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Home » Main Meals » Braised beef short ribs in a red wine gravy

Braised beef short ribs in a red wine gravy

Author: VJ Published : May 2022 Modified : May 2022 / Be the first to comment!

Recipe
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Beef short ribs in a red wine gravy cooked until they are juicy and succulent, with the meat simply falling off the bone. I made mine in a pressure cooker, but you can just as easily make them on the stovetop, in a slow-cooker, or even in the oven (all directions included below).

A beef short rib on a plate with vegetables and a helping of red wine gravy.
If you’ve never tried beef short ribs before, you’re missing out on a great culinary experience!

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Table Of Contents
  1. The ultimate in comfort food
  2. What are beef short ribs?
  3. The red wine gravy
  4. What you will need
  5. What to do
  6. Cook short ribs in the slow-cooker
  7. Cook short ribs in the oven
  8. Cook short ribs on the stove
  9. Pin for later
  10. Other recipes
  11. The recipe
  12. Braised beef short ribs in red wine gravy

The ultimate in comfort food

This recipe for beef short ribs in red wine gravy is something that I grew up eating, probably due to the fact that back in the day, short ribs were a relatively cheap cut of meat, a little went a long way and you could stretch it out even further by adding extra vegetables to the pot!

I remember coming home from school on a cold winter’s day, to be greeted by the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen, and then later being presented with a plate of succulent melt-in-the-mouth beef accompanied by a mound of creamy mashed potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding covered in gravy and lots of vegetables.

Comfort food doesn’t get much better than that!

With the price of electricity sky-rocketing in the UK, I thought it time to dust off the old pressure cooker and recreate this culinary gem (with the addition of red wine of course). And I wasn’t disappointed. The meat was as soft as I remembered it, the gravy was full of flavour, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

What’s even better, is that the vegetables are all cooked alongside the meat so apart from the initial prep there’s very little else to do other than to sit back and wait for the compliments.

A plate of beef short rib surrounded by vegetables and covered in red wine gravy.
I didn’t make any Yorkshire puddings this time because I thought there were enough carbohydrates in the potatoes!

What are beef short ribs?

The cut of beef known as short rib comes from the bottom part of the ribs below the chuck and in front of the flank.

It is a tough cut of meat, making it ideally suited to a long slow cooking time in plenty of liquid. This gives the fibres and collagen in the beef plenty of time to break down and tenderise, resulting in succulent juicy beef that practically melts in your mouth.

My favourite way of cooking short ribs is in a pressure cooker because you get all the benefits of long, slow cooking, but in a fraction of the time. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I’ve included instructions for cooking these beef short ribs in a slow-cooker, in the oven, and on the stove so there’s no excuse for not trying them yourself 🙂

The red wine gravy

I personally think the red wine gravy is the star of the show. It’s packed with flavour, not only from the beef and the vegetables but also from the red wine.

Because there is no thickening agent added to the short ribs while they are cooking, the gravy does need to be thickened before serving. I like to remove the meat and vegetables once they are cooked and transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepan, where I thicken it with a slurry of cornflour and water. If you prefer you could blend the cooking liquid with some of the vegetables to thicken it instead.

If you don’t drink alcohol or don’t want to use it, you can substitute the red wine with additional stock.

What you will need

Equipment

I used a pressure cooker, because like everyone in the UK, I’m trying to cut back on energy consumption. You can also make this recipe in a slow-cooker, in a casserole dish or dutch oven in the oven, or in a saucepan on the stove.

Ingredients

**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these braised beef short ribs in red wine gravy on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Ingredients for braised beef short rib.
This recipe will feed 4 adults. Adjust the amount of meat and vegetables if you are catering for smaller appetites.

Beef short ribs – there is a lot of bone in these ribs so you will need between 300 and 350 grams (or 10 to 12 ounces) per adult depending on appetite. If you are feeding 2 adults and 2 children for example, you will need less.

Vegetables – you can change the recipe to use whatever vegetables you prefer. I used carrots, celery and shallots, cut into chunks. Why not try swapping some of these out for leeks, onions, parsnips, swedes or cabbage. You will need about three-quarters of a cup of these vegetables per person.

Mushrooms – white or chestnut mushrooms work well in this recipe. If they are quite small you can leave them whole, or cut them into halves or quarters if they are quite large.

Potatoes – I used baby potatoes which I left whole. Cut the potatoes into smaller chunks if they are very large.

Red wine – use wine that you would actually drink – a poor quality wine won’t improve the flavour of the food and may even spoil it. My motto as always is ‘if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it’.

Stock – if you have fresh beef stock, then use that, otherwise, just make up an equivalent amount using a beef stock cube and boiling water.

Passata – this is tomatoes that have been liquidised and then sieved to remove any bits of skin and pips. It is readily available in the UK in either cartons or bottles. If you can’t find passata you can substitute with chopped canned tomatoes.

Worcestershire sauce, salt and sugar – for seasoning. A small amount of sugar helps bring out the flavour of the tomatoes.

Olive oil or sunflower oil for browning the meat before cooking it.

What to do

This recipe was made using a Pressure King Pro electric pressure cooker. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your own particular pressure cooker.

Two pieces of beef short rib browning in a pressure cooker.

Season the short ribs with salt and pour the oil into the pressure cooker.

Set the pressure cooker to the saute function, and brown the meat on all sides.

Two pieces of beef short rib in a pressure cooker, covered with stock.

Pour in the stock, red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar.

Set the pressure cooker to the Stew function (this is the maximum setting on my pressure cooker) and cook for 30 minutes.

You can peel and chop the vegetables while the meat is cooking.

Two pieces of cooked short rib showing how the bone falls away from the meat.

Release the pressure and open the pressure cooker.

The meat will already have started to pull away from the bone.

Chopped vegetables on top of beef short rib in a pressure cooker.

Add the chopped vegetables and cook on the Stew function for a further 20 minutes.

Cooked vegetables and short rib in pressure cooker.

Release the pressure – the vegetables should now be soft.

Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, remove the ribs from the pressure cooker and keep everything warm while you thicken the gravy.

Gravy being lifted from a saucepan on a large spoon.

Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan.

Mix cornflour with a little water to a smooth paste and stir it slowly into the gravy over a low heat, until the gravy has thickened.

Arrange the meat on a plate, surround it with the vegetables and pour over lots of the delicious gravy. Serve immediately.

A plate of beef short rib and vegetables next to a glass of red wine

Cook short ribs in the slow-cooker

To cook the short ribs in a slow-cooker:

  • Sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them in a little oil in a frying pan.
  • Transfer them to a slow-cooker and add the chopped vegetables.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat and vegetables.
  • Cover the slow-cooker with a lid and cook as follows:
    • High – 4 to 5 hours
    • Medium 5 to 7 hours
    • Low – 7 to 9 hours.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.

Cook short ribs in the oven

To cook the short ribs in the oven:

  • Heat the oil in the base of a Dutch oven, sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them on all sides.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat.
  • Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and transfer it to the oven.
  • Cook for 1 and a half hours at 180C / 360F then add the vegetables.
  • Check the level of the cooking liquid and top up with more stock if necessary.
  • Leave it to cook for a further 1 and a half hours until the meat is tender and the vegetables have softened.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.

Cook short ribs on the stove

To cook the short ribs in a saucepan on the stove:

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan, sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them on all sides.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat.
  • Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and leave for 2 hours.
  • Check occasionally to ensure the cooking liquid is not evapourating and top up with extra stock if necessary.
  • After 2 hours, add the vegetables and continue to simmer for another hour until the vegetables have softened.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.

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Pin for later

If you’d like to try these braised beef short ribs in red wine gravy for yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily. Just click on the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe to your Grow Me collection by clicking on the floating heart on the right-hand side of the screen.

Other recipes

You may also like to try some of my other beef recipes:

  • Slow-cooker beef topside with horseradish
  • Slow-cooker beef Trinchado
  • Slow-cooker beef silverside
  • Steak and mushroom pie with puff pastry
  • Minced beef hotpot
  • Slow roasted brisket with onion gravy

The recipe

A plate of beef short rib and vegetables next to a glass of red wine

Braised beef short ribs in red wine gravy

Beef short ribs in a red wine gravy cooked until they are juicy and succulent, with the meat simply falling off the bone. I made mine in a pressure cooker, but you can just as easily make them on the stovetop, in a slow-cooker, or even in the oven (all directions included below).
Recipe by: Veronica
Main Course
British
Calories 1075
Prep 15 minutes
Pressure release 20 minutes
Cook 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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5 from 1 vote

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Pressure Cooker
  • Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 2½ pounds / 1.2 kg beef short rib (bone-in)
  • 8 small shallots
  • 2 large carrots
  • 3 stalks celery
  • 12 small potatoes
  • 6 ounces / 150 grams white mushrooms
  • 1 cup / 240 ml beef stock
  • 1 cup tomato passata
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Season the short ribs with salt and pour the oil into the pressure cooker.
    Set the pressure cooker to the saute function, and brown the meat on all sides.
    2½ pounds / 1.2 kg beef short rib (bone-in), 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pour in the stock, red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar.
    Set the pressure cooker to the Stew function (maximum setting) and cook for 30 minutes.
    1 cup / 240 ml beef stock, 1 cup tomato passata, ½ cup red wine, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar
  • While the meat is cooking, peel and chop the vegetables.
    8 small shallots, 2 large carrots, 3 stalks celery, 12 small potatoes, 6 ounces / 150 grams white mushrooms
  • Release the pressure and open the pressure cooker. Add the chopped vegetables and cook on the Stew function for a further 20 minutes.
  • Release the pressure. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, remove the ribs from the pressure cooker and keep everything warm while you thicken the gravy.
  • Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Mix cornflour with a little water to a smooth paste and stir it slowly into the gravy over a low heat, until the gravy has thickened.
  • Arrange the meat on a plate, surround it with the vegetables and pour over lots of the delicious gravy. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cook short ribs in the slow-cooker
  • Sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them in a little oil in a frying pan.
  • Transfer them to a slow-cooker and add the chopped vegetables.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat and vegetables.
  • Cover the slow-cooker with a lid and cook as follows:
    • High – 4 to 5 hours
    • Medium 5 to 7 hours
    • Low – 7 to 9 hours.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.
Cook short ribs in the oven
  • Heat the oil in the base of a Dutch oven, sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them on all sides.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat.
  • Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and transfer it to the oven.
  • Cook for 1 and a half hours at 180C / 360F then add the vegetables.
  • Check the level of the cooking liquid and top up with more stock if necessary.
  • Leave it to cook for a further 1 and a half hours until the meat is tender and the vegetables have softened.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.

Cook short ribs on the stove
  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan, sprinkle the ribs with salt and brown them on all sides.
  • Combine the stock with the red wine, passata, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and pour it over the meat.
  • Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and leave for 2 hours.
  • Check occasionally to ensure the cooking liquid is not evapourating and top up with extra stock if necessary.
  • After 2 hours, add the vegetables and continue to simmer for another hour until the vegetables have softened.
  • Prepare the gravy according to the pressure cooker instructions.
Nutrition – assumes that all the meat, potatoes and gravy will be eaten. 

Nutrition

Calories – 1075kcal | Carbohydrates – 68.4g | Protein – 51.4g | Fat – 65.2g | Saturated Fat – 25.5g | Cholesterol – 166mg | Sodium – 736mg | Potassium – 1780mg | Fiber – 9.6g | Sugar – 11.2g | Vitamin D – 135µg | Calcium – 61mg | Iron – 7mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Main Meals

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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