Incredibly Tender Red Wine Short Ribs
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The easiest way to cook luscious red wine beef short ribs is in the oven! With just a handful of ingredients, including garlic, beef broth and red wine, the meat turns out incredibly tender. Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta or creamy polenta.
This is my tried-and-true recipe for making red wine braised beef short ribs. It’s a such an easy method, and you only need a handful of main ingredients and an oven. This is one of the coziest and utterly delicious dinner recipes I can think of — fall-apart tender braised beef in a rich, tangy red wine sauce.
I think this might be the best way to cook oven-braised red wine beef short ribs — ever. The meat turns out tender and full of flavor and the process is as unfussy as it gets. Every time I cook them for family or friends, they magically disappear.
Full-flavored beef short ribs – no shortcuts
The beauty of this recipe is how minimalist it is — no onions, celery, carrots or tomato paste. And you still end up with delicious, savory meat that tastes like beef, pure and simple.
- The meat doesn’t need to be marinated ahead of time.
- The short ribs sear and braise entirely in the oven (no need to brown the meat in batches or simmer on the stovetop). It makes clean up so much easier.
- In addition to the meat, all you need to make this recipe is red wine, garlic, fresh herbs and salt and pepper. Keeping it simple allows the taste of the beefy short ribs to shine.
Key ingredients
- Boneless beef short ribs: This cut of meat comes from rib sections that start at the chuck (shoulder), plate or back ribs of the cow. You can also use 5 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs to make this recipe.
- Dry red wine: Use a dry red wine you enjoy drinking. See notes below on which wine is the best.
How to prep short ribs
- Making braised short ribs isn’t necessarily difficult. Depending on how they’re made, the cooking process can involve multiple steps. But it’s pretty easy to make tender, tasty braised short ribs in the oven without much fuss.
You can use bone-in or boneless ribs. 
Season them generously with salt.
- You can either sear short ribs on top of the stove or over high heat on a grill until golden brown. Then transfer them to a deep pan or pot and braise for about 3 hours in the oven or on the stovetop.
Oven-braising short ribs
I usually use an enameled Dutch oven for braising meat because I like the results even more than using a slow cooker. It’s the same type of pot I use to cook my slow-cooked red wine beef stew.
But for these short ribs, a rectangular baking dish or small roasting pan actually works perfectly. Choose one that’s about 14 inches long by 11 inches wide and you’ll be good to go!
1. Sear for 20 minutes in a hot oven on a sheet pan. The pan just has to be large enough that the ribs can lay flat and about halfway submerged in the braising liquid. 2. Deglaze with some of the red wine.
Best red wine for braising short ribs
The best red wines for braising short ribs are dry, full-bodied varieties.
- Zinfandel, chianti, cabernet sauvignon or malbec are good choices, and they’re often affordable.
- An inexpensive (under $15) blend from Cotes-du-Rhone or Bordeaux would also be delicious for braised short ribs.
Serving ideas: The savory juices and fork-tender meat falls off the bone, and they are perfect served over this creamy, cheesy polenta. You can also shred the beef and use in olive oil mashed potatoes or simply as a filling for some killer tacos.
Incredibly Tender Red Wine Short Ribs
Ingredients
For the short ribs
- 3 pounds (1.3 kg) boneless beef short ribs, about 6 pieces, or 5 pounds bone-in short ribs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups (500 ml) full-bodied dry red wine, such as Cotes du Rhone or Malbec
- 1 cup (250 ml) chicken broth, or beef broth
- 1 head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
- 3-4 fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs, or use 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
Instructions
- Heat oven to 475 (245C) degrees.
- Put the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the meat liberally on all sides with salt (I use about 2 tablespoons Diamond brand kosher salt) and black pepper.
- Roast the ribs 20 minutes, until they're sizzling and forming a brown crust. Transfer the ribs to a roasting pan or 14"x 10" baking dish large enough to hold the ribs in one layer. Turn the oven down to 275 (140C) degrees.
- Pour ½ cup of wine onto the baking sheet and scrape up any brown bits, then pour all the liquid over the ribs. Add the remaining wine and water. Toss in the garlic and herb sprigs.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and return to the oven for 3 ½ hours, until the meat is very tender and breaks apart when prodded with a fork. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest, covered, for 20 minutes. Shred the meat with a fork and pour over pan juices to keep them moist (skim the fat if you like).
- Serve over egg noodles, polenta or mashed potatoes.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Braised short ribs will keep refrigerated up to a week, or frozen for 1 month.
- Reheat in a 350 oven about 25 minutes, covered.
- Use about 5 pounds bone-in ribs instead of boneless ones if you prefer.
- Serve over my cheesy polenta, olive-oil mashed potatoes, or cooked egg noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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I’m very excited to try these today – but the total time on these is way off – you initially roast them for 20 minutes, then cook them for 3 and half hours, then rest them for another 20 minutes. You have ‘total time – 3 hours 40 minutes’ ? The math isn’t mathing, and when trying to have these prepared for a certain serve time being that far off would be a disaster – just trying to save someone else the frustration when going off that ‘total time’ – it’s more like 4 hours 10 minutes… thankfully I added that up when trying to work out timing.
Thank you for pointing this out Renee! The timing is now updated – it’s important to be accurate. 😉
It says to scrape up the bits with wine and then to add water? Should I add water or beef broth?
Hi Nicole – You can add water or beef broth. The broth will add a bit more flavor.
Can you do this in a crock pot?
Yes, absolutely! Sear the meat as detailed in the recipe, then put in your Crock Pot with the other ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours.
If I have precooked short ribs (sous vide), how long would I cook this in the oven?
Hi Erica – I need more information to answer your question. 1. Were the precooked short ribs seared before sous vide-ing? 2. How were they seasoned? 3. How long did they cook? If they are seared, seasoned and braised until tender via the sous vide method, you could prepare a red wine sauce separately in a saucepan, reheat the short ribs in a low oven, shred the meat and combine with the sauce. If the meat has not been seared, I suggest browning them and continuing with the recipe as if they were raw, but the braising time could be much shorter depending on how much they are precooked.
I have made this recipe about 4-5 years ago and was so thrilled with how it came out! It has been my go to show stopper when I have guests over, it so simple, so delicious and you can make so many different kinds of meals with this meat, it’s so versatile! Wonderful recipe thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy you enjoy the short ribs! I agree they are great even days later to add to tacos, pasta or other meals.
This recipe never fails to come out perfect. And it always transports me back to my childhood, when my mother cooked short ribs at least once a month (bone-in! never boneless!), simmering them slowly on top of the stove in a big, covered, copper-bottom Revere Ware skillet, adding green beans and pearl onions toward the end, and serving over egg noodles. Just like now, there were never any leftovers. It’s odd, though, that this classic comfort food has found new life as a high-priced (or unavailable) luxury.
Kerb, Thanks for sharing your taste memory of your mom’s short ribs. I’m sure they were so good. Those Revere Ware pans were the best! My mom had them too.
I have made this recipe multiple times. It is a real winner!
This is my second time making this fabulous recipe! I tripled the garlic, and the kitchen smells amazing right now! Thank you for sharing!
This is SOOO good! I’ve already made it twice. I could not find boneless so I used bone-in short ribs. I did use my Dutch oven and cooked it for the same amount of time, and used an open bottle of Lambrusco I had for the wine. The only thing I altered was the amount of salt for the polenta…the first time I used the 2 tsp like the recipe said and it was really salty, for us. The second time I used just a bit more than a tsp and it was perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!
These were delicious and easy!
I couldn’t find boneless short ribs. What other cut would you use as an alternative? Or would you use bone-in short ribs?
Great question – you can absolutely use bone-in short ribs! Have them cut into 2-3 inch long pieces and they should work just as well. Let me know how you like it.
This was my first attempt at short ribs, and I got rave reviews from everyone who ate it. Definitely keeping this receipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Definitely a favorite around here too!
I want to use my La Cruset Dutch oven because I don’t have a big enough baking dish. Should I use the lid or foil? Any time difference by doing that?
Hi Mariann – Yes, you can absolutely use your Le Creuset! Cover it with foil or a piece of parchment paper, and top with the Dutch oven lid. Cook time should be the same. Let me know how it turns out!
So delicious, this is the ultimate comfort meal! 🙂