Red Wine Braised Short Ribs are the dinner I turn to when the weather gets cold and I want the whole house to smell incredible. Bone-in beef short ribs get seared until dark brown, then braised low and slow in a full bottle of red wine with garlic, fresh herbs, and beef stock until the meat is fall-apart tender and the sauce is glossy and rich. You can braise them in the oven or on the stovetop, and either way they finish with a bright lemon parsley gremolata and a spoonful of that sauce over a big pile of my Best Mashed Potatoes. It is a showstopper dinner party dish that is almost entirely hands-off. If you are in a cozy braise mood, my Thyme and Garlic Brisket is another must make.
Recipe Summary: Garlic Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Creme Fraiche Mash
- 🕒 Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 6 people
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: French / Comfort Food
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Deep, savory, and richly braised beef with bold red wine and roasted garlic flavors, served over a velvety, tangy creme fraiche mashed potato.
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains gluten, dairy, and alcohol. Not vegetarian or vegan.
- 📦 Storage Notes: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze the short ribs (without the mash) for up to 3 months.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This is the ultimate fall entertaining dish and it is going to make you look like an absolute rock star in the kitchen. It looks stunning on the table and tastes even better than it looks. The creme fraiche mash is completely life changing and pairs perfectly with those fall-off-the-bone ribs. Best of all, most of the work is hands off so you can actually enjoy time with your guests.
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Why I love this Recipe
Short ribs have a reputation for being fancy restaurant food, but a braise is really the opposite of fussy. All the work happens up front. Brown the ribs, soften the onions, carrots, and celery in the same pot, stir in the tomato paste and flour, pour in the wine, and let it reduce by half. Then the herbs and two halved heads of garlic go in, the lid goes on, and the pot does the rest. Pop it in a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours or keep it on the stovetop at a lazy simmer, whichever works for your kitchen and your schedule. That reduced wine is what gives the sauce its richness, and the bundle of parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and bay makes the house smell like the holidays before you have even set the table.
The gremolata is a winner touch. Chopped parsley and lemon zest tossed together right before serving cut through all that richness and keep you going back for another bite. This one is a mega crowd pleaser and has been a cold weather favorite for years. It works for a Sunday dinner, a holiday table, Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving or a New Year’s Eve dinner at home, and it is even better made a day ahead. For a full spread, start with my Perfect French Onion Soup, pair it with my Winter Cheese Fondue.
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Substitutions & Swaps
🥩 Beef Short Ribs
- Bone-in beef chuck roast (cut into 3-inch chunks) - Chuck has similar intramuscular fat content and connective tissue that breaks down beautifully in a long braise, giving you the same fall-apart texture at a lower price point.
- Bone-in lamb shoulder chops - Lamb shoulder has just as much collagen as short ribs and absorbs the red wine and garlic braising liquid in a way that feels almost more intentional. The braise time stays the same.
- Oxtail - Oxtail is loaded with gelatin from the bone marrow, which makes the braising liquid even more luxurious and silky than short ribs typically produce. Add an extra 30 to 45 minutes of cook time.
- Boneless beef short ribs - If your butcher only has boneless, go for it. You lose a little of the marrow richness in the sauce but the meat itself braises just as tenderly. Reduce cook time by about 20 minutes.
🌿 Fresh Herb Bundle
- Dried thyme and dried rosemary (use 1 teaspoon each) - Dried herbs are more concentrated, so a teaspoon of each holds up well through a 3-hour braise without turning bitter the way a large volume of dried herbs can.
- Fresh tarragon sprigs (4 to 5 sprigs, swap for oregano) - Tarragon has an anise-forward quality that plays beautifully against red wine and beef fat. It is an underused braise herb that makes the sauce feel distinctly French.
- Fresh sage (4 sprigs, swap for oregano) - Sage is woodsy and slightly peppery, which complements the rosemary and thyme already in the bundle without competing. It is a natural pairing with braised meats in Italian cooking.
- Herbes de Provence blend (1 tablespoon tied in cheesecloth) - If you do not have all the individual herbs on hand, Herbes de Provence covers thyme, rosemary, and oregano in one shot and adds a subtle lavender note that works with the red wine braising liquid.
🍷🥩🧄 Gaby's Expert Tips & Tricks
This is the fall dinner that will make everyone think you went to culinary school.
- Pat your short ribs completely dry before searing. Surface moisture creates steam, which prevents the Maillard reaction from developing. A dry surface guarantees that deep mahogany crust that is the foundation of flavor for the entire braise.
- Sear in batches and do not rush it. Crowding the Dutch oven drops the pan temperature and causes the meat to steam instead of brown. Give each batch a full 8 minutes, turning only when the meat releases naturally from the bottom of the pan.
- Halve the garlic heads crosswise rather than peeling the cloves. The cut surface of the halved head allows the cloves to caramelize directly in the braising liquid, releasing a sweeter, more mellow garlic flavor that permeates the entire dish without turning sharp or pungent.
- Deglaze the pan thoroughly after cooking the tomato paste. The tomato paste will caramelize and stick slightly to the bottom of the Dutch oven, and all of that stuck fond is concentrated umami. Scraping it up completely as the wine hits the pan is non-negotiable.
- Let the short ribs rest in the braising liquid as they cool before serving. Resting in the liquid allows the meat to reabsorb some of the braising juices as the temperature drops, keeping the short ribs moist and deeply flavored all the way through rather than drying out on a plate.
- Skim the fat from the surface of the braising liquid before reducing it into a sauce. Short ribs release a significant amount of rendered fat into the braising liquid. Skimming it off (or chilling the braise overnight and lifting the solidified fat cap) produces a glossy, clean sauce rather than a greasy one.
- Make the gremolata right before serving and keep it coarse. Finely minced parsley releases chlorophyll and turns dull quickly, and lemon zest loses its volatile oils fast once cut. A rough chop right before plating keeps everything bright, fresh, and visually striking against the rich dark braise.
Garlic Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Ingredients
For the Short Ribs
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs ask your butcher to cut into 3ish inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bottle dry red wine
- 12 sprigs parsley
- 12 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs oregano
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
- 2 heads of garlic halved crosswise
- 4 cups beef stock
For the Gremolata Garnish
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 whole lemon zested
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Cracked black pepper
Mashed Potatoes
- 1 recipe mashed potatoes
Instructions
- If using the oven, preheat to 350 degrees F. Pat the short ribs dry and season liberally with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, brown the short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the pot.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and dark red, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine, then add the short ribs back to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
- Add the parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic to the pot, then stir in the beef stock. Bring to a boil and cover with the lid.
- Braise using one of the methods below:Oven: Transfer the covered pot to the oven and cook until the short ribs are fork tender, 2 to 2 ½ hours.Stovetop: Reduce the heat to low so the liquid maintains a gentle, barely-there simmer, with a bubble breaking the surface every few seconds. Keep the pot tightly covered and cook until the short ribs are fork tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Turn the ribs and stir every 30 minutes to prevent scorching on the bottom, and add a splash of stock or water if the liquid drops below the halfway point on the ribs.
- Transfer the short ribs to a platter. Strain the sauce from the pot into a large measuring cup, pressing on the solids. Spoon the fat from the surface of the sauce and discard it. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. If it is thin, simmer it on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes until it coats a spoon.
To Make the Gremolata
- In a small bowl, toss together the parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
To Serve
- Serve the short ribs in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes with the sauce spooned over the top and a generous sprinkle of gremolata.
Nutrition Information (estimated)
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson
Would you use spare ribs if you don’t have short ribs? Or do a completely different recipe for those?
I’m looking at cooking these for 11 people. Will I need 2 pots? Also, can this be cooked the day before? If so, how do I store and reheat? Thanks so much!
Ya I would do 1 large dutch ovens! And yes you can do day before, I'd let them sit overnight in the fridge in the dutch oven with all the liquid and then warm over low heat
Can you use a chuck roast ?
Is there an alternative to the le creuset pot? Will a crock pot work? If yes, any changes?
any heavy bottom put will work - and you can def make these in a slow cooker but I haven't done it so I dont know the exact time changes
I was looking at the Le Creuset Dutch oven. Will the 8 quart oval one work? I don’t have one and may purchase this one.
OMG! No words. This is stunning. Best mash I've had in a long time and that meat. WOW. Thank you!
For those of us who aren’t great with butchering, what does it mean to cut crosswise in 2” pieces? Am I supposed to cut through the bone? Can’t wait to try these!
no not thru the bone, but parallel to the bone so they are in large chunks if you didn't buy them already broken down
Gaby does it again...! Perfect meal for a chilly evening. The flavor was outstanding!
Delicious and easier than I expected.
So delicious! Made this for my son in law's bday and he loves it so much, he wants it again this year!
Silly question.. what do you do with bones? Pull meat off of them and discard before serving? Can’t wait to make tomorrow!
Sometimes the bones fall out during cooking, other times I just dispose of them before plating!!
Hi. It looks like you didn’t peel garlic. Is that correct?
that is correct!! I cut the tops off but let the heads mostly whole. The garlic will slip out of the garlic paper and you can eat! But it's mostly infusing the whole things with flavor
Is this easy to cut in half? I have some short ribs in my freezer but only a couple so probably not 5 lb. Should the cooking times be about the same?
yes!
I am making this for a party of 13 people but I am going to make it the day before. Can I simple double the recipe and follow the instructions and then cook it until it is fork tender and reheat it the next day? Thanks.
yes! exactly!
I made this and served it with horseradish mashed potatoes. It was restaurant-worthy without being difficult. I'm thinking about parmesan polenta next time.