Yum — slow-cooked short ribs are pure comfort food! 🍖
Would you like a classic red wine braised short rib recipe (rich and elegant), a slow cooker version, or maybe something different like Korean-style galbi?
Here’s a slow cooker beef short ribs recipe — tender, flavorful, and easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for guests.
🥩 Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Ingredients
Serves: 4–6
- 3–4 lbs (1.5–1.8 kg) bone-in beef short ribs
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup (240 ml) red wine (or beef broth if you prefer no alcohol)
- 2 cups (480 ml) beef broth
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
1. Brown the short ribs (optional but adds deep flavor)
- Pat ribs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear ribs on all sides until browned (about 2–3 minutes per side).
- Transfer browned ribs to your slow cooker.
2. Sauté aromatics
- In the same skillet, add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3–4 minutes.
- Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 more minute.
- Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits (deglaze).
- Simmer 2–3 minutes, then pour everything into the slow cooker.
3. Slow cook
- Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4–5 hours) until ribs are fall-apart tender.
4. Finish the sauce
- Remove ribs and set aside.
- Strain cooking liquid (optional).
- Skim off excess fat.
- Simmer the sauce on the stovetop 5–10 minutes to thicken slightly (or stir in a cornstarch slurry if you prefer it thicker).
- Return ribs to sauce and keep warm until serving.
Serve With
- Creamy mashed potatoes 🥔
- Polenta or buttered noodles 🍜
- Roasted or sautéed greens 🥬
💡 Tips
- For richer flavor, mix 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or a bit of brown sugar into the sauce.
- Bone-in ribs have the best flavor and tenderness.
- If you make this a day ahead, chill overnight and remove the solidified fat before reheating.
Would you like me to give you a Korean-style (galbi jjim) short rib version next — sweet, soy-based, and absolutely amazing in a slow cooker?
