This is my tried-and-true recipe for slow-braising boneless short ribs in the oven. With just a few ingredients, including red wine, garlic, and herbs, you get deeply flavored, fall-apart tender beef in a glossy, tangy sauce. It’s pure comfort food, the kind of dinner that makes the whole house smell incredible.
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.
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Notes
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.