French Onion Beef Short Ribs (Oven or Crock Pot)

Beef short ribs in a rich red wine and French onion soup inspired braise – SOOOO delicious, SOOOO juicy and tender… a fancy restaurant-worthy meal you can make at home when you really want to impress!

This recipes is a labor of love requiring you to put on that chef hat and spend some time in the kitchen but you will be richly rewarded with the best-tasting short ribs EVER!

Braised Short Rib Ingredients

• Short ribs: this cut of beef comes from the brisket, short plate, or rib areas of cattle. Unlike pork ribs, beef ribs have a thin straight bone with 1-2 inches of meat on top. This is one of the best beef cuts for long, slow cooking with exceptional depth of flavor. Choose short ribs with a good amount of meat, nice marbling and a thin layer of fat.
• Salt: coarse sea salt flakes (I love the Maldon brand) or Kosher salt is used to dry brine the ribs before cooking.
• Onions: I am, once again, taking inspiration from French Onion soup to create the foundation for this short rib braise. Slowly cooking the onions in butter and olive oil with salt, pepper, thyme and a little sugar is the most hands-on laborious part of this recipe but absolutely worth it!
• Garlic: six to seven fat cloves of garlic.
• Tomato paste: concentrated tomato paste or tomato purée.
• Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth (or beef broth) and red wine make up our braising liquid. I sometimes use Port instead of red wine for an even richer sauce!
• Bay leaves, rosemary and parsley.

How to Make the Best Short Ribs in the Oven

↓ For the full ingredients and detailed method, jump to the recipe card.

Prep the Beef

1. Take the beef short ribs out of the refrigerator, pat dry using paper towels and place on a wire rack positioned over a roasting tray. Season liberally with salt and rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Sear the Ribs

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) Fan Forced. Place the ribs in the oven to sear for 10-15 minutes or until well browned and set aside. You can also sear the ribs in a skillet but the oven method is far easier and less time consuming! Reduce the oven temperature to 285°F (140°C).

Cook the Onions

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the onions, salt, pepper, sugar and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Add a little broth whenever the pan gets a little dry, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits loose.
2. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes or until fragrant. Add the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce then stir in the tomato paste, red wine and broth. Bring to a simmer and add the rosemary and bay leaves.

Cook in the Oven

1. Bring to a simmer, add the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs and return the short ribs to the pan. Sprinkle with seven spice seasoning, cover with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 – 3 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

Finishing Touches

1. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the ribs to a plate. Bring the sauce to a simmer and discard the bay leaves and spent herbs. Add the ribs back into the sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes, spooning the sauce over them to baste.

1. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve the ribs over mashed potatoes or polenta with the sauce spooned over and a side of green beans, steamed spinach or asparagus.

Crock Pot Short Ribs

1. You can also cook the ribs in your slow cooker instead of the oven. Oven sear the ribs and cook the onions in a skillet or directly in a slow cooker if it has a browning function.
2. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, wine, broth, short ribs, bay leaves and rosemary and cook on LOW for 8-12 hours, or on the HIGH setting for 6-8 hours. Please note you will have to use less braising liquid in the slow cooker (check the recipe card for instructions).

Recipe Notes and FAQs

• What wine should I use? A dry red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo or even something like Ruby Port.
• I don’t like cooking with wine, what can I use instead? You can replace the wine with chicken broth, non alcoholic wine, beer or ale. I personally would avoid using Guinness or other stouts as the gravy can end up tasting bitter.

• Can I use chuck steak instead of short ribs? This recipe can be made with chuck or braising steak. Brown the beef over high heat, in batches, then follow the method as written. Cook for 2 hours and check whether the beef is tender, adding more cooking time if needed.
• Strain the sauce: if you prefer a smooth gravy, you can strain the sauce to remove any solids before serving.

Lucy’s Pro Tip

Chill and Remove the Fat

Short ribs have a lot of connective tissue and fat which renders while they cook. Allow the ribs to cool down and refrigerate overnight or until the fat coagulates. Use a spoon to skim the fat off the surface and discard.

Serving Suggestions

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HAVE YOU MADE MY BRAISED SHORT RIBS RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #Nusde and make my day! If you have any questions, message me on Instagram and I will do my best to answer them quickly.