pieces of meat that has been salted on all sides. Brown all sides at 350 degrees. Repeat until all meat is browned. Remove and reserve.
• Lower the heat to 250 to 275, add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and saute 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.
• Add 1/2 the beef broth and 1 tsp black pepper. Scrape the brown bits from bottom of pot.
• Add remainder of broth, then browned meat and Guinness. Toss in the bundle of thyme and the bay leaf. On low heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. 
• Remove meat, carrots and some of the onions and celery. Discard the thyme and bay leaf.
• For the gravy: Mix 6 tbsp flour in 3/4 cup cold water. Add slowly to hot juices and bring to a boil, whisk for 1 or 2 minutes until thickened. If desired, use an immersion blender to puree the remaining vegetables.
• Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Notes

1. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 513kcal

This recipe post was updated on November 13, 2021.