Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs for a Cozy Night In
Tender, fall-apart beef short ribs slow-cooked in a rich red wine and broth sauce for an easy, comforting dinner.
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Large skillet (cast iron preferred)
- Tongs
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb beef short ribs bone-in preferred
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry red wine Cabernet or Merlot
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- salt and black pepper to taste
- carrots and celery chopped into large chunks, optional
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water, for thickening, optional
Instructions
- Pat beef short ribs dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear ribs in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, saute onion, carrots, and celery for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine and beef broth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.
- Place seared ribs in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the vegetable and sauce mixture over the ribs, ensuring they are mostly submerged.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until meat is fork-tender.
- Remove ribs and vegetables. If desired, whisk cornstarch slurry into the liquid and cook on HIGH for 15-20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Discard bay leaves. Serve ribs with sauce spooned over the top, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Do not skip the searing step, as it builds flavor into the finished sauce. If the sauce is too thin after cooking, use a cornstarch slurry to thicken. For deeper flavor, make this a day ahead, refrigerate, and skim solidified fat before reheating. Do not cook frozen ribs directly in the slow cooker; thaw fully first. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months.
