Southern Short Ribs

Beefy, flavorful, tender, juicy and all the things you EVER wanted to say about the best beef short ribs recipe EVER found, you found it with these Southern Short Ribs. Serious! Try them!

Why This Recipe Works

• Short ribs make a delicious GRAVY to serve over mashed potatoes or rice!
• You are REALLY cooking making this recipe, it’s the best beef short ribs recipe around!
• Nothing beats a slow cooked wonder like this! 

What To Serve With Short Ribs…

We LOVE  these with some POTATOES! Try mashed , scalloped , au gratin or  baked. Then of course, there’s sweet potatoes or roasted or baked! Rice works too! 

Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas, Pinto Beans all work to finish out the meal! Don’t forget the banana pudding and Sweet Tea!

Here’s How It’s Done

STEP 1. Cut the silvery stretchy stuff off of your ribs, if there is any. Season them and lay them in the pan so that they are not touching. 

STEP 2. Roast the ribs until they are blackened and crunchy (no worries, that is how you want them to look!)

STEP 3. Load it all into a Dutch Oven and bake until everything is tender. OH SO DELICIOUS! Makes its OWN GRAVY!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about Southern Short Ribs

How Do I Know What Short Ribs to Buy? 

Do THESE THREE things. 

1. Buy directly from the butcher’s case if you can – have the butcher to help you select the best ribs.
2. Buy meat that is nicely marbled – if there is a single fat pad on one side of the ribs – that is ok – it is just the cut. But if you can buy some that don’t have this – then get that cut.
3. If you are buying ribs in the Styrofoam trays, try your best to see if the meat is brown on the bottom side – if it is, don’t buy that one. I am guessing this isn’t the most popular cut of meat –and you want to make sure that what you are spending your money on is fresh!

What Goes with Short Ribs? 

Oh MAN! What DOESN’T go with Short Ribs?  We LOVE Mashed potatoes or baked potatoes. How about a baked sweet potato? This two ingredient Rice dish is perfect as well. Asparagus or corn works too

How Long Does It Take To Braise Short Ribs? 

For this recipe, you’ll need about 3-4 hours, which is a LONG time, we know. But, they are TASTY!

Are Short Ribs Good? 

Does a dog howl? Can a fish make bubbles? Do birds fly? YOU BETCHA this recipe is good!

Why Are Short Ribs So Expensive? 

I’ll tell ya, I have no idea. They are listed as a budget cut of beef but in my grocery they are EXPENSIVE! I figure that a cow only has so many short ribs and there aren’t many. 

How Do I Know If My Short Ribs Are Done? 

• The proper cooking temp (use a good thermometer – check my resources page to see what I recommend) for ribs is 145, HOWEVER, that isn’t done enough for them to be tender.
• You’ll need for your ribs to get up to 200 degrees for them to be properly fall off the bone tender. 
• In this case, you are going to ROAST the ribs FIRST and then cook them even longer in liquid in the dutch oven, you have no worries! 

Can You Over Cook Ribs? 

Actually, YOU CAN overcook ribs. When overcooked, the ribs are more stringy and may just fall right off the bone. Just cook them by the information that I give you here. 

Are Beef Ribs Tough? 

Not if you cook them right! That’s why I wrote this recipe! 

Can I Make These Short Ribs In the Slow Cooker? 

Yes! Absolutely! Roast them first according to the directions given and then put them in the slow cooker instead of the dutch oven and set on high for 4 hours. 

Can I Use Boneless Ribs for this Recipe? 

This recipe works best with bone in short ribs. I’m not even sure that boneless ribs are actual shortribs. So, if you are doing boneless, roast for 1/2 the time and then cut the cook time to 2 hours in the oven.

Tips and Tricks for Beef Short Ribs

1. When you do the baking part, you need to know that it could smoke up your kitchen- it did smoke up mine – both times. The first time, I figured that it was because my oven needed to be cleaned. That first time, when I took the ribs from the oven at the appointed time, I almost cried. They looked like little black crusty burnt things. No worries – that is how they are supposed to look. I cleaned my oven before making them the second time and they still smoked – but not as bad. Just be forewarned.
2. Apparently, Southern Short Ribs are better on the next day. For the ultimate short rib experience, you should finish straining the liquid and then store the ribs and the gravy separate. The next day, heat them together in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat. Our ribs never made it to the second day – so I can’t comment on this really.

Gravy…. mmmmm

1. This gravy/sauce for the Southern Short Ribs is EXCELLENT over mashed potatoes, rice, baked potatoes and sopped up on bread. In fact, in my opinion, it is the gravy that makes this dish.
2. Do not fret if the bones fall out of your Southern Short Ribs before you are able to dip them onto the plate. That is a good sign! “Fall of the bones tender” is what you are aiming for anyway!
3. If you are not sure what Southern Short Ribs should taste like – these taste like the most tender, moist delicate beef roast that you have ever eaten. (Now, I am making myself hungry and it is only 8:30 in the morning as I am writing this!)
4. If you REALLY want to know more about beef short ribs, go here! 

If You Enjoyed This Recipe for Southern Short Ribs , You Might Also Enjoy…

Braised Pork Ribs

Perfect Crockpot Pot Roast

Daddy’s Drooling Again Roast

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Leave me a 5 STAR comment in the comment section below. This helps other people to find recipes on Loaves and Dishes! 

Southern Short Ribs

These delicious southern short ribs are what I want every single weekend meal to taste like and they have become a complete staple around here. 

5 from 2 votes

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Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: short ribs, southern short ribs

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 611kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 6 lbs bone in short ribs – trim any excess fat or sliver skin
• Salt and pepper
• 3 Cups Merlot wine I used Rex Goliath brand
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 large onion – cut into fourths
• 4 large carrots – cut into large rough chunks
• 3 large celery stalks – cut into large rough chunks
• 1 head of garlic – cloves removed and smashed – skins removed
• ¼ Cup all purpose flour
• 1 quart of beef broth OK to use chicken broth – I make my own beef broth – so if using store bought – 4 cups
• 1 quart of crushed tomatoes drained I use tomatoes I canned – but it is fine to use store bought – use the 14.5 ounce size can - drained
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme tie in a bundle with kitchen string with the rosemary
• 2 medium Bay leaves
• 1 small can of tomato paste

Instructions

• Adjust the rack of the oven to the lower middle position and set oven heat on 450. Arrange the ribs bone side down in a single layer in a large flameproof roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper – about ½ tsp of each. Roast uncovered for about 45 minutes. If there is any liquid in the bottom of the pan (mine didn’t have any) drain this off with a bulb baster or a spoon. Flip the ribs over and roast the other side for about 8 minutes until the other side is browned as well. Remove the ribs from the oven and remove them from the roasting pan to a plate. Set the roasting pan across two burners on the stove and set the burners on medium high heat. Allow the pan to heat slightly and then add the wine to the pan. Bring to a simmer and scrape up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Set the roasting pan and the wine aside once the bottom of the pan has been thoroughly scraped. (You will note in my photos - that I have only made about 2 lbs of ribs - but I did make the sauce exactly as noted here - I simply made less ribs because that is how my ribs were packaged from the meat processor - we have 1/2 a cow in the freezer and have to use the cuts we are provided)
• Adjust the oven heat to 300. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, use 2 tbs of the reserved fat (or if there is none – 2 tbs butter – I had to use butter). Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté for about 12 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds until you can smell the garlic. Add the flour and allow to cook for 3 minutes . Stir in the wine from the roasting pan, the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and another ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the ribs one at a time and completely submerge them in the liquid. Add the rosemary and thyme bundle and return the pot to a boil. Cover with the lid and place the entire pot in the oven for the next 2- 2.5 hours. When you remove the dutch oven from the oven, the meat should be very tender and near falling off of the bone. If it isn’t, place back in the oven for another half an hour.
• Set the dutch oven out to cool on a wire rack and allow to set until it is manageably cool – about 2 hours.
• Remove the ribs from the dutch oven to a plate. Remove the bundle of herbs and any large chunks of vegetables and discard. Strain the braising liquid into a medium sized bowl and press out any liquid from the remaining solids. Discard any remaining solids.
• At this point, you can put the ribs and the liquid back together and reheat on the stove top and serve OR you can cover the ribs and save the ribs and the liquid separately and refrigerate over night (which is suggested for best taste). If you do save this and refrigerate for the next day – simply reheat in a large stock pot together on the stove top.
• Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or with a baked potato. Serve a crusty bread that is very absorbent (for all of that delicious sauce!). Asparagus or roasted veggies make nice sides as well.
• Garnish with parsley, green onions, sesame seeds etc.

Notes

1. When you do the baking part, you need to know that it could smoke up your kitchen- it did smoke up mine – both times.  The first time, I figured that it was because my oven needed to be cleaned.  That first time, when I took the ribs from the oven at the appointed time, I almost cried.  They looked like little black crusty burnt things.  No worries – that is how they are supposed to look.  I cleaned my oven before making them the second time and they still smoked – but not as bad.  Just be forewarned.
2. Apparently, Southern Short Ribs are better on the next day. For the ultimate short rib experience, you should finish straining the liquid and then store the ribs and the gravy separate.  The next day, heat them together in a large pot on the stove top over medium heat.  Our ribs never made it to the second day – so I can’t comment on this really.

Gravy.... mmmmm

1. This gravy/sauce for the Southern Short Ribs is EXCELLENT over mashed potatoes, rice, baked potatoes and sopped up on bread.  In fact, in my opinion, it is the gravy that makes this dish.
2. Do not fret if the bones fall out of your Southern Short Ribs before you are able to dip them onto the plate. That is a good sign!  “Fall of the bones tender” is what you are aiming for anyway!
3. If you are not sure what Southern Short Ribs should taste like – these taste like the most tender, moist delicate beef roast that you have ever eaten.  (Now, I am making myself hungry and it is only 8:30 in the morning as I am writing this!)

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Southern Short Ribs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 611 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 13g65%

Cholesterol 154mg51%

Sodium 821mg34%

Potassium 1566mg45%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 52g104%

Vitamin A 5535IU111%

Vitamin C 15mg18%

Calcium 96mg10%

Iron 8mg44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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***This post first appeared on the pages of Loaves and Dishes on November 15, 2015 and has been updated with “why this recipe works” “step by step instructions”, frequently asked questions, “what goes with”, updated recipe card with nutrition information, related video, updated instructions and equipment tips***

A VERSE TO SHARE

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Southern Short Ribs www.loavesanddishes.net