Braised Short Ribs {Stovetop, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker}

braised short ribs over polenta in a white bowl

4.17 from 86 votes

Braised Short Ribs {Stovetop, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker}

The ultimate dish for entertaining, Braised Short Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and are served over creamy parmesan polenta. This recipe includes instructions for the stovetop / oven, Instant Pot, and slow cooker.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Dish

Keyword: beef recipe, date night recipe, entertaining, gluten free, Holiday recipe, instant pot, slow cooker recipe

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $20.00

Equipment

Dutch Oven, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Ingredients

Braised Short Ribs:

2 pounds bone-in short ribs (see note)
2 tablespoons cooking oil (use anything that works at high heat - I like avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable oil)
1 cup diced yellow onion
3 ribs celery, diced
1 1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup red wine (any variety)
4 cups unsalted beef stock (sub chicken or vegetable stock)
8 sprigs fresh thyme

Parmesan Polenta:

3 cups milk
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup uncooked polenta (or grits; use regular, not quick cook polenta / grits)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Stovetop / Oven:

Preheat the oven to 325°F / 177°C.
Generously season the 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 the short ribs to a plate and return the pan to heat.
To the heated pan, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.
Pour red wine over the vegetables and stir, scraping up any more browned bits that remain. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the 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 1/2 to 3 hours.
When nearly finished cooking, make polenta (see below).

Instant Pot:

Generously season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a 6-quart Instant Pot turn on the sauté function to normal / medium. Add the oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the short ribs to a plate.
If the Instant Pot looks dry, add some more oil. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.
Pour the red wine over the 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 the 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 the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add short ribs and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the short ribs to a plate and return pan to heat.
To the heated pan, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and pick up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 6 to 7 minutes.
Pour red wine over the 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 the stock and thyme sprigs. Nestle the short ribs in the liquids. (Note: The short ribs should be mostly covered with liquid, with just the tops uncovered.)
Slow cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
When nearly finished cooking, make polenta (see below).

Make the 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

Short Ribs - Don’t worry about getting the weight exactly right here, but aim for 2 large or 3 smaller bone-in short ribs per serving. They will shrink some during cooking. You can also use boneless short ribs using these instructions but 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.

Optional Step (pan sauce): The pan sauce that the short ribs cook in is rich and flavorful but quite thin. You can serve this thin sauce as-is or, if you’d like it thicker, pour the cooking liquid through a strainer, reserving the meat and discarding the vegetables. Place the strained liquid in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until it reduces by about half, ~10 minutes. If you'd like a thick, gravy-style sauce, whisk 2 Tbsp of flour with 1/4 cup hot water and add that to the simmering sauce (continue simmering until it reaches your preferred thickness).

Nutrition