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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
What cognac do you prefer for this?
What would the difference in the final dish be between a Dutch oven and a braiser?
Thanks!
Hey Erin,
I like to use Hennessy cognac. You will have the same results using a braiser or dutch oven:) I hope you love this dish!
Absolutely delicious!!
Tweaked it a bit, but served over rice and sauteed mushrooms separately. Yummy! Ty
Hey April,
Awesome! Thanks for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year!🥂🎆
Made this for Christmas dinner and it was everything. Followed the recipe as is. Served over creamy polenta with a kale salad. I loved how gourmet it felt while being relatively hands off. Thank you!
Hey Resa,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Happy Holidays!
Hey Tieghan,
Is there a mashed potato recipe that you’d recommend pairing with this specifically?! I love your recipes and use them for all my holiday cooking!
Happy holidays
Thanks so much, Lauren:) I would use this mashed potato recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/make-ahead-roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays!
Hi Tieghan! Is it supposed to be 1 full bottle of wine or 2 cups? I wasn’t sure because Step 1 says 2 cups. Thank you, and hope you have a Merry Christmas!! 🙂
Hi Kei,
You can use anywhere between 2 cups to the entire bottle. I hope you love this recipe!
Can you make this with boneless short ribs ?
Hi Krista,
Sure, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
We loved this recipe for short ribs!! I cooked them in the oven, and the flavors were very delicious! Just perfect!! A+++. One of my favorites from you, Tieghan! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much, Wendi:) Love to hear this dish turned out well for you!
Have a great weekend!
Do I have to use wine in this recipe?
Hi there,
You could skip the wine if you wanted:) I hope you love this recipe!
How would you modify if using a Dutch oven?
Hi Bree,
You can follow the oven instructions written above:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Also can you use no boil lasagna noodles?
Hi Debbie,
There are no noodles in this recipe:)
Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
We made this for the first time this weekend for some dinner guests. It was good but didn’t knock out socks off like I hoped it would.
We cooked the short ribs on low for 6 hours in the crockpot and they were still really tough. Pulled everything off the bone and let it cool a couple more hours which helped. The gravy wasn’t as rich in flavor as we had hoped. The amount of onions was overpowering and just too much. And we even cut back on the amount of onion from what the ingredients said. We did add some au jus to the gravy to give it more flavor which really helped. If I make this again, I would definitely use a roast and would add a lot less onion. We had it the next night for leftovers and it was probably even better than the first night! Served it with homemade mashed potatoes.
Hi Nicole,
I appreciate you trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear you didn’t love it.
Girl, you hit it out of the ball park on this one! I made the crockpot version of this recipe. Loved it, and so did my whole family!
Hey Anna,
Wonderful! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Happy Friday!