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Slow-cooked beef short ribs braised low and slow in a full bottle of red wine with onions, garlic, carrots, and fresh herbs. If there’s one comforting winter meal you should make this season, it’s these wine-braised short ribs. Serve them over creamy mashed potatoes with plenty of rich red wine pan sauce. It’s a warming, one-pot dinner that feels special enough for a holiday gathering but simple enough for a cozy weeknight at home.
December is the most festive month in my kitchen. I always gravitate toward dishes that feel a little elevated without any extra effort. Short ribs are one of my go-tos. I make them once or twice every December because my family loves them, and they make the whole house smell incredible.
After cooking countless versions over the years, I’ve simplified the process as much as possible. Everything goes into one large Dutch oven (or the crockpot!) and slow cooks all day until tender and perfect.
They truly couldn’t be easier. Serve them with creamy mashed potatoes, warm garlic bread (a new favorite recipe is coming soon!), and a big holiday salad.
Wine Recommendation
I also wanted to share a wine recommendation from Tyson, our lead sommelier for the HBH Wine Shop, for anyone who loves pairing a special dish with a great bottle. I asked him what would complement these short ribs best, and his insight was too good not to include here.
Les Rocs du Barry Bordeaux Supérieur (France 2023). This Merlot-based Bordeaux has smooth, silky tannins and blackcurrant notes that naturally complement the rich, fall-apart beef. Since the ribs are braised in red wine, pairing the dish with a classic French red creates a seamless harmony — the wine in the glass echoes the wine in the pot. It’s a traditional, beautifully balanced pairing that elevates both the short ribs and the sauce without overpowering the dish.
If you prefer something bolder, Alquira Red Blend Reserva (Chile 2022), which has a Cabernet-dominant profile strong enough to stand up to a heavily reduced braising liquid or a spicier preparation.
Both bottles are included in our Seasonal Collection Red 6 Pack, available now in our HBH Wine Shop – with free shipping for the holiday season!
The perfect winter dinner — especially for entertaining this season!
These are the details
Ingredients
- bone in beef short ribs
- flour
- onions
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- tomato paste
- red wine
- broth – I like to use bone broth
- bay leaves
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- salted butter
- fig preserves/jam – this is optional
Special Tools
All this recipe requires is your favorite oven-safe Dutch oven and a bottle of wine!
Steps
Step 1: Prep the Short Ribs
Use about 5 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs and place them in a Dutch oven or crockpot. I often choose the Dutch oven since the ribs brown a bit as they cook, but either method works great. Season generously with salt and pepper, then dust the ribs all over with flour.
Step 2: Add the Remaining Ingredients
Now everything else goes right into the pot—no searing, no pre-cooking.
Layer in the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Stir the tomato paste into the red wine, then pour it over the ribs. Add the broth, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme.
Cover and cook until the ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender, about 3–5 hours depending on the amount of meat. Longer is always better.
Step 3: Broil the Short Ribs
During the final few minutes of cooking, switch the oven to broil. Uncover the pot and let the ribs caramelize on top until deeply browned.
Step 4: Make the Sauce
Transfer the ribs and vegetables to a warm casserole dish and cover to keep them cozy.
Set the Dutch oven over medium heat and bring the cooking liquid to a boil. Add the butter and fig preserves, if using, and simmer until the sauce reduces slightly. Season to taste.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
Serve the short ribs over creamy mashed potatoes—tender, rich, and practically falling apart. Spoon plenty of the wine sauce over the top. I love pairing this with a big holiday salad and warm garlic bread.
It comes together as the coziest winter dinner: simple, elegant, and perfect for a festive night in.
Looking for more pot roast-type dinners? Here are a few more to try!
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon
Lastly, if you make these Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate this recipe! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 679 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone in beef short ribs
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups largely chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine
- 4 cups broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves/jam (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. Arrange the short ribs in the bottom of a large, oven-safe Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat.3. Snuggle the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery around the ribs. Mix the tomato paste into the red wine. Pour the wine mix over the roast. Add the broth, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Cover and roast for 3 1/2 to 5 hours or until very tender. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and broil until the ribs crisp on top. 4. Remove the ribs and vegetables from the Dutch oven. Keep warm. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, whisk in the butter and fig preserves (if using). Simmer until reduced down just a bit. If needed, add broth/wine to create more sauce. Season with salt and pepper.5. Serve the short ribs, vegetables, and sauce over mashed potatoes. Top with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on December 8, 2025
Can you use boneless short ribs? Will effect the cook time?
Hey Heather,
Totally, I would keep the cook time the same:)
I hope you love this dish! Happy Holidays!
In your video you say this uses a whole bottle of wine, but this recipe calls for 2 cups. Why the different instructions?
Hi Pat,
You can use 2 cups of wine or up to a whole bottle. I hope you love this recipe!
As I have never tried a recipe from HBH that didn’t taste 5 stars, I would have written this review before testing it. However, to be fair to the one star public my tested review is a bonafide 5. Ribs is the last cut of meat I use in my freezer, they are fussy and don’t work for me. How convenient the recipe that come across my feed is for what is now staring at me from the bottom of my freezer. Once again this fail safe recipe creates a probe tender meat that falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. Yes it’s fatty (it’s ribs afterall) likely having nothing to do with Tieghan’s tactics and everything to do with that fact that my Ferdinand feasted on the most fodder. Cut the fat off if it’s offensive. Also, I misunderstood, the feed tag line did say it used a whole bottle of wine. I thought that was supposed to all go in the pot. Turns out the recipe only calls for 2 cups we drink the rest! No confusion, we all know what to do with leftover wine. I feel like this method would also be splendid with a roast, once the freezer is topped up.
Hey Erin,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your notes, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great holiday week!🎄🎁
Hi Tieghan ,
I am so excited to make this recipe , however I did have a few questions …
Can I use a different type of meat for this recipe , rather than using short ribs, can I use a different cut of beef cubed into small pieces ?
Also , could I make this dish on the stove top or is it necessary to make this recipe in the oven ?
Thanks in advance !
Hey Tahniat,
Yes, you can use another cut of beef, you might like this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/red-wine-braised-pot-roast/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I would stick with the oven:)
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Do you think you could use currant jam instead of fig?
Hi Meredith,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try!
A good pot roast or short ribs is always better cooked the day before to allow the flavours to mellow. After being refrigerated overnight it is very simple to remove and discard all the fat. It makes for a much better result and much healthier too!
Thanks so much for sharing, Bev!
This was so greasy & such a waste of ingredients. I’m not sure why copious amounts of fat were added to this recipe but it was horrible.
Very sorry to hear this, Mary-Kate. Thanks for trying the dish.
This was so incredibly greasy. I followed the recipe exactly, and wondered why there wasn’t a step to skim the fat/grease, and wondered even more why butter was called for to add to the pot for the sauce. It was completely unnecessary. I’m in my 50’s and should have trusted my experience in the kitchen when it didn’t say to skim the fat. It’s hard to ruin short ribs, but this comes close. I spent almost $50 on the meat for this dish, so this is extremely disappointing.
I’m confused because a whole bottle of wine is more than 2 cups, but you call for 2 cups in the recipe. Can you clarify?
Hi Allie,
I use a whole bottle of wine, between 2-3 cups. I hope you love this dish!
Happy Holidays!
This was phenomenal. Might be one of the best recipes I’ve made from your site. I’ve been sick and it’s been cold and dreary out and this made my day. Couple notes or things I would do differently next time:
1) more broth. The ribs started crisping on the outside before taking the lid off because they weren’t all submerged, I’ll add another cup next time
2) omit celery. Celery got really mushy and unappealing. I would either dice it , slice it smaller, or substitute with another vegetable that could be cooked for long periods of time, mushrooms maybe?
3) more carrots, they turned out so good.
4) last step to make the sauce was needed and heightened the dish
5) I had to turn my down with 1 hr 40 left. I put it at 285 for that last part. I didn’t end up needing to take the top off because the pot needed more broth so the outsides of the ribs got crispy with the lid on
All in all, a really good recipe!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Holidays!🎄 Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
Thanks for sharing all of your notes!
Have a great weekend!
We absolutely LOVED this! Perfect cozy night meal.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Holidays!🎄 Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
Have a great weekend!
I’m confused because a bottle of wine is more than 2 cups, but the recipe only calls for 2 cups.
Hi Erica,
I use about the whole bottle of wine, between 2-3 cups. I hope you love this dish!
I made these last night and was pretty disappointed. The idea sounded great, but in reality the flavor just didn’t deliver for me. Braising everything without searing first left the meat sort of one‑note, and the sauce ended up tasting very winey without a rich, savory depth… it almost tasted like beef that had just sat in leftover wine rather than a proper braise.
The veggies barely added anything, and the flour dusting didn’t thicken the sauce the way I hoped, it just made it feel a little gummy in spots. Even after reducing the sauce and adding the butter, it still tasted kind of thin and more like boiled beef than slow‑braised.
Hi Amelia,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. So very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed.
Do you serve the short ribs on the bone?
Hi Amy,
I typically like to pull it off the bone:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
What is the best substitute for the red wine in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Michele,
You could use cranberry juice or more broth in place of the wine for this recipe.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Can I use a slow cooker instead?
Hi James,
You bet, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy Holidays!