Italian Short Ribs (Braised Beef Ribs)

Italian Short Ribs are juicy, succulent and packed with flavour. Braised to lock in moisture then added to sautéed vegetables and wine to create a rich sauce that is simply delicious! Easy to make with a luxurious 3 hour cook time these Italian braised short ribs are the best winner, winner, sophisticated dinner you can make at home.

Recipes like the Dry Rubbed Slow Cooker Ribs, Sticky Pork Ribs, Oven Baked Pork Ribs and BBQ Lamb Ribs get finger licking good ribs on the plate.

The Beef Osso Bucco, Lamb Osso Bucco and Pork Osso Bucco explore a variety of proteins with Italian flavours.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Decadent dining: spag bowl is good a lot of the time, but what is even better is a long cooking meat and vegetable dish that smells amazing and melts in your mouth. Big flavors, a glass of wine, comforting meal and Sunday dinner is sorted! 😉👌.
• Comfort food: the meat literally falls off the bone for this recipe. It is juicy, succulent and tender.
• Taste and texture: along with the moist saucy beef, the trio of cooked vegetables and sauce flavours deliver both taste and texture in a flavoursome manner.
• Easy Italian: whilst the cook time is long, the method is straightforward. We take simple steps to create this delicious Italian short ribs recipe and once it is in the oven, it is pretty much hands off and let it cook itself!
• Leftovers: if you have any, they will taste just as good, if not better the next day than the day you cook the Italian beef ribs. Heat and re enjoy the deliciousness!

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. They are all simple ingredients that are readily available. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Beef short ribs: you will be able to get these from the meat section of the grocery store or your local butcher. They are best cooked for a long time to break down the connective tissue.
• Beef stock: also known as beef broth. We use this to help create a saucy moist cooking environment for the ribs.
• Red wine: in addition to the above, a component of the sauce.
• Diced tomatoes: try and purchase plain ones with no additional herbs. This way we know exactly what has gone into the dish!
• Vegetables: the onion, carrot and celery are simple vegetables that hold their own when cooked for a long period of time. These get cooked to soften and help impart flavor into the recipe.
• Garlic: chunky minced is great to use or you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves and finely chop them up.
• Dried parsley: a pantry staple, you are likely to already have on hand.
• Beef bouillon cubes: we sprinkle 2 of these over the top of the pan before we put it in the oven. They add an additional sense of holy cow yum to the recipe.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: we use a little of these on both sides of the ribs, to season, before we sear them.
• Bay leaves: popped on top of the ribs before they go into the oven to provide an aromatic depth of flavour.
• Olive oil: we use this to braise the beef ribs as a means of locking flavour into the ribs.
• Gremolata (optional): yet delicious! A simple trio of minced garlic, lemon zest and fresh parsley, stirred together and sprinkled over the top of the ribs for serving.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by seasoning the ribs on both sides with salt and black pepper.

• Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper (Photo 1)
• Brown each side of the ribs in olive oil (Photo 2)
• Cook the vegetables (Photo 3)
• Add the garlic, dried parsley and tomato paste (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Italian Short Ribs

We start by seasoning both sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper. Once done, we place a large dutch oven on the stove and add a little oil.

Turn the heat to high and use kitchen tongs to place each rib into the pan. Allow the meat to brown for about 2-3 minutes, then use the tongs to flip and rotate them to the other side.

Avoid trying to braise any exposed bone, but you can do the sides of the ribs if that is meaty looking also.

Once done, use a pair of tongs to remove the browned short ribs from the bottom of the pan and place them into a bowl lined with paper towel.

Next without rinsing or cleaning the pan add the onion, carrot and celery. These need to be cooked for about 3 minutes. It will help to cook them if you give them a couple of stirs with a wooden spoon throughout this time.

Then add the minced garlic, dried parsley and tomato paste.

• Add the diced tomatoes (Photo 5)
• Then add the ribs to the pan (Photo 6)
• Pour in the red wine (Photo 7)
• Then pour in the beef stock (Photo 8)

Give the dish a stir or 2 and then add in the diced tomatoes and use the tongs to place the ribs back into the back, a little bit spread apart from each other.

Next, pour in the red wine 😉 and follow this with the beef stock.

Once this is done, you can grab the 2 beef bouillion cubes and use your fingers to crush these over the top of the pan.

• Crush the stock cubes over the dish (Photo 9)

The next step is to put the bay leaves into the pan. I usually pop them right in the centre of the dish, like you see in the photo below.

• Add the bay leaves (Photo 10)

After adding the bay leaf, put the lid of the pan on, then place the dish onto the middle shelf of a pre heated oven.

The ribs need 3 hours to cook.

I like to remove them each hour (using oven mits) and rotate them to the other side before pushing them down snuggly into the saucy vegetable mixture.

• Cook the ribs for 3 hours (Photo 11)

Once done, you can remove the pan from the oven, place it on a heatproof surface and get ready to get your gremolata on 😉👌.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Creamy polenta is my go to for the base of the bowls and this gets topped with the vegetables that the ribs have cooked in. Then pop a cooked rib into the centre of that deliciousness and sprinkle the gremolata over the top.

For extra drizzle, you can use some Worcestershire sauce over the top for serving if you wish to. Another simple idea is crusty bread that can help mop up the red wine sauce.

You probably won't want anything else or anything along the lines of sides as it is such a hearty satisfying meal.

If however, you want a potato option in place of the polenta, either the Garlic Butter Potatoes or Easy Duck Fat Roast Potatoes will work well.

The gremolata, is in my opinion worth your time as well as it brings a lovely light citrus lift to the ribs. Combined with fresh herbs, lemon and garlic makes it a simply sensational combination.

Give it a sprinkling of cracked pepper and tell everyone to get ready to dive on in!!

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of the dish in a large airtight container or plates with lids. They will last for 3 days and they can be frozen also.

How to Freeze

Allow the dish to fully cool. Then portion into containers and seal with lid. They can be frozen for up to 3 months and are best thawed prior to reheating. Ie not reheating from frozen.

How to Reheat

The microwave is the quickest and easiest way to reheat leftovers. Simply cover and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until the dish is heated through.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use white wine in place of the red if you wish to.
• You can also use chicken stock in place of the beef stock as an option.
• Crushed tomatoes can be used in place of the diced tomatoes.
• Oregano or basil can be used in place of the dried parsley.
• If you don't have bay leaves, you can add 1 or both of the herbs mentioned above to create an aromatic flavour across the dish.
• If making the gremolata is too much effort for you on the night, you can simply garnish the dish with chopped parsley and cracked pepper.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Liberally season the cast iron pan base and sides with the olive oil. This will make it easier to clean when it comes to that stage.
• When searing the ribs, use kitchen tongs to help rotate the pieces around. You can do the sides as well, not only the top and bottom.
• You will see some exposed bone on one side of the short ribs, no need to try and braised that bit 😉👌.
• Removing (using oven mits) and placing on a heat proof surface before taking off the lid and rotating the ribs to the other side is a good way to ensure that part of the meat is cooking in the liquid sauce the whole time. Rotating this, ensures consistency across the way in which the ribs cook.
• When doing the above, each time you open the oven, keep your head out of there for a minute, this allows the waft of heat to get out and up and then you can stick your face it there 🤣👌.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Are short ribs tender or tough?

Short ribs are considered a tough cut of meat, which is why cooking them for a long 3 hour period is recommended to ensure juicy, moist, fall off the bone meat.

Should I salt short ribs before cooking?

Yes. Seasoning both sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper is the 1st step in their cooking process.

Should short ribs be covered in liquid?

The short ribs should not be submerged fully or covered by the liquids. Rather they sit snuggly in the liquids, which reduce throughout the cook time.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

I like to give you plenty of options when it comes to dinner to offer a variety of time, appliance, protein, taste and texture possibilities. Here are some recipes I hope that you will enjoy the next time you need to know 'What's For Dinner?'.

• Salmon Fettuccine
• Swedish Meatballs
• Crumbed Lamb Cutlets
• Mexican Ribs
• Meatball Pesto Pasta
• Rigatoni Alfredo
• Garlic Pepper Beef
• Grilled Chicken Alfredo
• Mongolian Beef Noodles
• Penne Alfredo

Its time to get short with our ribs my friend 🤣. You can also find all of my dinner recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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