Chef Ally
Beef Bourguignon
Humble beef transformed by good red wine, patience, and the kind of slow cooking that fills a house with warmth and brings everyone to the table asking when dinner will be ready.
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Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine
Created by
Meaty, bone-in short ribs simmered low and slow in red wine until the meat surrenders to your fork, the sauce glossy and deep, the kind of cooking that rewards patience and fills the house with promise.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
3 hr 30 min cook•4 hr 15 min total
Yield6 servings
Start with the beef. Bone-in short ribs from a butcher who knows the animal. You want thick cuts with generous marbling, the fat streaked through the meat like rivers on a map. This fat is not waste. It melts during the braise and gives the sauce its body, its richness, its reason for being.
The wine matters. Use something you would pour yourself a glass of while the pot simmers. A good Côtes du Rhône or a simple Burgundy. If the wine is not worth drinking, it is not worth cooking with. The alcohol burns away but the fruit and the tannins stay, building a sauce that tastes like a long afternoon.
Braising is the opposite of rushing. You brown the meat, build the aromatics, add liquid, and then you wait. The oven does the work while you read a book or take a walk or simply enjoy the smell that fills every room in the house. When the meat is ready, it will tell you. The bone will slip free with almost no effort. The fibers will pull apart at the touch of a fork.
This is a meal that improves with time. Make it a day ahead if you can. The flavors deepen overnight, and the fat rises to the surface where you can lift it away. Reheat gently. Serve with something simple to catch the sauce: polenta, mashed potatoes, crusty bread. Let the beef be the whole story.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in beef short ribs
Quantity
5 pounds
cut into 3-inch pieces
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly cracked
olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
yellow onions
Quantity
2 medium
diced
carrots
Quantity
3 medium
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
celery stalks
Quantity
3
cut into 1-inch pieces
garlic cloves
Quantity
6
smashed
tomato paste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
dry red wine
Quantity
1 bottle (750ml)
beef stock
Quantity
2 cups
fresh thyme
Quantity
6 sprigs
bay leaves
Quantity
2
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
4 sprigs, plus chopped for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in beef short ribscut into 3-inch pieces | 5 pounds |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly cracked | to taste |
| olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| yellow onionsdiced | 2 medium |
| carrotspeeled and cut into 1-inch pieces | 3 medium |
| celery stalkscut into 1-inch pieces | 3 |
| garlic clovessmashed | 6 |
| tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| dry red wine | 1 bottle (750ml) |
| beef stock | 2 cups |
| fresh thyme | 6 sprigs |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| fresh flat-leaf parsley | 4 sprigs, plus chopped for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large Dutch oven (7-quart minimum)
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Fat separator or large measuring cup
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the meat
Remove the short ribs from the refrigerator one hour before cooking. Cold meat does not brown properly. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. The salt draws moisture to the surface, which helps the sear, so do this right before you cook.
Pat the ribs dry with paper towels just before searing. Any surface moisture will steam rather than brown. - 2
Preheat the oven
Set your oven to 325°F. Low and slow is the only way. Higher heat toughens the meat before the collagen has time to melt.
- 3
Brown the short ribs
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches to avoid crowding, sear the short ribs on all sides until deeply browned, about four minutes per side. You want a mahogany crust, not gray meat. Transfer to a plate as you work. This takes time. Do not rush it.
If your pot starts to smoke or the fond turns black, lower the heat. Dark fond is flavor. Burnt fond is bitter. - 4
Build the aromatics
Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and begin to color, about eight minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more, until fragrant. Clear a space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Let it toast in the heat for one minute, stirring it into the vegetables.
- 5
Deglaze with wine
Pour in the entire bottle of wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. This is where the flavor lives. Bring to a simmer and let the wine reduce by half, about ten minutes. The raw alcohol smell will fade and the sauce will begin to concentrate.
- 6
Assemble the braise
Add the beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, and parsley sprigs. Nestle the short ribs back into the pot, bone side up, along with any juices that collected on the plate. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the sides of the meat. If needed, add more stock.
- 7
Braise until tender
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Braise for three to three and a half hours, checking once at the two-hour mark. The meat is ready when it pulls away from the bone with no resistance and a fork slides through with almost no effort. The fibers should look silky, not stringy.
If your lid does not seal tightly, place a sheet of parchment paper between the pot and the lid. This traps moisture and prevents the braise from drying out. - 8
Rest and defat
Transfer the short ribs to a deep platter and tent loosely with foil. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a fat separator or a large measuring cup. Discard the spent vegetables and herbs. They have given everything. Let the liquid settle for five minutes, then skim or pour off the fat.
- 9
Reduce the sauce
Return the defatted liquid to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon with a glossy sheen, about ten to fifteen minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. The sauce should be deeply savory with a long wine finish.
- 10
Serve
Return the short ribs to the pot, turning them gently to coat in the sauce. Warm through for five minutes. Serve in shallow bowls over polenta, mashed potatoes, or with crusty bread. Spoon the sauce generously over the meat. Scatter with chopped parsley.
Chef Tips
- •Ask your butcher for English-cut short ribs, where the bone runs parallel to the meat. These braise more evenly than flanken-style cuts.
- •This dish is better the next day. Cool the braise completely, refrigerate overnight, then lift off the solidified fat before reheating gently.
- •Pair with the same wine you used for braising. A rustic Côtes du Rhône or a village-level Burgundy works beautifully.
- •Save the rendered beef fat. Strained and refrigerated, it is gold for roasting potatoes or searing the next batch of short ribs.
Advance Preparation
- •The complete braise can be made up to three days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Lift off solidified fat before reheating gently on the stovetop.
- •The reduced sauce, separated from the meat, freezes well for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 285g)
Calories
610 calories
Total Fat
36 g
Saturated Fat
13 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
1050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
43 g
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