This easy recipe for red wine short ribs is the perfect comfort food for a lazy fall weekend! Veggies and ribs cook long and low for an amazing flavor that will have them clamoring for seconds and thirds.
Ah, these red wine short ribs! They are the perfect, hearty, easy way to welcome in fall.
Because as much as I hate to say farewell to the basil and the local tomatoes and my flip-flops and sleeping with the window open, there’s something comforting about breaking out the cozy sweaters and the first fire in the fireplace of the season.
And of a warm and wonderful supper bubbling busily on the stovetop on a gray Sunday afternoon. Ready to break in fall with me? Let’s make it!
In addition to all the other wonderful things about this recipe, it also gives me a chance to use up those bottles of red wine that I seem to accumulate but that I can’t drink.
And let me be perfectly clear, there are lots of bottles of red wine that I absolutely CAN drink…but I found out over the past year or so that they all have to say “pinot noir” or sometimes “merlot” on the label, or they give me a headaches.
Tannins. Sigh.
However! For some reason if I cook with those other varieties, they magically lose their headache producing powers – I’m guessing because the alcohol also dissipates somewhat as it cooks?
One way or the other, this scrumptious supper gives me the chance to use all those Cabernets that I seem to always have around.
While having a lovely Sunday afternoon glass of pinot noir while I cook. All of which reminds me of this.
My grandfather was an amazing artist and an equally amazing jokester, and here he is demonstrating both, with his postcard sketch of the Spring House in our little Vermont village, and on the other side of the postcard his note to ten-year-old me.
A cool drink on him. LOVE.
Anyway, here’s how you toss together this lovely supper.
Ingredients You need to make this short rib recipe!
Here’s how you make red wine short ribs!
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP 1: First you need some short ribs, and if you have never tried making short ribs before this is the perfect way to start!
You want the bone-in kind, and while you can use them as is, I like to ask my butcher to cut them in half so they are in nice manageable two inch pieces. Butchers are wonderful friendly people who are always so nice about doing things like cutting short ribs in half.
You also want some onions and carrots and celery, and a whole head of garlic, and yes, a bottle of dry red wine. Cabernet is the best.
STEP 2: You are going to start by browning those short ribs in a large Dutch oven, and then cooking up those veggies for a few minutes in the beef drippings.
STEP 3: That’s pretty much all the actual cooking you have to do because the rest of the recipe calls for simmering everything together in Cabernet and some chicken broth until everything is tender, first on the stovetop and then in the oven, which will give it a gorgeous, tender consistency.
When it’s done, you can either serve it up as is, or if you want to die from short rib happiness, you can spoon it over brown butter mashed potatoes.
More tips for making Red Wine Short Ribs!
Yep! You will only need half the amount though, so for this recipe about 2.5 pounds.
I usually try and say yes to this question for recipes, but in this case…nope. The red wine is essential to the flavor.
As with most stews and soups, this one gets Even Better if it sits around (in the fridge please) for a day…the flavors intensify even more! Bring it to room temperature when you are ready for it, and slowly heat it up over medium high heat.
Drop it in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
So happy fall, and please have a cool drink on me with your red wine short ribs!
PrintRed Wine Short Ribs
This easy recipe for red wine short ribs is the perfect comfort food for a lazy fall weekend! Veggies and ribs cook long and low for an amazing flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut in half if possible
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 standard size bottle Cabernet or other dry red wine
- 1/4 cup fresh thyme
- 1 head garlic, cut in half cross-wise
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream (optional but oh so good!)
Instructions
- Season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot over medium high and brown ribs on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and celery to pot and cook in drippings, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and stir for another minute.
- Pour in red wine and return ribs to pot. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Add thyme and garlic and chicken broth to pot and bring to a simmer. Put the covered pot in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours until short ribs are tender.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are using the cream, stir it in now.
- Ladle ribs and veggies into warmed bowls and drizzle a generous amount of sauce over the top.
Notes
This meal is wonderful served as is, but even more wonderful ladled over mashed potatoes or warm polenta or grits!
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Keywords: low carb Red Wine Short Ribs, low carb ribs,
OTHER SHORT RIB RECIPES WE LOVE!
 Shredded short ribs with pappardelle may just be the best comfort food ever! |
 Slow cooked short ribs are just plain perfect when you add in carrots, onions, potatoes and just the right amount of grainy mustard. |
 This simple recipe for slow cooked short ribs with carrots and apples cooks low and slow until it becomes a tender and delicious comfort food supper. |
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
I will, indeed, have a cool drink on you ;) I really don’t understand your concept of ‘wine left’, though, lol. Just kidding. Too bad that some of them give you a headache!! Good that you got to use them in this delicious recipe, though! High five for that! I love this type of food this time of year. It’s the absolute best, in my opinion. Your suggestion of serving with brown butter mashed potatoes sounds wonderful! Brown butter is completely awesome and that smell? Wish we could bottle that! Such a lovely recipe. Want to grab a fork and dig right in!!
Thanks Dawn! Yes, wine and I have a love hate relationship (as opposed to my relationship with mashed potatoes, which is All Love All The Time.) :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Wow, your grandfather was a very talented artist Kate. So sweet! These short ribs have my name and my husband’s all over it! It’s one of our favorite fall/winter meals. Can’t wait to try your version! Happy weekend!
He was! I miss him! Happy weekend to you too. xo
Gaila Perez says
Oh my gosh, your grandfather was so funny!! I will too have a cool drink smiling! I love what you have done to these lovely ribs!! this is what comfort food is all about!! Pinned!!!
He was! Thanks for the pin, Gaila!
Carol Bleistine says
Kate, your recipes are the best! Not too complicated, no obscure ingredients, and they always turn out great.
Carol! You made me smile from ear to ear with this comment – thank you! :)
Allie | In This Kitchen says
This looks absolutely brilliant, and I agree that I love red wine in cooking but I can sometimes also forget about a bottle of it that I’ve opened (I know some people would call me crazy for that). But this is the perfect way to use it up, a beautiful fall stew.
Adina says
Such a perfect dish for this weather, I love that glossiness. Great postcard too!
grace says
i’m weird because i’d eat every single piece of meat-juice-infused vegetables, but i won’t eat that meat. i think the texture gets me, even though it’s so tender. whatever my hang-ups, this is definitely comfort food!
Sarah says
Hi Kate – thanks so much for sharing! I made this tonight and the flavor was delicious! I’m curious if you use any special type of short rib? I’ve tried short ribs twice, and both times they were very fatty. I’m wondering if I’m buying the wrong kind of meat.
Thanks!
Hey Sarah! Short ribs can definitely be fatty, and some are better than others. I usually get mine from the butcher counter at the supermarket, and I ask the butcher to give me ribs from the meatier end of the bone. You want a little fat on them because that is what gives you the rich flavor, but not so much that they are overly fatty. If you have a Whole Foods near you, they usually have great short ribs, but one way or the other if you explain what you want to the butcher at your supermarket, I bet you will end up with a better cut of short ribs. Hope this helps! :)
Tom Morrison says
We have about 30’minute left and can’t wait!! It smells so good !! Tom from California
Hope you loved it!!
Kelley says
Very good!! Made this tonight to welcome in fall &I this will become a fall regular at our home :) I rarely follow recipes exactly but I did this one & it was delicious.
I’m so glad! It’s a fall regular in our house too – making it as soon as this heat wave leaves!
Cherie says
This sounds so YUMMY, cannot wait to try! Question though, instead of placing in oven for 2 1/2 hours, what about using a crock pot for this portion of the recipe???
I don’t see why not! I think on low for about 8 hours would work just fine – if you try it that way, come back and tell us how it came out!
Tara says
Absolutely delicious and a hit at girls night!
Tara! I do love a good girls night – so glad you made this for yours! Happy Sunday. :)
Robbi says
Made this tonight for dinner. I had to wing it with the measurements because I only had less than 2lbs of short ribs but it turned out fantastic! I can’t wait to make it again using the amounts called for in the recipe!
Stays on my dinner list!
Robbi! I’m so glad – it’s such a great winter recipe, right? Glad it is on your dinner list. :)
Berbelie says
This recipe is so good. My family and I really enjoyed it. I made sure I had the right amount of everything. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Berbelie! I’m so glad you and your family liked this – it’s a favorite in our house too! Happy Sunday! :)
Nicolette Eaves says
Hi,
Your recipe calls for chicken stock but the instructions say chicken broth … which is it or does it matter?
Thank you, planning to make this tonight!
Oh my goodness, thanks for catching that! Either one will work fine, but for consistency’s sake I’m going to adjust the recipe to say chicken broth. Thanks for letting me know and hope you love it!!
Hayley says
Hi! What size (quarts) would you recommend for a Dutch oven for this recipe?
★★★★★
Hi Hayley! I make this recipe in a 5.5 quart Dutch oven – here’s the exact one I have: https://amzn.to/2D5APba – hope this helps!
Beth says
I have made this before and Hubs and I love it! My question is would it change the cooking time if I added chopped up potatoes? Have you ever added potatoes to this recipe?
Hi Beth and sorry for the delayed response – my daughter got MARRIED last weekend and we are just now coming up for air! I don’t love potatoes in stews, but I am sure they would come out just fine without changing the cooking time. I would use baby potatoes and cut them in half. I’m so happy you love this recipe – it’s one of our faves too! :)
Jennifer Zolo says
This dish was perfection! Such a warm, hearty meal. Perfect on a fall day.
★★★★★
Jennifer! I’m so glad you liked it. Isn’t it great when fall recipe season comes around? :)
Cathy Tibbles says
This doesn’t look like a huge amount – am I right? I think I would double for a family meal of 4 -5 adults?
Hi Cathy! This is a rich dish, so I think it should be just fine for that amount, unless your lucky diners are super hungry! (And if you have leftovers, that’s not a bad thing!) :)
Hana says
Hi! This looks delish! Is there a dairy alternative I can use instead of cream, like almond or oat milk? Or should I just leave it out? Thanks!
Hi Hana! The cream is totally optional, so it’s fine to leave it out. Although I’m guessing almond milk would work just fine – the cream just adds a little depth to the sauce. :)
Cody says
This has become my favorite recipe for winter Sunday family dinners. Thank you so much! Your recipe is so simple and easy to follow, and yet somehow my family thinks I am an amazing cook when I make it.
★★★★★
Thanks Cody – and clearly you ARE an amazing cook! :) :)
Dina says
SO SO good! I can not recommend this recipe enough ?
★★★★★
Dina! Thank you so much – you made my day! :) :)
Kristen Kemp says
Good morning! I’m just learning about wines. Would you be able to suggest a couple specific wines that would be good in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Kristen! You can’t go wrong with any red wine in this recipe, but I tend to go for a stronger tasting one like a Cabernet or a Malbec when I am cooking this up. I hope this helps and happy cooking! :)
Kristen Kemp says
Fabulous, thank you for the reply! I have a bottle of Morgon and a few other reds, though not certain what the others are. I’ll take a look and decide! Again, my thanks!
My pleasure – hope you love this recipe as much as we do! :)
Amanda says
This looks amazing and we have a “cold front” coming in to Florida this week so I’m making it!! Have you ever made this in an instant pot or know what a good suggestion for time to set it on might be? Just making sure I don’t run out of time scheduling in 3 hours on a week night. Thanks
Hi Amanda! I actually haven’t made this recipe in the Instant Pot, but I did a little looking around and this link looks pretty close to my recipe and is designed for the Instant Pot. Hopefully this will work for you and stay warm!! https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-short-ribs/
Amanda says
Thank you!!
B says
Absolutely delicious! One of my all-time favourite recipes. Absolute winner in my house (especially with the cream added at the end!)
★★★★★
I’m so glad! And yes, cream always makes things just a little bit better! :)