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Slow braised and cozy, crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon. Tender beef short ribs slow-cooked in red wine with onions, garlic, and herbs until the beef caramelizes around the edges and is falling off the bone. Mushrooms cooked in butter with sage are served overtop. Enjoy with mashed potatoes or even just crusty bread for mopping up all the yummy sauce. We love that this is such an effortless dinner to create.
This time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always the most special. Holiday parties, holiday shopping, end-of-the-year craziness, and all while continuing to care for our families and ourselves!
It’s a lot, but I still find this time to be magical. The nights are long and meant to be slowly enjoyed. And this short rib bourguignon is wonderful for that!
It’s an easier way to create a French-style stew recipe!
Beef Bourguignon is a French beef stew slow braised in red wine. The process isn’t too tricky, but I wanted to share something even easier and maybe even yummier.
Instead of using a large cut of chuck roast that can turn out tough (even when slow-cooked), I wanted to try using short ribs instead. Short ribs are amazing because as long as you cook them slowly, they almost always turn out tender and delicious. By the time they finish cooking, they should be falling off the bone and shred easily.
We love short ribs. And with all my brothers in town for the holiday this past weekend, I knew this would be great to try on them. Let’s just say they loved this meal!
Here are details
Step 1: start the ribs
This process could not be easier. Use your crockpot or your Dutch oven, it really doesn’t matter much. I like to use a cast iron braiser, I think it cooks the meat perfectly and gets such a nice caramelization on the meat.
Add everything to the crockpot/pot, no searing, no pre-cooking, nothing like that. Just add lots of sliced onions, the beef short ribs, shallots, garlic, and so many chopped-up carrots (we love the carrots). Then pour over the red wine (I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon), beef broth, and cognac. The cognac is optional, but I do like the additional flavor it adds when paired with the rich red wine.
Cover the pot, and let the crockpot or oven work their magic. I skipped the sear step of the ribs because I knew they would caramelize naturally in the braiser after a while of cooking. By the time I uncovered my pot, the ribs were perfect, caramelized, and fork tender.
If you use the crockpot, the ribs won’t have as much caramelization. If this is desired, you can broil the ribs in the oven on the top rack for 3-5 minutes after cooking.
Step 2: the mushrooms
I didn’t want soggy mushrooms. I knew that caramelizing them would be best. So instead of slow-cooking them, I found it best to cook them in butter just before serving.
Add the butter and all those mushrooms to a big skillet. Get them golden and caramelized. Then add a pat more of butter and fresh sage. Let the butter brown around the mushrooms.
Then get them a little crispy and season well with salt, and that’s it! If you want to add garlic, use the whole garlic cloves that are hidden in the red wine sauce.
Step 3: discard the bones
Pull the bones away from the rib meat. Then toss the meat in the sauce.
At this point, you want to serve the meat and sauce while steamy. Spoon the mushrooms and butter over the ribs.
I love serving this with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta and bread for enjoying with the yummy sauce! Egg noodles are also a delicious option.
Everyone will really enjoy this these braised short ribs. It is the perfect dish for these cold winter nights.
Looking for more seasonal dinners, these are favorites:
Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! 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!
Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 673 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 shallots, halved
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed
- 6 carrots .chopped
- 1 bottle (750ml) (or 3 cups) dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup cognac or brandy (optional)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, arrange the onions. Then, place the short ribs on top of the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shallots, garlic, and carrots. Pour over 2 cups red wine, the broth, and cognac (if using). Add the tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.2. Crank the heat on the crockpot to HIGH. Discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs into the sauce. Cook, uncovered for 30 minutes, to help thicken the sauce. Note, the sauce will not thicken much. 3. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add 2 tablespoons butter, the sage, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have caramelized and the butter has browned.4. Serve the ribs in the sauce. Spoon the mushrooms over the ribs. Enjoy with potatoes, rice, and/or crusty bread.
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. In a large, oven-safe brasier, arrange the onions. Then, place the short ribs on top of the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shallots, garlic, and carrots. Pour over the red wine, the broth, and cognac (if using). Add the tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.2. Discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. 3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add 2 tablespoons butter, the sage, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have caramelized and the butter has browned.4. Serve the ribs in the sauce. Spoon the mushrooms over the ribs. Enjoy with potatoes, rice, and/or crusty bread.
Notes
For Serving: Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, or crusty bread.
This post was originally published on November 27, 2023
I’m nervous about not searing the short ribs first, would it help to do that? Don’t want to mess anything up.
Short answer, yes, sear and season the beef first.
Long answer: ignore the recipe all together. There’s nothing that builds flavour at all. I did this recipe exactly as written, and it was terrible.
I literally ended up throwing out 75% of it because it was inedible and beyond saving.
Used the Instant Pot for this and timing worked well. Slow cook on low for 7hrs. Not too greasy but did take some off the top before removing the bones. Didn’t have the cognac, but used a sherry in my cabinet that worked just as well!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so so much! xT
Great dinner, my short ribs had a lot of fat in it so that was disappointing but overall the meal was really good. I made simple mashed potatoes with small gold that turned out well. Next time I’ll probably try the Brandy since I live in Wisconsin
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so so much! xT
I just made this tonight. It was so fantastic. The flavour of the sauce was unbelievable. I will make this again and again. Next time for company. Thank you so much
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Delicious- I did Dutch oven-3 hours – didn’t use the cognac but still turned out amazing.
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Very very good.
Made a dble batch this week for an early Xmas dinner. Based on comments I tweaked a bit and did flour and sear the ribs b4 baking and used chicken stock instead of beef. Don’t skip the cognac. Really rich and flavorful. Using mushrooms as a garnish is brilliant. The flavor and texture really work well the ribs.
Thank you so much Lynne! xT
Made this recipe tonight, did not disappoint! Did mine in slow cooker, lots of flavor, really easy. Mushrooms were great for topper, made with mashed potatoes.
Love to hear that! Thank you! xT
Delicious and super easy!
Thanks sooo much Kate! xT
So easy to make, but gave gourmet dinner vibes on a chilly Saturday night in! Would definitely add more carrots and more veggies the next time. The mushrooms were perfection.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great week! xT
Made this last night–absolutely DELICIOUS! Saw you for the first time on Fox News and LOVE every recipe of yours that I have seen and can’t wait to try them all!
Thank you so much Carlene! xT
Can this be done in an Instant Pot?
Hi Daryl! I haven’t ever made this in the Instant Pot so can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
Did half recipe in Dutch oven and only added lil Lawr’s salt 🧂 and Worcester sauce ( 2 tbl spoon 🥄). Wish could send pic. Put Potatoes 🥔 around edge od the dutch oven and then made them into the mashed potatoes; ( red potatoes). 😋 Really enjoyed 😉 the recipe.
Thank you,
Jacob Brown…
PS; Gratz on your business you and your family started. Saw 👀 you on fox this am. Would love some low sodium high protein, other than beef recipes 😋 do to my health. Chow for now…
Thank you so much Jacob! so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I appreciate the comment! xT
This was my first time making short ribs of any sort and my husband and I were not disappointed. It was very easy to prepare, perfect on instructions and timing and absolutely delicious! I made mine in a Dutch oven in our main oven. I prepped it all in the morning, set it in the fridge, took it out to come up in temp before putting it in to the preheated oven. I left for an appointment but my husband arrived not much later and announced ‘it smells wonderful in here!’ when i arrived home and indeed it did. Meat fell off the bone, was tender and the gravy was yummy. Served ours just with a bit of crusty bread and were completely sated and happy campers indeed. It happened to have been an unusually cold couple of days in Florida and this fit the bill for lusciousness, warming and comforting food. I will make this again and again
Thank you so much Pam! So glad you loved these short ribs! xT
My husband was watching something today, you and this recipe came on. It looks so good, I’m dying to make it. Even he said it looked good and he has complained about short ribs being to greasy in the past.
I have two questions. Don’t own a crockpot, can I prepare this in an electric skillet on a low setting? How do you deal with the oil from short ribs? In the past I have seared them off before starting the dish.
Thanks!
me too
I was watching fox news
and I saw you I will tell everyone about your site xoxo mmm ribs are smelling delicious and it was so easy
thank you
Rio
I was watching Fox as well and here I am too!!! Ready to make this delicious recipe
Hi Barbara, I just made this week in a cast iron braiser (dutch oven would work too) in the oven at 325F for 3 hours, and it worked well.
Hi Karen and thanks. Unfortunately I have found the cast iron braisers too heavy for me to lift as I have arthritis in my neck.
Question. The ingredients say a full bottle of wine or 3 cups. Instructions say add 2 cups. Is there a typo or am I missing where the other cup goes? Looking forward to making this. Thank you!
Shoot, looks like she skipped over this comment…I am really confused as well! Thanks for posting!
A bottle of wine is about 3 cups
We made it….it was fabulous, and we thank you!!!! Xx
Thank you so so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT