How to Make Short Ribs in the Oven

Let's face it, firing up the grill isn't the most time-efficient way to make dinner—someone (usually you) needs to constantly watch the meat roasting over the unpredictable flame. The good news is that the secret to this juicy and fall-apart-in-your-mouth short ribs recipe is a long slow process in the oven—meaning you can throw the ribs in the oven for a couple of hours and be free to finish the million other things you have to do.

Because of the muscles that make up beef short ribs, braising them in the oven (cooking in the oven for a long time with a liquid) is the best technique to prepare succulent ribs without fooling with your grill. The liquid used in the sample recipe below is red wine, a flavorful classic for making short ribs in the oven.

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Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Serves 6

5 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs, 2-inches thick

Kosher salt and black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine

Fresh parsley for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously coat the short ribs in salt and pepper. Heat half of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the short ribs and sear the outside of each rib until browned, turning to cook all surfaces of the meat, about 8 minutes. Use tongs to remove short ribs from pan and place them in a bowl. Add the rest of the oil to the Dutch oven and sear the rest of the short ribs. Remove from Dutch oven when finished and place them in the bowl with the rest of the short ribs.
2. Leaving the fat from the short ribs in the Dutch oven, add the onion and the fresh thyme. Stir occasionally as it cooks until the onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the carrots, tomatoes, and red wine to the Dutch oven. Take the short ribs from the bowl and nestle them into the liquid using tongs. Be sure to place them in the Dutch oven with the bone facing up. Also, be sure to pour in any juices that have accumulated in the bowl the short ribs were resting in.
4. Bring everything to a boil on the stove before covering the Dutch oven with its lid and placing in the oven for 2 ½ hours. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.