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Indulge in the savory delight of my Slow Cooker Short Ribs recipe. Their deep flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture are truly slow cooker magic. These short ribs promise to be the star of the show of any family dinner. With only 15 minutes of prep and simple ingredients, you can set it and forget it while it cooks.
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Short Ribs in the Crock Pot
Beef Short ribs in the crockpot are the ultimate comfort food! They are so juicy and literally melt in your mouth. This is a slow cooker recipe I make again and again for my family, especially as a part of my favorite Sunday dinner ideas. Our other favorite is my slow cooker lasagna. It is so easy to prepare ahead of time for a crowd!
My other top recipe for Sunday supper that is requested again and again is my beef chuck roast recipe. It just melts in your mouth and the potatoes are as good as the beef when they are cooked in the delicious broth.
Such a great recipe! You can taste the build of flavors in the meat. It’s not an overpowering punch, but more of a slow progression of flavors, which I feel like makes this dish taste and feel sophisticated.
Rachael on Pinterest
Crock Pot Short Ribs Ingredients
- beef chuck short ribs
- salt approx
- pepper
- onion
- celery
- carrots
- vegetable oil
- garlic crushed
- red wine
- balsamic vinegar
- tomato paste
- beef broth
- Rosemary
- bay leaves
Short Ribs Slow Cooker Recipe
- Pat beef short ribs dry if necessary.
- Finely dice the onion, celery ribs, and carrots.
- Season all over with salt and pepper. Pat the seasoning into the meat.
- Warm half of your vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the short ribs on all sides, in two batches so you don’t overcrowd the skillet. Make sure to sear until you have a nice mahogany crust.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the skillet along with the remaining oil. Reduce the heat slightly so the vegetables don’t burn.
- Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes, then add 1 clove of minced garlic. Cook a minute more, then add red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- As it starts to simmer, add balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, beef broth, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Add the short ribs to the slow cooker. Bring the vegetable mixture to a simmer then pour over the short ribs.
- Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 – 8 hours.
- Remove the bay leaves when it is done and discard them.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or thick pasta like pappardelle.
Amazing, so much flavor!
Carissa
Short Rib Gravy Recipe
You can serve the braised short ribs in their own drippings (which is absolutely amazing) or make them into a gravy. Homemade gravy is easy, delicious, and adds so much flavor to the dish
- When done, remove the short ribs to a platter, and tent with foil.
- Strain the liquid and remove any large chunks of meat and vegetables.
- Add the strained liquids back to the pot, then add 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and stir to make gravy. It’s that easy!
Beef Short Ribs Slow Cooker Tips
- I used bone-in short ribs for this recipe but boneless also works well.
- Make sure to give the short ribs a good amount of seasoning with salt and pepper to intensify the flavor.
- Important step: Heating oil in a skillet and sear the ribs on all sides in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. This step is key to beautiful and flavorful short ribs.
- You can also use large pieces of carrots and serve them as your side dish.
Very easy & delicious. Would definitely make this again.
Edie on Pinterest
What are Short Ribs?
Tender beef chuck short ribs are one of the best cuts of beef for slow cooking and grilling. They come from the front section of the backbone and are beautifully marbled.
Slow Cooker Short Ribs FAQs
There are two cuts: flanken and English-style.
Flanken means “flank” in German, and it refers to ribs located along the back towards the belly of the cow, cut across the bones. They are cut into short ½-inch lengths. Sometimes, a few cross-sections of ribs are left in a strip.
The English style of short ribs is cut between each rib to separate them. This leaves a thick piece of meat sitting on top of the bone. English ribs can be left in one long piece or cut into smaller, 2-inch pieces. Some are bone-in while others are boneless beef short ribs.
They are both immensely juicy and packed with flavor!
My recipe requires searing the meat before adding it to the crock pot in order to build flavor. When you sear them, the outside of the meat caramelizes slightly. This builds a more flavorful dish, as that flavor releases as the beef cooks in the crockpot.
I recommend using a cast-iron skillet to sear your beef.
I made this tonight. It was incredibly delicious. The prep work is worth the effort. I served with a red wine, crusty bread and a side salad.
Kay on Pinterest
Short Rib Recipes
Try my Grilled Pork Ribs and Air Fryer Ribs!
📋 Recipe
Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs. beef chuck short ribs
- ¼ tsp. salt approx.
- ¼ tsp. pepper approx.
- 1 onion
- 8 ribs celery or one stalk
- 3 carrots medium
- 1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil or other flavorless oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed or 1 tsp. finely diced garlic
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- ¾ cup beef broth
- ½ tsp. rosemary dried
- 3 bay leaves
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Pat 2½ lbs. beef short ribs dry if necessary. Finely dice 1 onion, 8 celery ribs, and 3 medium carrots.
- Season all over with salt and pepper. Pat the seasoning into the meat.
- Warm half of your vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the short ribs on all sides, in two batches so you don't overcrowd the skillet. Make sure to sear until you have a nice mahogany crust.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the skillet along with the remaining oil. Reduce the heat slightly so the vegetables don't burn.Â
- Cook the vegetables for a couple minutes, then add 1 clove minced garlic. Cook a minute more, then add ½ cup red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.Â
- As it starts to simmer, add 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, ¾ beef broth, ½ tsp. rosemary, and 3 bay leaves. Add the short ribs to the slow cooker.Bring the vegetable mixture to a simmer then pour over the short ribs.Â
- Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 – 8 hours. Remove the bay leaves when it is done and discard them. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or thick pasta like pappardelle.
Video
Notes
- I used bone in short ribs for this recipe but boneless short ribs also work well.
- Make sure to give the short ribs a good amount of seasoning with salt and pepper to intensify the flavor.Â
- Important step: Heating oil in a skillet and searing the ribs on all sides in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. This step is key to beautiful and flavorful short ribs.Â
- You can also use large pieces of carrots and serve them as your side dish.Â
Mike La Verdi says
Absolutely Awesome!!! Followed recipe with Outstanding results!!! It was So Good that my wife and I finished it all! Just had a little leftover gravy, which was so full bodied and tasty…but it won’t last long!!!
Thanks for a Great Recipe!!!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Mike! We’re so glad you and your wife both enjoyed it! The gravy is my favorite part.
Anne says
This sounds delicious! Do the carrots get soft or do they keep a little bit to them?
I don’t like mushy over cooked carrots!!
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Anne! I personally have had no issues with the carrots slow cooking them this way, but if you’d like them to have a little more bite, you could add them later into the cooktime. If you’re cooking the dish for 6 hours on low, add them at the 2 hour mark so they cook for 4 hours. If you’re cooking for 8 hours, add them halfway through the cook-time.
Enjoy!
Aime says
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! What sides would go better with this?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi, Aime! Thank you! I would say that depends on what sort of meal you’d like to have – I love serving this with mashed potatoes or roasted small potatoes, but you could also serve it with air fried or roasted vegetables, or even a side of pasta, if you like.