The Ultimate Tender Crock Pot Short Ribs Recipe

Are you dreaming of a meal that is both deeply comforting and effortlessly impressive? A dish so succulent that the meat literally falls from the bone, perfuming your entire home with its rich, savoury aroma? We have just the thing. With our guide, we will walk you through creating the most delicious and profoundly flavourful Tender Crock Pot Short Ribs you’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. This is the perfect centrepiece for a cosy Sunday dinner, a celebratory meal, or any time you crave something truly special. There’s no need for complex cooking methods; your slow cooker is about to do all the heavy lifting for you.

With their ideal ratio of meat, fat, and bone, beef short ribs are simply destined for the gentle heat of a slow cooker. As they simmer away for hours in a luxurious, aromatic broth, the tough connective tissues melt away, creating a wonderfully unctuous and tender texture that is second to none. It’s the kind of heartwarming dish that gathers everyone around the dinner table, offering a true taste of home-cooked luxury. If you appreciate hearty dishes like our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe, you are sure to fall in love with the comforting qualities of these ribs.

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• Effortless to Prepare: Once you’ve completed a quick sear, you just need to combine everything in the Crock Pot and let it perform its culinary magic. It’s a wonderfully simple meal that delivers a taste suggesting hours of work in the kitchen.
• Guaranteed Tenderness: This method ensures you achieve perfect fall off the bone ribs without fail. The low, slow cooking process results in meat that is incredibly moist, succulent, and melt-in-the-mouth tender.
• A Luxurious, Restaurant-Worthy Sauce: The braising liquid transforms into a glossy, intensely flavourful sauce that is simply divine when drizzled over creamy mashed potatoes or soft polenta. It’s complex, savoury, and utterly irresistible.
• Ideal for Any Occasion: While sophisticated enough for entertaining guests, this dish is also the epitome of easy comfort food, making it a superb choice for a relaxed family meal over the weekend.
• Even Better the Next Day: We find that the flavours develop and deepen beautifully overnight. We often prepare a large batch to enjoy as leftovers for a day or two. It truly is a meal that keeps on giving.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (about 3.3 lbs) bone-in beef short ribs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 150g (about ⅔ cup) tomato purée (tomato paste)
• 250ml (about 1 cup) dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
• 750ml (about 3 cups) beef broth or stock
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Crock Pot Short Ribs

Crafting these phenomenal Slow cooker short ribs is a very manageable process. We’ve broken it down into a few key stages, designed to build layers of rich, savoury flavour before the slow cooker begins its work.

Step 1: Prepare and Sear the Short Ribs

To begin, it is essential to pat the short ribs thoroughly dry with paper towels. This step is vital for achieving a beautiful, dark brown sear. Season them generously all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, gently add the short ribs to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd it; you may need to work in a couple of batches. Sear the ribs for 2–3 minutes on each side until they are deeply browned. This searing process, known as the Maillard reaction, develops a depth of flavour that is impossible to achieve otherwise. Once seared, move the ribs into your Crock Pot.

Step 2: Build the Flavour Base

Lower the heat of your pan to medium. You’ll notice delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan—this is concentrated flavour! Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring periodically, until the vegetables are soft and the onions appear translucent. Now, add the minced garlic and continue to cook for one more minute until it becomes fragrant. Add the tomato purée, stirring it into the vegetables, and cook for another 2 minutes. This helps to cook out any raw taste and deepens its rich flavour.

Step 3: Deglaze and Create the Braising Liquid

It’s time for a little kitchen alchemy. Pour the red wine into the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all of those flavourful browned morsels from the bottom. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce by about half, a process that typically takes 3–5 minutes. This technique, called deglazing, is fundamental to creating a rich and complex sauce. After the wine has reduced, pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Add the bay leaves and dried thyme, then stir everything together well. Bring the entire mixture to a gentle simmer.

Step 4: The Slow Cooker Takes Over

Gently pour the hot braising liquid and vegetables over the short ribs waiting in the Crock Pot. Check that the ribs are mostly covered by the liquid. Pop the lid on, set your slow cooker to the ‘Low’ function, and let it cook for 8–10 hours. Alternatively, you can use the ‘High’ setting for 4–6 hours. For the most tender, succulent outcome, we highly recommend using the ‘Low’ setting. The ribs are ready when the meat is exceptionally tender and is visibly pulling away from the bone.

Step 5: Finish and Serve

When the cooking time is complete, carefully transfer the ribs from the slow cooker to a plate and cover them with foil to keep them warm. For a refined, smooth sauce, you can strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding the cooked vegetables. To thicken the sauce, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat on the hob and allow it to reduce until it reaches your preferred consistency. Skim off any excess fat that rises to the surface. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the short ribs hot, with a generous helping of the luscious sauce spooned over the top. A garnish of fresh parsley adds a lovely touch of colour and freshness.

Serving Suggestions for Your Braised Beef Ribs

These wonderfully rich and savoury braised beef ribs make for a hearty main dish that pairs splendidly with a range of sides that are perfect for soaking up all of that incredible sauce. Here are some of our top choices:

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes: A timeless classic and perhaps the ultimate companion. Fluffy, buttery mash provides the perfect base for the rich gravy.
• Soft Polenta: A fantastic, creamy alternative to potatoes that offers a delightful textural contrast.
• Crusty Bread: An absolute must for mopping up every single last drop of the glorious sauce.
• Egg Noodles or Pappardelle: The wide shape of these pastas is ideal for catching the sauce and tender shredded beef.
• Roasted Root Vegetables: Consider roasting parsnips, carrots, or Brussels sprouts to introduce a hint of sweetness that balances the dish’s richness. For another simple yet satisfying meal, have a look at our Sticky Chicken Rice Bowls.

Expert Tips for Success

If you want to guarantee that your short ribs turn out absolutely perfectly, we invite you to follow these straightforward tips from our kitchen.

• Choose Bone-In Ribs: While boneless ribs can be used, the bone-in variety imparts significantly more flavour to the dish and contributes to a richer, more gelatinous sauce. You can find out more about different cuts of beef from a reliable source like this guide to beef cuts from AHDB Beef & Lamb.
• Don’t Skip the Sear: We simply cannot overstate the importance of this step! Searing the meat is the most critical stage for developing a deep, complex, and robust beefy flavour.
• Low and Slow is the Way to Go: Whenever time permits, we urge you to use the ‘Low’ setting on your Crock Pot. This longer, more gentle cooking process produces the most tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
• Make It Ahead: This is one of those dishes that improves with time, tasting even more delicious the following day as the flavours meld. Simply let it cool, store it in the fridge, and reheat it gently on the hob.

FAQ

Conclusion: Your New Favourite Comfort Meal

And there we have it – a straightforward, foolproof guide to making exceptionally tender Crock Pot short ribs. This recipe is proof that you don’t need to be a culinary expert to create a meal that is profoundly comforting, impressively tasty, and certain to delight anyone you serve it to. The slow cooker takes care of all the hard work, giving you more time to unwind and look forward to the wonderful meal that awaits.

So, the next time you are in search of a true showstopper, we do hope you’ll give these short ribs a go. We are quite sure this will become a much-loved recipe in your cooking repertoire. If you’ve made this dish, we would be delighted to hear how it went! Please feel free to leave a comment and a rating below to share your thoughts with us.

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