Full of flavour and utterly delicious

Looking for an inexpensive, impressive, tasty dish, look no further than slow-cooked beef short ribs.

PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOKING TIME: 3 – 4 hrs – slow cooking, hands-off-no stress
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: one-pot meal, family, crowd-pleaser, Sunday lunch
BUDGET: £

Slow-cooked beef short ribs

I used grass-fed beef short ribs.

They’re a bit more expensive.

But knowing that the animals have been looked after is a big plus.

And you’re rewarded with a depth of flavour.

Beef short ribs are a versatile cut.

They are great for slow cooking, on the grill or the barbecue.

What are beef short ribs?

Short ribs come from the “short” portion of the rib—not the full rib – that would be huge.

A cow has 13 ribs and they count them from head to tail.

Rib no. 1 is at the shoulder (chuck primal)

And rib no. 13 is in the loin or mid-back.

Short ribs come from ribs two through five, found in the chuck and brisket primal cuts, and six through eight, found in the rib and plate cuts.

They often have a lot of fat and connective tissue.

This is why they lend themselves to hands-off, low-and-slow cooking, like braising.

Fatty plate short ribs, the cheapest of the lot, are usually sold together as a slab.

Meaty-but-tough chuck and brisket short ribs are moderately priced, while beef back ribs (aka dinosaur ribs) from the rib primal, are the most tender and expensive.

Buy beef short ribs in advance

The only thing with short ribs as with oxtail…

They don’t often come in large quantities to the butcher.

And, although it’s not a cut that many people use.

It’s still best to order in advance to avoid disappointment for a planned meal.

Slow-cooked beef short ribs

Slow-cooked beef short ribs

This is a super easy way to cook your ribs.

Method

Make sure your short ribs are at room temperature.

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150 C (fan) or 170 C.            
  2. Pat dry, season generously and add to a large, deep roasting dish (or Dutch oven) with a dash of oil.
  3. Brown the ribs off – take your time – you may need to do it in batches to avoid overcrowding.
  4. Add 1 – 2 whole garlic, each cut in half and placed facing down. Let cook as you brown the meat.
  5. Add a good heaped tablespoon of tomato paste and stir for a minute, then add chopped carrots and celery.
  6. Pour in a bottle of red wine and reduce by half on medium-high heat.
  7. Add beef (or chicken stock) so it’s approx. halfway up the short ribs.
  8. Bring to a boil, then cover with foil or a lid and pop in the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours (or until soft and tender).
  9. You can remove the beef short ribs and strain the sauce to pour over the ribs for serving.
  10. Serve your beautiful slow-cooked beedf short ribs on creamy polenta.

For another beef short rib recipe, visit here.

Recipe inspired by Gordon Ramsay

Slow-cooked beef short ribs on herby, parmesan polenta