The ultimate dish for entertaining, Braised Red Wine Short Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and are served over creamy parmesan polenta. This recipe includes instructions for stovetop / oven, Instant Pot, and slow cooker.
I first shared this recipe back in 2016 and have since then been singing the praises of this meal as a relatively simple, fail-proof one that never fails to impress. In my early 20s when I lived in a shoebox of an apartment that was generously labeled a “junior” one bedroom, I was convinced that the secret to kitchen adulthood was learning to make braised short ribs. And since that time, they have never failed me.
They make the whole house (or junior one-bedroom as the case may be) smell like a fancy restaurant for hours, but they are also incredibly forgiving. Get the braise in the oven or slow cooker hours before guests arrive and you’ve got plenty of wiggle room to make an appetizer, have a glass of wine, and pull the braise out of the oven right when you want to serve dinner.
Today, I’m sharing this post again with a few new photos and, most importantly, added instructions for cooking this dish any way you’d like. Want them fast? Get out the Instant Pot. Want to let them simmer all day (or want to make extra)? Use the slow cooker. Or just use the classic stovetop to oven method which still cooks hands-off.
However you choose to cook these, browning and then braising turns these red wine braised short ribs so tender that the meat needs little more than a second glance to fall off the bone. Serve them with creamy parmesan polenta and this entire meal is a comfort food dream of dinners.
And it really is easier than you might think. Here’s how to make them!
Ingredients
- Bone-In Short Ribs – I look for smaller bone-in short ribs and like to aim for 2 large or 3 smaller short ribs per person. The total weight of the short ribs isn’t as important as just purchasing an amount that can be easily portioned for serving. Boneless short ribs work as well, but check the recipe notes for tips on adjusting the cook time.
- Onion, Celery, and Carrot – These will flavor the meat as it cooks and create a super rich cooking stock. You can leave these in or remove them before serving.
- Red Wine – Use any type you like. The flavor will really shine in this dish, so while I definitely don’t think you need an expensive wine, get something that you do like to drink. I love an inexpensive pinot noir or cabernet in this dish.
- Beef Stock – I like the way that beef stock complements the flavors of the meat, but any type of stock (chicken or vegetable) will work.
- Fresh Thyme – Don’t skip this if possible. It adds fresh, herb flavor to the entire dish and smells so good as everything cooks.
To make this braise…
1. Season Short Ribs
Braises are all about developing rich flavors from a few basic, delicious ingredients. Start by generously seasoning the short ribs with salt and pepper.
2. Sear Short Ribs
Over medium-high heat, get a nice golden brown sear on all sides of the short ribs. If using the Instant Pot, you can sear them right in the IP, but otherwise use a Dutch oven.
3. Deglaze
After the short ribs are seared, transfer them to a plate and return the pan to the heat. Add chopped onions, celery, and carrots and stir it around a bit to get it started cooking.
Then deglaze the pan with red wine. Adding the liquid to the hot pan will help to bring up all those browned bits on the bottom of the pan and those will result in a crazy flavorful sauce.
4. Add Stock, Thyme, and Short Ribs
Add stock and thyme sprigs to the pan. Nestle the browned short ribs in the liquid.
5. Braise
All the hard work is done! Now the ribs just need to cook, either low and slow in the oven or slow cooker or under pressure in the Instant Pot. This step is what turns those short ribs super tender. Set your kitchen timer and just enjoy the delicious aromas that are about to fill your kitchen.
6. Make Parmesan Polenta
If you’d like to serve the short ribs over creamy parmesan polenta, start making it when the short ribs are nearly finished cooking.
Other Special Occasion Meals
- Pesto Pea Soup with Tortellini
- Sausage and Chard Stuffed Shells with Butternut Squash
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Herb Marinated Pork Chops with Apple Chutney
- Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potatoes
Favorite Tools
Braised Red Wine Short Ribs {Stovetop, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker}
Equipment
- Dutch Oven, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
Braised Short Ribs:
- 2 lbs Bone-In Short Ribs (see note)
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil (use anything that works at high heat - I like avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable oil)
- 1 cup diced Onion
- 3 ribs Celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup diced Carrot
- 1/2 cup Red Wine (any variety)
- 4 cups Unsalted Beef Stock (sub chicken or vegetable stock)
- 6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
Parmesan Polenta:
- 3 cups Milk
- 2 cups Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Uncooked Polenta (or grits; use regular, not quick cook polenta / grits)
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Stovetop/Oven
- Preheat oven to 325°F / 177°C.
- Generously season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a plate and return pan to heat.
- To heated pan, add onion, celery, and carrots to hot pan. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 4 minutes.
- Pour red wine over vegetables and stir, scraping up any more browned bits that remain. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes. Add stock and thyme sprigs. Add short ribs back to the pan. (Note: The short ribs should be mostly covered with liquid, with just the tops uncovered. Add a bit more stock or water if needed.)
- Place the lid on the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook, covered, until the meat of the short ribs easily falls off the bone, 2.5 to 3 hours.
- When nearly finished cooking, make polenta (see below).
Instant Pot
- Generously season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot turn on the sauté function to normal / medium. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a plate.
- If the Instant Pot looks dry, add some more oil. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 4 minutes.
- Pour red wine over vegetables and stir, scraping up any more browned bits that remain in the pan (be very sure to scrape the bottom of the pot very clean or you may get the burn message during cooking).
- Turn off the sauté function. Add stock and thyme sprigs. Nestle short ribs in the liquids.
- Close and lock the lid. Set steam valve to Sealing. Cook on manual / high for 60 minutes.
- Let pressure naturally release for 15 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- When nearly finished cooking, make polenta (see below).
Slow Cooker
- Generously season short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a plate and return pan to heat.
- To heated pan, add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 4 minutes.
- Pour red wine over vegetables and stir, scraping up any more browned bits that remain. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Scrape the contents of the pan into the bowl of a 6-quart Slow Cooker. Add stock and thyme sprigs. Nestle short ribs in the liquids. (Note: The short ribs should be mostly covered with liquid, with just the tops uncovered. Add a bit more stock or water if needed.)
- Slow cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
- When nearly finished cooking, make polenta (see below).
Parmesan Polenta
- While the meat rests, make the polenta by bringing milk, water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. While whisking the liquid, slowly add polenta. Continue whisking until the polenta begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to a low simmer and continue simmering until the polenta is thick but still creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in butter and parmesan cheese until fully incorporated. Spoon polenta into serving bowls. Top each serving with short ribs and a couple spoonfuls of cooking liquid. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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What a great idea to combine polenta and beef ribs!
I made this last night for my husband and me. It was Amazing! We loved it…never made short ribs or polenta before.
I’ve never made short ribs before, but when I do – I’m going to come back to this recipe!! {client}
Shirley Thompson
Must try this recipe!
Can the braised short ribs be made ahead of time and frozen?
Anne – these will freeze great. I’d keep them in the cooking liquid and freeze in a bag or other freezer-safe container. Braises like this get better in the fridge too, so you could also always make it 1-2 days ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just reheat it on the stovetop when you’re ready. Hope that helps!
How long on the stove top to reheat? Is reheating in oven better, how long? I made today and will reheat tomorrow. Thanks
Hi Donna – I prefer to reheat it covered on the stovetop just because it’s a little easier to check in on it, but the oven would work well too. Should just take about 20 minutes over low-medium heat or in a 350 oven. It should taste even better the day after you make it!
Thank you so much for the reply.
Smelled great yesterday cooking. Will enjoy tonight.
Happy New Year
This recipe is awesome. I’ve made it three times now and soup from the left overs. I use bourbon instead of wine.
Michele – what an awesome idea! Frank has already requested that I make this again with bourbon instead of wine. Thanks for the tip!
2 pounds? Girl, I’m going to need waaaay more than that next time. This army can eat and this is delish. Thank you!
Haha – I’m so glad! We can quickly plow through 2 pounds over here too!
how many pounds for a party of 12
I would do 12 lbs just to be safe. Better to have too much than not enough.
In the oven right now. My house is loving the smell. Can’t wait to give this a try
My husband made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC! We had to do without the celery because my 3yo grabbed green onions by mistake, but we didn’t miss it. So. So. Good.
I’ve made this before for Christmas dinner and it was an absolute hit!!! However, can I use boneless short ribs next time?
Hi Nicole! This is one of our favorites – with the weather getting cooler, it’s on our list too! Yes – you can use boneless short ribs for this recipe. In my experience, the only issue is that the boneless ribs have a slight likelihood of falling apart as they cook. It hasn’t happened to me every time, but just something to keep an eye on. I’ve used the same exact cooking process for boneless ribs though.
Can this be made in the Crock-Pot?
Hi Lauren!!! Yes! I’ve done it in the crockpot. I’d still sear it in a pan first since that gives it a ton of flavor, but then cook on high or low until it’s super tender. If I remember correctly, I did it on low for ~7 hours.
Are we straining out the vegetables or eating them?
Either way, Carol. I usually like to eat them, but they do get quite tender, so you could always roast veggies separately to serve on the side.
Is it ok to have the short ribs on top of each other after they have been seared? I am going to make this for 5 people and don’t know if i can get it all into a single layer in one pot when it goes back in the oven.
Kelly – absolutely – that should be fine. Once they’ve been seared, you will have locked in that flavor, so it will be fine to cook them in layers on tope of one another. Enjoy!
This recipe was fantastic! I made it for my husband and brother-in-law a few weeks ago and they loved it. Earned me some good points all around. So easy and so delicious for a cold winter’s night.
Thanks so much for your note, Stacey. I’m glad these were a hit – we always love this recipe when the weather gets cold!
Air I triple the amount of meat ( 6 pounds) do I triple the beef broth?(
Yes – I’d go ahead and triple the broth as well.
Can I make this a day ahead and just reheat in the oven? What temp do you suggest?
Absolutely, Judy! In fact, I think it’s better a day after cooking. I’d probably use 350 F to reheat, covered. You may want to add a bit of water to the sauce before reheating to think it out if it seems quite thick / rich after being in the fridge overnight.
Delicious! I️ was looking for an easy recipe for Braised Short Ribs, and this is it! First time cooking Short ribs; first time cooking polenta!
Only recommendation is to add garlic. I️ added one clove, but next time I’ll add three! Thanks so much for this amazing and easy recipe.
So glad you liked it Angela. The garlic is a great idea. Thanks for the note!
Hello!
I am planning to try this recipe out. Do you just use salt to season the meat and no additional salt even when using no salt added broth? Just wondering….thanks very much!
Hi Liz – that’s correct and a great question. I just season the meat before cooking, but I do always taste and add extra seasoning to the broth at the end if needed. Since everything cooks down quite a bit, the resulting dish is usually well seasoned without adding any extra salt, but as you know, the seasoning can vary quite a bit. Definitely taste at the end and add extra salt if needed.
These ribs were amazing! I used dried thyme and added a few cloves of garlic and a little extra wine. We had ours over homemade mashed potatoes along with crusty French bread. These are definitely something you could serve for a nice dinner with friends!
Yum – thanks so much Nicole. I would like to come have dinner at your house!
I meant to add that I prepped everything in the morning and putting it in the fridge. I later cooked them as directed for about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It worked great to prep them ahead of time!
Oh and thanks a bunch for this make-ahead tip. I often get questions about this, so I’m glad for the recommendation to pass on to others.
These have become one of my staple recipes for winter. So unbelievably yummy! Thanks so much
It’s a staple for us too – so comforting in the winter. Thanks so much for letting us know!!
Awesome recipe. Instead of using polenta I used pureed cauliflower. It was awesome. Thanks and keep up the good work.
I have made this several times and it is always a big hit.
I’m so glad Kathie! It’s definitely one of our favorites – especially this time of year.
Great recipe. The southern girl in me made grits instead of polenta. Delicious.i can’t wait to make again.
Nothing wrong with that!! 😉 Glad you liked it!
Is there any substitute for wine you recommend if we need to avoid alcohol?
Absolutely! I would just replace the wine with stock. You could even add a couple tsp of red or white wine vinegar as well to give it a bit of the tart flavor that comes from the wine.
Hi
I want to cook this for a dinner party for 12. Could I cook the polenta beforehand as it seems a bit of a faff doing it at the last minute with lots of people in the house!
Thanks
Yes! You can reheat polenta, but you’ll need to add some additional liquid. I’d cook it on the stovetop and then just leave it off the heat. About 10 minutes before serving, I’d put it back over low-medium heat with some extra liquid (start with 1/4 or 1/2 cup and slowly heat it, adding more liquid as needed).
How can I cook this in the over without a Dutch oven? Alternatively I can do it in the crockpot if I need to…In that case do I keep everything else the same and just increase the cooking time as suggested above?
I’ve been really interested in creating a new version of this recipe for the slow cooker, but haven’t quite perfected it yet. I do think you could easily transfer everything to the slow cooker – I’d do 6 to 8 hours on low to be sure it’s really tender. If you have any other oven-safe pan, you could use that instead of a Dutch oven – even a large skillet or saute pan with a lid should work.
I tripped and froze. How do you recommend to reheat?
Hi Julie! This should be easy to reheat. Just defrost it in the fridge until fully thawed and then put it back in the Dutch oven. Slowly bring it back up to heat over low-medium. Add some water if the liquid has reduced a lot.
I am wondering how to cook 4 lbs instead of 2. I don’t want to double it because I feel like that will be too long then. Do you know how long I should cook for or if anything else should be doubled? If I want to do carrots, parsnips, and potatoes instead of polenta should I cook with the meat or roast separately?
Hi Erica – great question! I wouldn’t change the cook times in this case. I think you’ll find that the directions should work as written even if doing 4 lbs. Double all of the ingredients (click the number next to “servings” and you’ll be able to adjust the amounts easily). I love the idea of carrots, parsnips, and potatoes to serve with it! I’d roast them separately for maximum flavor (and not to soak up too much of the liquid in the braise). Let me know how it goes!
Would this work with country style ribs? Every store in my area is out of short ribs right now but I still really want to make this recipe!
Hi Allison – I’m pretty sure it would work just fine with country style ribs! They might have a bit more of a tendency to fall apart / shred when tender, but maybe not. Let mw know how it works out!
Hi! Thoughts on pre-cooked polenta that’s ready to heat and serve? Should I just heat and mix in all ingredients? Can’t wait to try this out!
Hi Jess, I’ve made this recipe numerous times fir my hubby & I and always a delicious 😋 hit!!!! I’m hosting my daughter’s wedding and will be serving this for dinner for a party of 14 guests. I’ll be cooking in 3 separate Dutch ovens. Can I braise on my gas stove instead of the oven? My oven cannot accommodate all 3 Dutch ovens. Thanks 😊
How ambitious and fun!!! I absolutely think you can finish these on the stovetop – I think the timing should be similar. Be sure to keep the heat pretty low to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan. You also could transfer all three batches to a large roasting pan seal it very tightly with foil. My oven definitely wouldn’t hold 3 Dutch ovens either. Good luck!!
Can this be made with boneless short ribs?
Absolutely. The cook time should be reduced slightly. Boneless short ribs should take 2-2.5 hours in the oven, 50 minutes in the Instant Pot, or 7 to 8 hours on low in the slow cooker. We’re actually updating this post tomorrow with tips on using boneless short ribs and instructions for the slow cooker and Instant Pot.