Short Rib Ragu

I put this short rib ragu up on my Instagram a few years ago and y'all went absolutely crazy over it.  I figured it was finally time to give you the recipe for how to make perfect, tender short rib pasta sauce! 

At its most basic, this is just a pot of red wine braised short ribs with veggies that I love to serve over pasta. Or rice. Or potatoes. Or more veggies.

Really, it doesn't just have to be a short rib pasta sauce, it can be eaten any way you'd like.  This is your kitchen, you call the shots! 

Speaking of shots - this one above of salting the short ribs is one of my all time favorites. All the heart eyed emojis for this salt sprinkle.

I know there are all different ways to cook short ribs, but I think this is the best beef short ribs recipe because it is so customizable.  The braising is what makes the meat fall apart.  If you want a more firm, fully intact short rib, simply cut the braising time down and remove the short ribs from the sauce before they break down completely ( like in the photo below. )

No matter when you remove the ribs, this recipe will create a fabulously silky and rich red wine sauce to coat and pour over them.

I dream about this sauce.

Pro-tip: see that bay leave hanging out in the pot in the picture above? Make sure to remove that! You do NOT want to eat a bay leaf! They don't play nice with the GI system at all.

You could serve these braised short ribs with red wine sauce just like they are, or you could do something absolutely obscene and top it will a half piece of burrata.  

You only live once.  As such, I vote trying it with the burrata. 

If you love this beef short rib recipe, you might also like:

• Ragu Bolognese
• Simple 3-Ingredient Red Sauce
• Spicy Squid in Tomato Sauce

Short Rib Ragu

A decadent red wine braised short rib sauce for pasta ( or whatever else you'd like it on top of! )

4.71 from 68 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: braised short ribs

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Marianne

Ingredients

• 3 lbs bone-in short ribs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced carrots
• ½ cup diced celery
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups beef stock low sodium
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 balls of burrata

Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally salt and pepper the short ribs on all sides.
• In a large dutch oven set over medium high heat, add the olive oil.
• Brown the short ribs on their tops and bottoms ( only two sides ) for 5 minutes. Do this in batches if your pot cannot fit all 3 lbs in at once comfortably.
• Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside on a clean plate. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 8 - 10 minutes, or until they start to soften.
• Add the tomato paste and the garlic to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1 minute, stirring often to prevent burning.
• Stir in 2 cups of red wine. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
• Stir in the beef broth, bay leaves, whole thyme sprigs. Add the browned short ribs to the pot, and bring to a simmer.
• Cover the pot and place in the oven on 350 F for 2 hours.
• Once time is up, carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid ( it will be HOT! Use an oven mitt! ) Remove the thyme springs and the bay leaves. Using two forks, shred the short ribs and stir them into the sauce.
• Serve over pasta, with ½ a ball of burrata on top.

Tried this recipe?Mention @basilandbubbly or tag #basilandbubbly!