Red Wine Short Ribs
This easy recipe for red wine short ribs is the perfect comfort food for a lazy weekend or a lush holiday dinner! Veggies and ribs cook long and low for an amazing flavor that will have them clamoring for seconds and thirds.
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Why we love this recipe
Ah, these red wine short ribs! They are the perfect, hearty, easy way to make one of the best and fanciest beef stews ever.
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. (How does that happen?)
Because yep, after you sear the short ribs and saute up some veggies, you are going to pour in a full bottle of red wine along with a few other ingredients, and then take a cozy nap while this supper cooks itself into tender deliciousness in your oven.
It’s equally perfect for a lazy weekend supper or a luxurious holiday supper. Let’s give it a whirl!
What are short ribs?
Unlike the smaller ribs you use for barbecue, short ribs are from the area where chuck steak comes from. The bone is shorter and thicker and has a generous amount of chuck steak attached.
Short ribs come in both bone-in and boneless varieties. We like the boneless version for this recipe, but you can use either one (you will need more if you use the bone-in version to get the same amount of meat).
Ingredients you need to make this recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Short Ribs: Short ribs come in both boneless and bone-in varieties. We prefer boneless ribs, but both will work just fine in this recipe. You will need a larger amount of bone-in ribs to get the same amount of meat.
- Red Wine: We like to use Pinot Noir for this recipe, but any dry full bodied red wine will work. We’ve tried it with Cabernet and it was scrumptious!
- Cream: We’ve noted the cream as optional in the recipe, but there were tears in our eyes as we wrote that…the cream adds just the perfect amount of silky texture. But if you need to go dairy-free, you can leave it out.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Season your short ribs with salt and pepper. Pour some olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot over high heat and sear them until they are nice and browned. Scoop them out and set them aside.
Step 2: Add some chopped onion, carrots and celery to the drippings and stir it all around for about five minutes. Stir in some tomato pasta and flour.
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Step 3: Here comes the most satisfying part! Pour in a bottle of red wine, add the seared ribs and let the whole thing simmer over medium low for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add some fresh thyme, some garlic and a little chicken broth to the pot. Cover the pot and pop it in a 350 oven for two and a half hours. Take a nap. When the ribs are done, stir in a little cream.
PRO TIP: After the ribs are done cooking, if you want the sauce to be a little thicker, whisk in a little Wondra flour. Wondra is a super-fine version of flour that dissolves instantly and is perfect for thickening up sauces and gravies.
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.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! You will more ribs to get the same amount of meat since you have the bone in there, so about 5 pounds should do it.
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!
Want to round out your meal?
While we would always pick mashed potatoes to serve with these ribs, you also can’t go wrong ladling them over grits or pasta.
And in keeping with the theme, you really do need to have some red wine hot chocolate for dessert!
Other short rib recipes we love
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Red 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: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless short ribs (or 5 pounds bone-in short ribs)
- 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
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- Short Ribs: Short ribs come in both boneless and bone-in varieties. We prefer boneless ribs, but both will work just fine in this recipe. You will need a larger amount of bone-in ribs to get the same amount of meat.
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- Red Wine: We like to use Pinot Noir for this recipe, but any dry full bodied red wine will work. We’ve tried it with Cabernet and it was scrumptious!
-
- Cream: We’ve noted the cream as optional in the recipe, but there were tears in our eyes as we wrote that…the cream adds just the perfect amount of silky texture. But if you need to go dairy-free, you can leave it out.
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!!
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! :)
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. :)
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. :)
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!
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!
We have about 30’minute left and can’t wait!! It smells so good !! Tom from California
Hope you loved it!!
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! :)
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!
Such a perfect dish for this weather, I love that glossiness. Great postcard too!
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.
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! :)
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!
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
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.) :)