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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 Crock Pot
Beef Short ribs in the crockpot are the ultimate comfort food! They are so juicy and 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 melts in your mouth, and the potatoes are as good as the beef when 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
Crockpot 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 in Crock Pot 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.Â
- Cook the vegetables for a couple of minutes, then add minced garlic. Cook a minute more, then add red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.Â
- 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.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.
Beef Short Ribs Crock Pot Gravy
You can serve the braised short ribs in their drippings (which is amazing) or make them into gravy. Homemade gravy is easy, delicious, and adds so much flavor to the dish
- 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!
Short Rib Recipe Slow Cooker Tips
- I used bone-in short ribs for this recipe. 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.
- 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.
Beef Short Ribs in Crock Pot Tips
- Once your slow cooker short ribs have finished cooking, turn off the slow cooker and let them cool slightly, but not to room temperature.
- Transfer the short ribs to an airtight container or a lidded ovenproof dish.
- Seal the container or dish with airtight lids or plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss, and place it in the refrigerator if you plan to consume the short ribs within a few days.
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 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.
Storage and Reheating of Short Ribs
Storing Crock Pot Short Ribs:
- Cooling Down: Once the short ribs are cooked, allow them to cool down at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Leaving them out for too long can lead to bacterial growth.
- Transfer to Containers: Place the short ribs along with any cooking liquid into airtight containers. You can store them whole or shred the meat if preferred. Make sure to leave some space at the top of the container to allow for expansion during freezing.
- Labeling and Freezing: Label the containers with the date of preparation and place them in the refrigerator or freezer accordingly. Short ribs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating Slow Cooker Short Ribs:
- Thawing (if frozen): If the short ribs are frozen, transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan to reheat them. Thawing overnight in the refrigerator is the safest method.
- Reheating in the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to around 325°F (160°C).
- Place the short ribs in an oven-safe dish with any cooking liquid.
- Cover the dish with foil to prevent drying out.
- Reheat for approximately 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
- Reheating on the Stove:
- Transfer the short ribs along with their cooking liquid to a saucepan or skillet.
- Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. This method helps to retain moisture.
- Reheating in the Microwave:
- Place the short ribs in a microwave-safe dish with a lid.
- Heat on medium power in short increments, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating.
- Check the temperature of the meat with a food thermometer to ensure it reaches at least 165°F (74°C).
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
Short Rib Recipes
Try my Grilled Pork Ribs, 3-2-1 Smoked Ribs, and Air Fryer Ribs next!
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.2½ lbs. beef chuck short ribs, 1 onion, 8 ribs celery, 3 carrots
- Season the ribs all over with salt and pepper. Pat the seasoning into the meat.¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper
- 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.1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the skillet along with the remaining oil. Reduce the heat slightly so the vegetables don't burn.Â1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 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.½ cup red wine, 1 clove garlic
- 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.Â2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, ¾ cup beef broth, ½ tsp. rosemary, 3 bay leaves
- 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
Michelle says
Do you need the wine. I’m making this soon but don’t have the wine.
Thanks Michelle
Em Beitel says
Hi Michelle! Not at all. If you don’t have the wine just use extra beef broth in its place or red wine vinegar if you have it. Enjoy!
Anna says
My family loved this recipe! I did add about 2 cups of mushrooms & used mushroom broth. No onions or garlic since one of my kids is allergic to them. Served over mashed potatoes. This recipe is a keeper!
Em Beitel says
Anna, that’s awesome! We’re so glad you and your family enjoy it! Mushrooms with this dish sound amazing – we’ll have to try it your way! Thank you for your comment.
Shawn Fischer says
Wondeful, followed exactly. Going to use leftovers for French Dips tonight. Everyone loved them.
Em Beitel says
That’s awesome, Shawn! Using the leftovers for French Dips is a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing with us!
Nora Whalen says
So I cut off the grizzle holding it onto the bone?
Em Beitel says
Hi Nora! We generally don’t cut the short ribs from the bone. Thank you for your question!
Patty says
Absolutely delicious
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Patty!
Darya says
Should it cook longer than 8 hours, if I double the recipe?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Darya,
8 hours should be perfect. I would test it at a 8 hour mark and if they are still a little tough, I would let them cook for another hour. Let me know how they turn out. This is one of my favorite recipes! My family loves it.
Melanie says
Awesome. My Husband is the cook in the house, which I don’t really mind. I do however like to try new things every once in a while. We absolutely loved your recipe. The house still smells amazing. Thank you so much. I will be following you for more recipes.
Em Beitel says
That is awesome, Melanie! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Cassie says
This may sound like a silly question but I’m assumimg you remove the ribs from the pan before you add the veg?
Em Beitel says
Hi Cassie! That’s not a silly question at all. You do remove the ribs from the pan and set aside when you cook the veg. Enjoy!
Christina says
Thus sounds delicious! I have a silly question. You think it would be fine preparing this up to the slow cooker part the night before and refrigeratorating til the morning?
Em Beitel says
Hi Christina! That is not a silly question at all! Yes, I think you could prepare everything up until the slow cooking steps and then just store it until you’re ready to cook the next day. That should work out just fine. Please enjoy!
Jack says
If using the instant pot, how long do you think it would need to cook?
Em Beitel says
Hi Jack! We actually make a very similar recipe to this in the Instant Pot and it takes around an hour to make all in all. If your IP has a slow cooker function you could use that, or if you want to cook it at pressure I would follow the directions for searing the short ribs and caramelizing the vegetables on saute mode first, then cook them for about 45 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release for 15 minutes. Enjoy!