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How to Make the Best Short Ribs

If you can make stew, you can make tasty, tender short ribs—it’s easy! This is the best way to make them so the meat falls apart.

Beef short ribs are a tougher cut of meat that benefits from a wet slow-cooking method like braising, which is what we’ve done here. They have a real beefy meaty flavor, and are fall-off-the-bone tender when cooked slowly. They’re lovely served with polenta, some of their own cooking juice, like an au jus, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

There are more details about the types of short ribs out there (English-style and Flanken-style), how to braise short ribs, and more below, or you can click here to jump down to the recipe.

What Are Short Ribs?

But before we talk about making short ribs, let’s talk about exactly what they are, especially since there are a couple of different kinds out there these days.

English-style ribs are cut parallel to the bone, and then each rib is cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths. The result is stubby little ribs with a 1- to 2-inch-thick hunk of meat attached to each. Being thick hunks of not particularly tender meat, English-style short ribs are best with a long, slow, moist cooking method (more about that in a sec).

Flanken-style ribs are cut across the bone. Essentially, each piece is a cross-section of a rack of ribs, typically about 1/2-inch thick, yielding a 5- or 6-inch long strip of meat studded with circles of rib bone. These have become popular because they’re what’s used in Korean-style barbecue. It’s the same meat as English-style ribs, so it’s still not the most tender, but because the meat is relatively thin, it can do well with a quick cooking method—like grilling.

Long story short, when you make “traditional” short ribs, like the ones in this recipe, you want to ask your butcher for English-style ribs and you want to use a long, slow, moist cooking method. In other words, a braise.

English-style ribs in the top left, the longer Flanken-style short ribs beside.

What Is Braising?

Braising is simply simmering foods in liquid for a long time. It’s essentially what you do when you make stew. And it’s totally what you do when you make pot roast, pork shoulder, or brisket. Technically, you could eat these cuts with a quick cook like you do for a steak or a chop—but you wouldn’t want to, because they’d be tough and chewy. But with a longer cook, time and heat break down the tough stuff (connective tissues), and the result is meltingly tender deliciousness.

So then, if you can boil water, you can braise. And you can make short ribs! Ta-da!

But – why cook with water when you can use something more flavorful, like broth or wine? And why not add some seasonings while you’re at it? And why not start by browning your meat, for even more flavor? My recipe is made extra-tasty by doing all those things, but is still essentially nothing more than long-simmered delicious beef parts!

What to Serve With Short Ribs

Serve your short ribs over polenta, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles. They’re really nice if you simmer some of the braising liquid and serve that with them too, like an au jus. A drizzle of a balsamic vinegar glaze on top is always nice. And then, I like an astringent green vegetable, like broccoli rabe or mustard greens to cut through the richness of the meat.

Make-Ahead Short Ribs

If you want to know if short ribs can be made ahead, the answer is YES. Like so many braised dishes, they’re actually better if they get to sit in the fridge overnight. All the juices settle in, and the flavors meld. It’s really a wonderful thing. So, if you’re having company over tomorrow and want to do the work today, short ribs are definitely a great bet.

You’ll make the recipe below exactly as it is written. But then, put the ribs with their cooking liquid (yes, let them be submerged in there) into a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then you just need to reheat them and serve them. You can do that in the oven at a low temperature (300F for 45 minutes) or in the microwave. My favorite thing to do though is to broil them.

To broil make-ahead short ribs you’ll actually be doing something very similar to how I make my make-ahead pork oven ribs. Start by taking them out of the fridge 45 minutes before serving and remove the ribs from the liquid. Wipe them off a bit. You can heat the liquid in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove to serve it with the ribs, if you’d like. As to the ribs, once they’ve been at room temperature for 45 minutes, brush them lightly with olive oil and then put them under the broiler until browned on top. Turn and broil the other side. You’ll continue to turn and broil them until they’re heated through. This forms such a lovely crust on the outside, while the meat inside stays nice and tender. Once they’re done, I like to sprinkle them with some coarse salt and then serve them.

More Braised Meats

If you like the idea of braising these short ribs and want more beefy recipes that use this technique, you’ll love these recipes:

Have a great day! -Christine xo

Print

Best Short Ribs Recipe

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

If you can make stew, you can make tasty, tender short ribs—it’s easy! This is the best way to make them so the meat falls apart.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 66 1/2 pounds meaty beef short ribs (see note)
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or a combination
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. pepper
  • 24 Tbsp. vegetable oil or other high-heat cooking oil
  • 4 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth, red wine, or a combination

Instructions

  1. Put the ribs in a single layer, meaty side up, in one or more non-corrosive containers (glass or ceramic baking dishes, for example, or stainless steel sheet pans).
  2. Mix together the herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the ribs. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. (If you have the time, you can refrigerate the ribs with the seasoning mixture overnight—this is essentially a dry brine and will greatly improve the ribs in both taste and texture. But it’s entirely optional. If you do refrigerate overnight, take the ribs out of the fridge an hour before you start cooking, to bring them to room temperature.)
  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  4. While the oven heats, in a very large ovenproof skillet, braising pan, or saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of oil.
  5. Working in batches, brown the ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, adding more oil as needed and returning the browned ribs to the non-corrosive containers.
  6. Pour the drippings off the skillet, then add the broth or wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the skillet.
  7. Return the ribs and any juices to the skillet (it’s okay if they’re standing on end and/or not in one layer) and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
  8. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ribs to a large, clean plate or platter and cover to keep them warm. Boil the braising liquid on the stovetop until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
  9. Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned on top.

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Notes

  • For this recipe, use English-style ribs—each will be a 2- to 3-inch bone with a thick hunk of meat attached (as opposed to flanken-style ribs, which will be thin strips of meat, each with a few small circles of rib bone). You might have to call your butcher or meat counter and order them in advance.