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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
Amazing recipe!!! I went with the brazier route in the oven and it was so simple. Paired it with garlic butter mashed potatoes. My only suggestion would be mix the tomato paste in with the broth/wine liquid so that the flavor really cooks into the meat. Don’t skip the mushroom sage butter step – it’s amazing! 12/10! I made it for dinner tonight and my boyfriend has already asked when I’ll make it again LOL. Adding it to my staple rotation.
Thanks so much, Dana! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it!
I want to make this but only have 2.5lbs of short ribs! Should I just reduce the ingredients by half?
Hi Ashley,
You bet, that will work nicely for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Delicious. I only used 3 shallots bc they were large and I thought that they would be enough. I served over polenta made with some beef stock. I don’t think the mushrooms were needed. Need some parsley or something green on top!
Hey Shelley,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was a hit! Happy Halloween!🎃
Making this Friday : I usually use my slow cooker, but I want to try the Dutch oven, Le Creuset because in the past , when using my slow cooker with meals like this, the meat doesn’t come out like yours! If using my Le Creuset, oven is pre heated to 325 , but which setting did you use ? Convection, bake ?
Also, LOVE your recipes!
Thanks so much, Jane! I use regular oven bake:) I hope you love this dish!
The recipe calls for 3 cups of red wine. In directions for the crock pot only 2 cups of wine are used.
In the directions for the oven, it just mentions pouring in the wine. There is no mention of the amount.
Please clarify.
Hi Joy,
Sorry for any confusion. If you are following the crockpot recipe, just use 2 cups. If you are using the oven recipe, you will want to use the full 3 cups. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I am looking to forward to making this. It looks amazing! I need to use a crock-pot. How long would you recommend cooking this in the crock-pot on low?
Thanks so much, Christin! All of the crockpot instructions are written above, you can follow the exact recipe:)
Perfection! I went the Dutch oven route. Baked the short ribs for four hours, and decreased the amount of wine to 2 cups. I look forward to making it again!
Hi Anna,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear it turned out well for you!
Wow! Made this for my husband’s birthday and it did not disappoint. I used the oven method and the sauce was so flavorful and really delicious. The beef fell off the bones and was very tender. All in all, I would rate it a 10 and will make it again soon!
Hi Lynn! Thank you so much! So happy to hear you loved this recipe! Happy birthday to your husband, glad the birthday dinner was a hit! 🙂 xT
Quick question — in the crock pot instructions it only has you using 2 cups of wine, but in the oven version it’s the whole bottle. Is that accurate? I’m doing the crock pot method, should I use the whole bottle of wine or just 2 cups? Thank you!!
Hi Savannah,
You can follow the recipe as written and just use the 2 cups. I hope you love this dish, please let me know how it turns out for you! xx
In the video, did you pair this with your cheesy mashed potatoes?
Hey Bethany,
Yes, I used this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/crockpot-cheesy-mashed-potatoes/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I followed the recipe exactly but it was inedible. Cooked in the crockpot on low for 6 hours and the meat was so tough we could barely cut it off the bones with a steak knife (so was definitely not fall off the bone tender/shredded). It went right into the garbage. The carrots cooked well and tasted good. Is this common? Could it just be that we had a bad piece of meat?
Hi Kelly,
So sorry to hear this. I would have just popped it in the crockpot for longer, not ideal but you definitely didn’t need to throw it away. Next time, I would try cooking on high for at least 4 hours. I hope this helps! xx
This recipe is great if you can make it through her life story before you get to the actual recipe and cook it.
Hi Steph,
Feel free to click the “skip to recipe” button at the top of every recipe page:) Happy Sunday!
I used the calculator at print time to change the recipe to accommodate 3 pounds of meat. Unfortunately, I did not notice until after the crock pot had been cooking for a couple of hours that the red wine was overpowering, making the sauce bitter. I came back to my computer and looked at the amount of wine to use for each adjustment, from 6 servings on down, and saw that the amount of red wine did not change! It shows 3 cups of wine for each adjusted recipe! I’ve added some honey and brown sugar, but it just isn’t helping much. Is there anything else I can do to fix things? Could you please fix the glitch in the recipe amount adjuster?
Hi Patti,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear the measurement for the wine was too much. I just tested it myself and the first amount changes from 1 bottle to .5 half bottle. The way the calculator is set up, does not allow for both of the measurements to change. Again, so sorry! xx
My verision was very watery and not carmelized as you said it would be. Is there anyhing I can do? Cook longer ?
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, sorry to hear it was watery. Which cooking method did you use? xx
Hi! I only have boneless short ribs. How would I update the cook time? I also don’t have shallot. Thank you!
Hi Madison,
You can keep everything the same. If you have an onion, that will work in place of the shallot. I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was my first time making short ribs and this recipe did not disappoint! I followed the crockpot instructions and added a little flour at the end once the ribs were out to thicken the sauce/gravy. Absolutely divine!
Hey Ashley,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Happy New Year!🥳🥂 xx