Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs With Rosemary
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During long, chilly Canadian winters, there is nothing quite as comforting as a home-cooked roast. These Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs are my ultimate cold-weather comfort food. Slowly simmered with aromatic rosemary and a full-bodied red wine, they emerge from the oven incredibly tender and falling right off the bone!
The best part about braising? The oven does 90% of the work. You don’t need to constantly monitor internal temperatures like you do with a traditional roast. Simply sear the meat, build a flavourful liquid base, and let it simmer away. It is an impressive, restaurant-quality meal that is perfect for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary dinner, or a cozy Sunday night in.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fall-Off-The-Bone Tender: Slow-cooking breaks down the tough connective tissues, resulting in melt-in-your-mouth beef.
- Incredible Gravy: The braising liquid reduces into a rich, deeply savoury pan gravy.
- Low Maintenance: Once it goes into the oven, your hands are completely free to prepare your side dishes!
Ingredients You Will Need
You only need a handful of high-quality ingredients to build deep, complex flavours in this dish.
For the Meat & Aromatics:
- Beef Short Ribs: Look for thick-cut, bone-in short ribs with plenty of white marbling (fat) running through the meat.
- Yellow Onion & Garlic: The aromatic foundation for the braising liquid.
- Fresh Herbs: A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary and a bay leaf.
For the Braising Liquid:
- Red Wine: Choose a full-bodied red, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. It tenderizes the beef and adds incredible depth.
- Beef Broth: This adds savoury richness. (Out of broth? Water works perfectly fine since the bones will create their own stock as they braise!)
- Brown Sugar: Just one tablespoon to balance the acidity and tannins of the red wine.
For the Essentials:
- Olive Oil & Unsalted Butter: For searing the beef.
- Cornstarch: Mixed with a little water to thicken the leftover liquid into a luxurious gravy.
How to Make Braised Short Ribs (Step-by-Step)
Phase 1: Sear the Beef
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Generously season the short ribs on all sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches (about 3 ribs at a time), sear the meat for 1 minute on each side until deeply browned and crusted. Remove the seared ribs to a plate and set aside.
Phase 2: Build The Flavour Base
- Reduce the stove heat to medium-high. Add the sliced onions to the remaining beef fat in the pot and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent. Stir in the minced garlic.
- Deglaze: Pour in the red wine, using a wooden spoon to aggressively scrape up all the delicious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Bring the wine to a boil, stir in the brown sugar, and reduce the heat to medium. Let the wine simmer for 5 minutes so it reduces slightly, and the harsh alcohol cooks off.
Phase 3: Braise in the Oven
- Add the bay leaf and fresh rosemary sprigs to the liquid. Place the seared short ribs back into the pot in a single layer, resting them right on top of the herbs.
- Pour the beef broth evenly over the meat.
- Cover the Dutch oven tightly with its lid. Using oven mitts, carefully transfer the pot to the middle rack of your preheated oven. Cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours until the meat is fork-tender.
Phase 4: Make the Pan Gravy
- Remove the pot from the oven. Carefully transfer the short ribs to a serving platter, cover them with foil, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Pour the remaining braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Bring it to a gentle boil on the stove.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the boiling liquid, whisking constantly until it thickens into a rich gravy. Pour over the ribs and serve!
💡Pro Tips for Perfect Braising
- Do Not Skip the Sear! Searing the meat on high heat creates the Maillard reaction—a chemical reaction that gives browned food its distinctive flavour. It adds an irreplaceable savoury depth to the final gravy.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pot: When searing, don’t put all the ribs in the pot at once; the temperature will drop rapidly. The meat will end up steaming in its own juices rather than developing a brown crust. Always sear in batches!
- Use the Right Pot: A heavy-bottomed cast-iron Dutch oven is crucial here because it retains heat evenly and has a tight-fitting lid to prevent the liquid from evaporating. Do not use a shallow, uncovered roasting pan!
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use bone-in or boneless short ribs?
I highly recommend bone-in short ribs for this recipe. The bones release marrow and collagen during the long cooking process, which thickens the sauce and adds incredible flavour. Boneless ribs will work, but you will need to reduce the braising time so they don’t dry out.
I don’t drink alcohol. Can I omit the red wine?
Yes. You can purchase a de-alcoholized red wine at the grocery store to maintain that classic flavour profile, or you can simply replace the 2 cups of wine with 2 extra cups of high-quality beef broth.
What if I forgot to buy beef broth?
Don’t panic! You can substitute the broth with plain water. Because you are slow-cooking bone-in beef for over two hours, you are essentially making your own beef stock right in the pot!
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Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef short ribs bone-in
- 1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onion (1 large) sliced
- 2 teaspoons garlic (4 cloves) minced
- 2 cups red wine cabernet sauvignon
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
Equipment
Method
- Sear the Beef: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Season the short ribs generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches of 3, sear the ribs for 1 minute per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté the Aromatics: Reduce the stove heat to medium-high. Add the sliced onions to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent. Stir in the minced garlic.
- Deglaze: Pour the red wine into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil, stir in the brown sugar, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes until the wine reduces slightly.
- Braise: Add the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs to the pot. Place the browned short ribs back in, resting them in a single layer on top of the herbs. Pour the beef broth evenly over the meat. Cover tightly with the lid and bake on the middle oven rack for 2 ½ hours.
- Rest and Make Gravy: Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the meat to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Pour the remaining braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Thicken the Gravy: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the boiling gravy until thickened. Pour the hot gravy over the short ribs and serve immediately!
Dinner party favourite !
I have made it 4 times and it is amazing every time!
I’m so happy to hear that, Mike! Thank you for your feedback!