20 Short Rib Recipes That Are Melt-in-Your Mouth Tender and Seriously Delicious
It’s time to give short ribs the love they deserve!
Caitlin Bensel
When it comes to cuts of beef, short ribs may not be the most popular choice, but they are certainly one worth making every now and again. As their name implies, short ribs consist of a short portion of the rib bone and the surrounding meat, which varies in thickness. From a culinary standpoint, short ribs are relatively fatty, and because they are typically pretty thick and contain a bone, they need a long, slow cook time in order to become tender and delightfully tasty. However, once you know how to cook short ribs, there’s almost nothing better. They can handle plenty of bold flavor, make a rich ragù to top spaghetti, and add a scrumptious heartiness to soups and stews. Need proof that short ribs are worth the wait? Check out this roundup of 20 short rib recipes that are melt-in-your-mouth tender and seriously delicious!
Related: 18 Baked Pasta Recipes To Make When You Need Comfort Food ASAP
Braised Beef Short Rib Soup With Noodles
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Short ribs work beautifully in long-simmering soups because the meat goes from tough to tender. In this hearty soup, short ribs are joined by egg noodles, celery, and carrots in a tomato-spiked beef stock. If you’re feeling under the weather, this is the perfect meal to make.
Instant Pot Spiced Short Ribs
Short ribs typically need to cook for hours on the stove in order to deliver that melt-in-your-mouth goodness, but if you use your Instant Pot you only need to push a button. Once the meat cooks alongside some veggies and spices, go ahead and stir in a can of white beans. The beans add plenty of protein and heft to the dish, and are ideal for sopping up the flavorful sauce.
Spice-Braised Short Ribs
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can totally make short ribs in your oven. Here, the meat is covered in a spice mixture and left to marinate for at least 12 hours so it tenderizes. Then, you’ll cook the ribs in the oven all while preparing a sauce made with red wine and beef broth. The ribs then go back into the oven alongside tomatoes, celery, carrots, and onion, and finish cooking.
Slow-Cooker Asian Short Ribs
It doesn’t get easier than this Asian-inspired short rib dish. To make this meal, all you need to do is place most of the ingredients in your slow cooker all at once and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours. After you transfer the ribs and veggies to plates, you'll make the sauce with the remaining juices.
Slow-Cooker Chipotle Short Ribs With Tangy Cabbage Slaw
Thanks to the slow cooker, this dish calls for just 20 minutes of hands-on work. While the meat is simmering in the appliance with onion, garlic, tomato paste, chipotles, and cumin, you’ll whip up an easy, tangy cabbage slaw and a side of white rice.
Slow Cooker Bourbon Short Ribs with Cheesy Grits
In this Southern-inspired dish, short ribs are cooked low and slow in a mixture of beef stock and bourbon, and are served on top of savory, cheesy grits. For a comforting meal that everyone is sure to enjoy, you can’t go wrong with this dish.
Red Wine–Braised Beef Short Ribs
Red wine and short ribs are a particularly scrumptious pair because the sharp acidity of the wine is a good match for the tender, fatty meat. This recipe takes things a step further by adding ruby port wine to the red wine sauce, which enhances the flavor of the sauce and helps to balance the dish.
Short Rib Stew
Maxwell Cozzi
Before winter ends, we suggest you make a pot of this comforting beef stew. While you may be tempted to throw all of the ingredients in a soup pot and let them simmer, don’t skip the first step of browning the meat on the stove. Doing so helps build the stew's deep, rich flavor, which is a big part of what makes it so tasty.
Miso-Tomato Braised Short Ribs
If there’s a secret ingredient here, it’s miso. It’s rubbed all over the ribs before they are chilled overnight, and brings salt, umami, and a subtle tanginess. Fennel, tomatoes, and orange juice brighten the braise, while ginger offers a hint of heat. For a pop of sweetness and color, garnish the dish with sparkling pomegranate arils.
Related: How to Make a Marinade For Lamb Chops That Nails It Every Time
Grilled BBQ Short Ribs With Dry Rub
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
The trick to this grilled short ribs recipe is cover the meat in the dry rub and grill it in an aluminum foil packet. Believe it or not, the foil manages to keep all of the savory flavor inside, yielding meat that is succulent and delicious. Slather the short ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce before eating for even more texture and flavor.
Make-Ahead Beef Short Ribs
The Spruce / Qi Ai
If there’s one downside to short ribs, it’s that they typically call for a long cooking time. However, if you make them ahead and break up the prep work, they don’t seem quite as daunting to whip up. Here, you’ll braise the beef in the pan until it’s fully cooked, let it cool, and then refrigerate it overnight, still in its liquid. The next day, just scrape the solidified fat off the top, and reheat the beef in a pot over a low simmer. That’s it!
Braised Chinese-Style Short Ribs With Soy, Orange, and 5-Spice Powder
Since short ribs are a thicker, fattier cut of meat, they can handle plenty of herbs and spices. In this Chinese-inspired recipe, the meat is seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, and more, which infuses it with layers of flavor. Serve over mashed potatoes with a vegetable on the side and enjoy!
Korean Barbecue Short Ribs Teriyaki
These Korean-style barbecue beef short ribs are bathed in a classic Japanese teriyaki marinade, which results in a dish that’s packed with flavor and easy to customize to your own tastes. Feel free to tweak the marinade by adding garlic or any other spices or seasonings, such as finely minced chile peppers.
Sweet and Spicy Grilled Beef Short Ribs
Julia Hartbeck
If you’ve purchased some short ribs from the butcher and are looking for a recipe that will turn them into a scrumptious meal in under an hour, this is it. In this 45-minute recipe, flanken-cut short ribs (cut across the bones) are coated with a rub that includes light brown sugar, paprika, and more, and grilled for a mere six minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and slaw, and dig in!
Grilled Beef Galbi
Got a craving for Korean barbecue at home? Try beef galbi, which is basically Korean-style marinated short ribs. For this recipe you’ll need flanken-style beef short ribs, which aren’t as thick as English short ribs. Plus, they’re ideal for marinating and grilling due to their increased surface area and thinness. Speaking of the marinade, this one is made with mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and more.
Balsamic and Brown Sugar Short Ribs
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Not only is this short rib recipe sweet yet tangy thanks to a balsamic vinegar–infused broth, but it comes together in one pot, which is key for those of us who hate doing dishes. The beef cooks alongside winter vegetables like sweet cipollini onions and nutty celeriac, leaving you with a balanced, tasty meal.
Braised Short Ribs in the Oven
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Many short rib marinades are made with an array of herbs, spices, and sauces. However, this recipe contains just 10 ingredients, including many you likely already have at home. Despite a relatively brief list of ingredients, these short ribs are still ridiculously tasty thanks to dry red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and more.
Thai Panang Beef Curry
Short ribs can stand up to bold, powerful flavors, such as those you would find in Thai panang curry. The curry itself is rich and nutty thanks to coconut milk, panang curry paste, fish sauce, and more, and pairs perfectly with a side of jasmine rice so you can sop up every last bit.
Related: What Is Tabouli, and How Do You Make It at Home?
Oven Braised Beef Short Ribs With Cabbage
Diana Rattray
Perfect for a chilly winter night, this dish calls for just 10 minutes of prep work. Here, short ribs are braised to perfection with some bacon, apple juice, beef broth, and wedges of cabbage. The meat does need to be cooked for three hours in the oven, but we promise it’s worth the wait!
Short Rib Ragù with Orange-Parsley Gremolata
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Look for especially meaty short ribs for this recipe. While the meat is obviously the backbone of the rich ragù, fennel seeds, ground allspice, and habanero hot sauce make this pasta topper really stand out. And don’t even get us started on the bright gremolata, which is made with grated garlic, parsley, and orange zest, and is the jewel on the crown of saucy noodles.
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