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Braised short ribs

These braised short ribs will have your whole family drooling! They are juicy, succulent, rich and flavorful and deceptively easy to make even though they look like (and taste!) like the best fine dining has to offer. To make, simply sear the beef short ribs, sauté onions carrots and celery, add your braising liquid and herbs, then bake until tender while your home fills with the rich aroma of anticipation. What you will especially love is that this short ribs recipe tastes even better the next day! This allows you to easily remove the fat (no greasy short ribs!) and just reheat on the stove for 15 minutes AKA an ideal company or holiday dinner. Serve your short ribs over some garlic mashed potatoes and you have one of the easiest gourmet comfort foods you’ll ever make!v
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds bone-in short ribs
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil separated
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 carrots peeled and chopped
  • 4 stalks celery chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 cups pomegranate juice
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vineger
  • 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 tsp EACH dried basil, dried oregano
  • 1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp EACH paprika, salt, pepper, dried thyme
  • pinch - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat ribs dry, then season evenly with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Set aside while you chop your veggies.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, brown ribs on all sides until deeply golden, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
  • Scrape out any black bits from the pan (if there are any) but leave the golden bits. Add additional oil to the pan if needed to equal 1 tablespoon; alternatively, drain extra grease to equal 1 tablespoon. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions and celery and cook for 4 minutes; add garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
  • Add all remaining ingredients, and give them a good stir, scraping up any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan. Add seared ribs to the pot, bone-side up. The meat should be mostly submerged, if not, top the ribs off with water.
  • Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 ½- 4 hours (depending on size of ribs) until the ribs are literally fall apart tender and easily shred with a fork.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove short ribs and vegetables to a serving plate and tightly cover with foil. Transfer braising liquid to a small saucepan (a smaller deeper pan makes it easier to skim fat) and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the fat can rise to the top. (You can use this time to mash the potatoes). After 15 minutes, gently tilt the pan and the skim the fat that has risen to the top with a spoon. Simmer remaining liquid to thicken to desired consistency (optional).
  • To serve, arrange two short ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes or polenta along with cooking vegetables and drizzle with pomegranate balsamic sauce. Garnish with pomegranate seeds if desired.

Notes

HOW TO MAKE TENDER SHORT RIBS

There are 5 factors to create the most tender braised short ribs:
  • Use bone-in short ribs. Set yourself up for success by using bone-IN short ribs.  The bone act as a conductor and protects the short ribs from overcooking and helps the ribs cook more evenly resulting in juicer short ribs. The bone also has some fat around it that makes it deeply more flavorful and more moist than boneless short ribs.    
  • Use well-marbled short ribs.  Choose short ribs that are fresh, bright in color and contain a lot of marbling because marbling = flavor and tenderness.  As the fat melts and breaks down, it drips over the meat, creating a self-basting effect resulting in the juiciest short ribs you ever tasted!
  • Kosher salt.  Seasoning the short ribs with kosher salt changes the structure of the muscle proteins, opening them up so they can retain more of their own juices.
  • Sear the short ribs.  Aggressively searing the short ribs creates the Maillard reaction resulting in rich, deep, complex flavor and prevents the surface of the ribs from becoming dehydrated.  Take care to sear the short ribs in batches so they develop a deeply caramelized crust and don’t just steam.
  • Cooking for long enough.  Many people become frustrated when they check their short ribs and they are not tender.  If this is the case, the short ribs simply need more time to cook and tenderize, even 30 more minutes can make the world of difference between “okay” short ribs and a melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs. So, if you’re ribs aren’t literally fall apart tender, be patient and roast on!

HELPFUL TIPS AND TRICKS:

  • Comfortable fit.  You can use a 3-4 pounds beef short ribs, but don’t use more than can comfortably squeeze into your Dutch oven in a single layer.
  • Choose larger short ribs.  If you have the choice between packages of smaller short ribs or packages of larger short ribs, choose the larger short ribs because they are meatier.
  • Uniform size. If there are only two packages of smaller short ribs, choose those over mix-matched sizes.  You want relatively uniform short ribs so they cook evenly.
  • Pat short ribs dry. Pat the ribs very dry or the seasonings will not stick properly.
  • Season in advance.   I learned from a chef demonstration that you always want to let seasonings rest on protein, whether it’s short ribs, pork, chicken or fish.  This resting time allows the seasonings to penetrate the protein and enhance the flavor and the salt will further tenderize the meat.  It also and helps the seasonings stick to the protein instead of sliding off once the protein hits the pan.  You can use the resting time to chop the veggies and whisk together the braising liquid with seasonings.
  • Sear ribs.  Aggressively sear the short ribs so they are deeply golden.  Don’t skip this step or they won’t be as flavorful or juicy.
  • Don’t burn ribs.  Monitor the temperature while searing the ribs to prevent those flavorful bits in the pan from burning. You want to be able to use the golden bits (and not black) to brown the vegetables with.   
  • Use a hot pan.  When searing, a hot pan is not to be confused with “high heat.”  Instead, don’t add the short ribs until the oil is shimmering hot.
  • Bone side up. Place the short ribs meat side down and the bones/ribs facing up in the braising liquid.  This will prevent the meat from drying out.  
  • Submerge short ribs.  Top the short ribs off with water so the meat is submerged in liquid.  It is okay if the top bone portions are not covered.

MAKE AHEAD SHORT RIBS

You can make the short ribs ahead two ways:  1) by prepping the short ribs up to the point of baking OR baking, and reheating.  Here’s how:

How to prep ahead and bake later:

  • Prepare the short ribs by searing the ribs, sautéing the vegetables and adding the braising liquid to the Dutch oven. 
  • Transfer the Dutch oven to the refrigerator until ready to bake (up to 24 hours.)
  • When ready to bake, let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, then cook according to recipe directions.

How to bake first and reheat:

This is my preferred method to prepare short ribs because it allows you to easily scrape off all of the solidified fat before you reheat the short ribs and you don’t have to guess about the cooking time – simply bake until tender, refrigerate, then reheat.
  • Follow recipe according to directions, baking until short ribs are fall apart tender. 
  • Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
  • When ready reheat, scrape off the hardened fat from the top of the meat.
  • Cover, and cook over medium-heat for 15 minutes or until warmed through.

STORAGE

Let braised short ribs cool to room temperature, then either cover and store the entire pot in the refrigerator or transfer to a smaller airtight container, including all of the veggies and braising liquid to keep the short ribs moist. Store short ribs for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. 

CAN I FREEZE SHORT RIBS RECIPE?

The short ribs themselves freeze beautifully, but the carrots/celery will soften and can even turn mushy when defrosted.  You can either freeze the short ribs just with the liquid strained from the veggies, or puree the veggies with the liquid.
To freeze short ribs recipe:
  • Let beef short ribs cool completely.
  • Transfer beef to an air-tight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag along with the liquid and optional carrots/celery.  You can also portion into many smaller container/bags.
  • Squeeze out any excess air to prevent freezer burn.
  • Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • When ready to eat, thaw short ribs in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Reheat in the slow cooker, microwave or stove per aforementioned directions.