Crockpot Braised Short Ribs
I'm putting my crockpot to good use and there is no better way to create a gourmet Christmas dinner than braised short ribs.
I've been hosting Christmas dinner for my parents for 4 years now. No surprise that I took on this challenge given my love for eating and cooking. Hosting can be easy if you plan well ahead of time. With us doing Christmas at two different houses, it was a no brainer that I need a recipe that was not time consuming. I wanted something I can put in a crockpot overnight with minimal attention. If your hosting Christmas dinner this year, or hosting a gathering, you and your guests will love this recipe!
Braised short ribs are typically braised in red wine, but we're using beef broth for this recipe. Short ribs are slowly cooked in beef broth and sautéed carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and onion. At the end, we're going to create a beautiful cream glaze with the broth that we'll drizzle over the ribs and mashed potatoes.
gather your ingredients
Braised Short Ribs in a Crockpot
Short ribs slowly cooked in beef broth, sautéed carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and onion. The final product is tender, moist, short ribs coated in rich beef stock glaze.
Equipment
- Large size crockpot
- A skillet or cast iron pan
- Medium size pot
- Strainer
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 8 short ribs
- ½ large onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 medium stalks carrots, chopped
- 2 medium stalkes celery, chopped
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth or more if not using wine
- 1 cup red wine optional
- salt and pepper
- 5 tbsp butter
Instructions
Preparation the night before
- Pat the short ribs dry with paper towel, then generously salt all over. Chop/slice vegetables. Set aside
- In a large size skillet/cast iron, heat to medium-high and add in oil. Preferably oil with a high melting point like avocado oil or you can use animal fat like tallow. Once hot, sear short ribs on all sides. You should get a nice sear in 2 minutes per side if your pan is nice and hot. Set all short ribs aside once finished searing.
- Turn down the heat to medium, wipe off the burnt oil with a paper towel, replace with 2 tbsp of butter and drizzle in some oil. Throw in all the chopped vegetables. Season with cracked black pepper and sauté for 4 minutes. Add in rosemary, thyme, and tomato paste. Continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with red wine or beef broth. Bring it to a quick simmer and turn off the heat.
- Transfer the short ribs into a large size crockpot. Laying them side up so you can fit all of your short ribs. Pour the sautéed herbs and vegetables on top of the ribs. Top the ribs with beef broth. The broth should cover most of the short ribs. Cover and let it cook on low for 8 hours.
Beef Stock Glaze
- Once the short ribs have cooked overnight or for at least 8 hours, ladle out 4 cups of beef broth. Skim off the fat as much as possible. Strain the broth into a pot using a strainer. We want a nice clear broth, but don't worry if you can't remove all the herbs and vegetables. This is more for appearance.
- Simmer the broth in a pot on medium-low heat until thick and creamy or until desired consistency. We want to go low and slow on this one so it may take about 10 minutes to reduce. Turn off the stove. Add in the rest of the butter. Whisk until well incorporated.
Assembling the Short Ribs
- Plate the short ribs and drizzle the glaze on top. Enjoy!