Red Wine Braised Short Ribs is the best recipe for tender fall apart bone-in beef short ribs slow cooked with gravy in a Dutch Oven. This is a perfect comfort meal you can make at home for your friends and family!
This is one of my most favorite recipes for bone-in beef short ribs, slowly braised in red wine sauce in a Dutch oven! While it takes some time to cook in the oven, the meat comes out perfectly tender and falls apart.
Similar to my Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs and Instant Pot Lamb Shanks the meat is cooked in red wine sauce that brings the most aroma to the whole dish. The trick is to reduce the wine first, so it becomes more concentrated and brings a rich and deep flavor.
Table of contents
How to make this recipe
To start, let’s preheat the oven to 350°F.
Rinse and pat dry the meat and generously season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in 6 Qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in two batches for 5-6 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add diced onions and cook for 8-10 minutes or until they are translucent and softened. Then add celery and carrots, and cook for 3-5 minutes more.
Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
Stir in the wine, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer until it reduces in half, about 15-20 minutes. (Photo 9-10).
NOTE: I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon to braise the meat, as it provides the best flavor. My favorite one is Decoy (NOT sponsored)
Add beef broth and stir.
Transfer the meat back to the pot, add bay leaves, thyme and oregano.
Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
Cook at 350°F for 2 ½-3 hours or until the meat is tender.
NOTE: You can start testing the meat after 2 hours of cooking. Simply pierce the meat with the fork to see if the meat is tender and fall of the bones.
How to make Red Wine Sauce
Transfer the meat to the plate and cover with foil.
Strain the sauce and discard the vegetables.
Pour the liquid back to the pot and simmer until it thickens.
NOTE: I usually just strain the sauce and discard the vegetables. If you want to keep the veggies, there is no need to strain the sauce. Just bring it to boil on the stove and reduce the liquid.
NOTE: If the sauce it too liquid, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water, and stir. Cook for a couple of more minutes.
Serve the meat with red wine sauce on top of homemade mashed potatoes and some vegetables on the side.
Tips for Best Results
Red Wine. 99% of the alcohol will evaporate while you reduce and slow cook the wine, so you don’t taste it in the final dish. It just provides a richer deeper flavor.
Short Ribs. For this recipe, I prefer to use bone-in short ribs. However, you can easily use boneless short ribs or even beef tips.
How to store and reheat
Storage. When it’s cooled off, transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.
Reheat. I prefer to reheat it in the oven because of the even heat distribution. You can also do it on a stove top over medium heat.
Freezing. You can freeze it in a freezer friendly bag or an air-tight container for up to 3 months. To defrost, just leave it in the fridge overnight and reheat as mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe is based on my popular Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs. You can just follow that recipe and cook bone-in short ribs on manual high pressure for 45 minutes with 15 minutes natural pressure release.
Yes! You can cook it a day before and just reheat it in the oven before ready to serve. They actually taste even better on the second day as all the flavors melt together.
If you don’t want to use alcohol in your meal, you can substitute it with beef broth. Just skip the step with adding and reducing the wine and add 5 cups of broth instead of 3 cups.
How to serve
Potatoes. The best way to serve braised beef is with some good homemade potatoes. These are my favorite recipes:
Vegetables. Vegetables and greens are always a good addition! Because the braised meat is very rich and quite heavy, it’s good to have some veggies on the side to lighten up the meal.
- Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
- Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Green Beans Amandine
- Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan
Bread. There is nothing better than freshly baked homemade bread!
MORE COMFORT MEALS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs
- Oven Baked Buffalo Wings
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Borscht Soup with Beef
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Pasta with Meat Sauce
- Dutch Oven Beef Stew
- Kotleti
- Instant Pot BBQ Ribs
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs in Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 pounds bone-in short ribs 8-10 pieces
- Salt pepper to taste
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic crashed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups wine Cabernet Sauvignon
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 spring thyme
- 1 spring oregano
Instructions
- To start, let’s preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Rinse and pat dry the meat and generously season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in 6 Qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in two batches for 5-6 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1 diced onion and cook for 8-10 minutes or until translucent and softened. Then add 2 stalks diced celery and 2 diced carrots, and cook for 3-5 minutes more.
- Add 3 cloves smashed garlic and 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups wine, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer until it reduces in half, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add 3 cups beef broth and stir.
- Transfer the meat back to the pot, add bay leaves, thyme and oregano.
- Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
- Cook for 2 ½-3 hours or until the ribs are tender.
- Transfer the meat to the plate and cover with foil.
- Strain the sauce and set discard the vegetables.
- Pour the liquid back to the pot and simmer until it thickens.
Notes
- I usually just strain the sauce and discard the vegetables. If you want to keep the veggies, there is no need to strain the sauce. Just bring it to boil on the stove and reduce the liquid.
- I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon to braise the meat, as it provides the best flavor. My favorite one is Decoy.
- You can start testing the meat after 2 hours of cooking. Simply pierce the meat with the fork to see if the meat is tender and fall of the bones.
- If the sauce it too liquid, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water, and stir. Cook for a couple of more minutes.
- Red Wine. If you don’t want to use alcohol in your meal, you can substitute it with beef broth. Just skip the step with adding and reducing the wine and add 5 cups of broth instead of 3 cups.
- And just for insight, if you decide to cook with wine, 99% of the alcohol will evaporate while you reduce and slow cook the wine. Also, you don’t taste the wine in the final dish. It just provides a richer flavor.
- Short Ribs. For this recipe, I prefer to use bone-in short ribs. However, you can easily use boneless short ribs or even beef tips.
So good! I also added extra carrots and celery and didn’t remove them. Delicious!!
Thank you so much, Lisa!
Awesome!
Thank you, Jason!
I made this last night and it was SPECTACULAR! I have an unexplainable aversion to the smell of celery (who knows why lol) so I used a leek instead! From the time I started the recipe we were dying over the delicious smells… served it with yukon gold mashed potatoes and a loaf of homemade bread… Will be making this again and again…
Thank you so much, Julie! Glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe 😉
I made this yesterday for the first time. When I asked if this recipe was a keeper, the answer was a resounding “Yes”. I will making this again. I did, however, cut off all the extra thick fat. There was almost no waste other than the bone. I served it over mashed potatoes. I also served it with maple glazed carrots on the side. So, thank you for this recipe.
Thank you so much, Carole! Mashed potatoes and carrots are the perfect addition to this recipe 😉
I don’t have a Dutch oven what could I use instead? Cast iron? Crock pot?
Hi! I just made this recipe tonight with the same problem. I used a large pot to sear the meat and do all the steps on the stove. Once it says to move to the oven I just transferred everything to a ceramic casserole dish with a lid and it worked great!
Ty
Great recipe! I plan to make this for a fall friends dinner with 12 people. I made last weekend as a test. I learned two things. First, I need to double the recipe to serve that many. Confirming to double meat but only 1.5 time liquid and vegetables? Second, I would love to make this on a Friday and serve on Saturday. Should I make it. Not strain anything and store in my refrigerator in the Dutch oven then reheat the next day and stain vegetables and heat sauce on stove like normal? If so, how long should I reheat it in the oven and at what temperature? THANK you!!
Hi Madison! Glad you liked the recipe. If you want to double the meat, I would double the liquid as well. This will be a great recipe to make a day before. Also, after you refrigerate it, you can scoop out some extra emulsified grease from the top of the pot/container. I like to reheat it in the oven in a pot at 350F for about 20-30 minutes. Hope that helps 😉
If I only have four pieces!of short ribs, roughly two pounds, should I reduce the entire recipe in half? Or keep it for extra sauce?
So good, loved the flavor! Meat was very tender.
Thank you so much, Bev!
I bought a 3lb boneless chuck roast. Would I be able to use this meat instead of short ribs?
Hi Alli! Yes, you can use chuck roast. It the texture will be closer to pot roast, but the flavor will be more similar to the original recipe.
I only have about 1lb 1/2 of ribs, should I keep the recipe the same with cooking time and other added ingredients? Thanks in advance!
Hi Ashley! Yes, the cooking time will be the same. You will have a bit more gravy, but is it ever too much gravy ? 😉
Hi! Im dying to try this Is! Such great reviews! Is the meat supposed to be completely covered in the Dutch oven with the liquid? Mine is not, but I’m afraid to add extra liquid and ruin the recipe. Help!
Hi Millie! It’s ok if the meat is not fully covered, it still will be cooked. You also can flip the meat half way through.
Excellent recipe! I cooked the ribs for 2.5 hours and then reheated them from room temperature for 45 minutes at 325F. I added some additional spices (salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder) after straining the sauce. Served with sautéed multi-coloured heirloom carrots with fresh rosemary and garlic mashed potatoes. Rave reviews!
Thank you so much, Marion! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 😉
Testing this with flattened short ribs only because I thought I bought short ribs and it was slices not chunks. Hope it tastes as good as I’m hoping. Thanks for sharing.
Checked on my meat after an hour and a half. Well done. Practically leather…..Followed the recipe to a T. Very disappointed in the waste of time and ingredients.
I wish I could laugh at this….you have to cook it longer for it to fall apart.
True.Recipe says 3 hours cooking time.
So good!!! I did use a little under the weight cuz we weren’t serving 8.
After an hour and a half the meat was perfect!
Thank you!!
Why is meat still tough? It’s because you haven’t let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there’s enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish. It’s tough because it’s not done.
It takes 2-3 hours for the low heat to break down the connective tissues and for the fat to be properly rendered. This is what braising means. An hour is nowhere near long enough to cook this. I’d say try it again but follow the time closer. You’ll be very happy with the results.
Simply delicious!! I was concerned that it would be missing some seasoning, but it tastes wonderful! It was a bit runny for me and I like more of gravy texture, so I followed the suggestion to add cornstarch and it did the job. I recommend this recipe!
Thank you so much, Evelyn! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Cornstarch is always an easy way to thicken the sauce 😉
I made this tonight on a whim after seeing your recipe. I figured it would be delicious but this was INSANE. The recipe is absolute perfection. My grocery store didn’t have short rib so I subbed with some Chuck. I’ve never made something so perfect with my own hands. I served it over homemade Yukon gold mashed potatoes. After my husband tasted it he got super serious, looked me dead in the eye, and said, “IT’S EXQUISITE.”
If you’re trying to impress someone, MAKE THIS.
Yaay! Thank you so much, Laura! I’m so happy you and your husband loved the recipe!