Braised Beef Short Rib
You know you’ve reached a certain era of adulthood when a trip to Market Basket turns into one of the highlights of your weekend — specifically because you scored boneless short rib. That was me this weekend. I spotted one lonely pack, asked the butcher if they had more, and she came out with three. Did I take them all? Obviously.
Short ribs feel like one of those “intimidating” dishes, and I get it — they’re a pricier cut and people get nervous about messing them up. But truly… they are the easiest, most low-effort, high-reward thing you can make. A handful of simple ingredients, a crock pot, and a few hours, and you’ve got fork-tender, fall-apart, flavor-packed magic that makes you look like a whole chef.
And the sides? They can be as chill or fancy as you want. I’ve done risotto and asparagus (hello, bougie), or gnocchi and broccoli (elite combo). Just pick a starch that loves sauce and a green veggie and you’re golden.
Okay, let’s make some short ribs.
Braised Beef Short Rib
What you’ll need
2-3 lbs of boneless short rib
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 shallots, diced
6 gloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp avocado oil
What You’ll Do
Pat the short ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy here — it makes a difference.
Heat the avocado oil in a pan over medium-high. Once it’s nice and shimmery, add the short ribs. Work in batches so they get a good sear — crowded pans = sad browning. Sear all sides, then pop the meat into the crock pot.
Back to the pan: add the shallots. As they soften, scrape up all those golden brown bits (flavor city). When the shallots are translucent, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze and scrape up anything that’s still stuck. Bring it to a boil, whisk in the tomato paste, then add the beef broth and bring it back to a boil.
Take it off the heat and pour everything over the short ribs in the crock pot. Add your rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 — you want the meat super tender and falling apart.
Serve over your favorite cozy starch. Make sure to ladle that rich sauce over everything, and finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan or Pecorino. Heaven.
Notes and Substitutions
You can absolutely use bone-in short ribs if boneless are nowhere to be found. Just keep in mind that bones = extra weight, so you’ll want about 3–4.5 lbs to end up with the same amount of meat. Everything else stays the same — cook time included! If your pieces are huge, you might need a tiny bit more time, but overall they braise up just as beautifully.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can take some of that liquid from the crock pot and pour it into a sauté pan to thicken it. A little butter or a quick cornstarch slurry (just mix cornstarch with some of the sauce) turns it into the most gorgeous, glossy finishing sauce.
And the sides? Truly choose your own adventure. You can go “naughty” or “good” — anything from roasted sweet potatoes to a creamy risotto works here depending on your mood and your week.
Also… these make incredible leftovers. If you want to eat like a queen all week, just double the recipe and thank yourself later.
