These braised boneless short ribs slow cooker are so tender and delicious with a savory spicy rub. They are perfect for feeding a large family on a budget, easy to make with only 15 minutes prep-time, and finger-licking good!
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Slow cooker short ribs are a great meal for any time of year. The best part is that you can put them in the slow cooker and forget about them until they are done - giving you more time to enjoy your day!
Slow cooker recipes is a low and slow cooking method to ensure tender meats every time. And these braised short ribs are perfect for low cooking temperatures to keep them juicy and with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The red wine, beef broth, and aromatics in this recipe all work together to create a fantastic sauce for the ribs. And since this is a slow cooker recipe, you get amazingly tasty juices from the ribs, which add even more flavor to the sauce.
Another advantage to this boneless short rib recipe is that you are not left with loads of washing up. Just remove them from your slow cooker and serve!
If you're looking for a delicious and easy meal to make in your slow cooker, then you definitely need to try these slow cooker short ribs! You won't be disappointed!
🍽 Key Ingredients
Apart from the beef short ribs, you only need common pantry spices for the delicious sauce.
Beef short ribs - Ask your local butcher for boneless beef short ribs.
Sauce ingredients - You'll need fresh thyme, tomato paste, red wine, beef bouillon powder, and dijon mustard to give the sauce a rich flavor.
Vegetables - Use 1 large onion.
Cream - To add creaminess to the sauce at the end, use heavy cream.
Substitutions
Short ribs
If boneless ribs aren't available, you can use bone-in short ribs for slow cooking. Once cooked the meat will fall off the bone.
Additions
You can add carrots (cut into large pieces) to the slow cooker.
Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to give the sauce added richness.
🔪 How to make braised boneless short ribs
You have to wait 8 hours for the tender slow cooker short ribs, but in the end, it is totally worth it! Just follow these simple instructions and let the slow cooker work its magic.
Preparation
Step 1
Chop the onion into cubes.
Step 2
Season short ribs with salt and pepper.
Cooking instructions
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the boneless short ribs, making sure to brown short ribs on all sides before transferring them to the crock pot slow cooker.
Step 4
Mix the mustard, tomato paste, thyme, beef bouillon, and red wine in a mixing bowl until well combined.
Step 5
Combine well and place bay leaves and onions over the ribs in the slow cooker.
Step 6
Pour the red wine mixture over the top of the meat, place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low heat for 8 hours. You will want to use the lowest heat possible to ensure the most tender ribs possible.
Step 7
Once finished, remove the meat from the slow cooker, and place it on a serving platter.
Step 8
Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a skillet over medium heat with the heavy cream and whisk the sauce for a few minutes until boiling.
Step 9
Reduce the heat to simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
Step 10
Cut the braise short ribs into pieces and serve with the reduced beef broth and some freshly chopped parsley.
💭 Cooking tips
Thickener
If your sauce is too thin, you can thicken it with cornflour. Mix 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon of cornflour in a cup and add it to the sauce. It will begin to thicken instantly.
Speed up the time
If you can't wait 8 hours for the beef short ribs, you can use the high cooking setting on the slow cooker, which takes 4 hours to cook them. The ribs will still taste good but won't be as tender as 8 hours slow cooked on a low setting.
📖 Recipe variations
There are many variations you can do with the recipe for slow cooker short ribs, like adding different pantry vegetables and additional spices to the sauce.
Spicy short ribs slow cooker
Add a teaspoon of chili powder and half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce to give a spicy kick.
BBQ short ribs slow cooker
Once the ribs are cooked, slather them with your favorite BBQ sauce and broil them for 4 to 5 minutes to give them a wonderful crispy smokey BBQ flavor.
Korean short ribs slow cooker
For a Korean flair, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, ¼ cup of soy sauce, and 1 minced garlic clove to the sauce.
🥗 What to serve with boneless short ribs
Some good side dishes to serve with slow cooker short ribs are mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a simple salad.
Mashed potatoes
Slow cooker short ribs are also great over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. They have a little bit of garlic for flavor and are mixed with chopped green onions and softened cream cheese for a deliciously smooth texture.
Cauliflower rice
Serve your slow cooker short ribs with cauliflower rice. It's low-carb and made with cauliflower that has been pulsed in a food processor until it resembles rice, then cooked with lime, garlic, and cilantro until tender.
Bacon-wrapped asparagus
Bacon-wrapped asparagus is a simple and easy side dish that goes great with almost any meal. You can prepare them in the oven or on a hot grill for a lovely smokey flavor.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
What are short ribs?
Short ribs are a cut of beef that comes from the rib primal. They are usually boneless and have a lot of marbling, making them a very tender cut of meat.
How long to cook short ribs in the oven at 350?
Short ribs can be cooked in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 hours or until cooked through.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
Slow cooker short ribs taste great hot or cold the day after and can be refrigerated or frozen.
Fridge - You can store leftover short ribs in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Wrap them in aluminum foil or place them in an airtight container.
Freezer - To freeze them, place them in a freezer container. They will last for 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
Reheating - To reheat, place them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are heated through.
🍳 Related Meat Recipes
If you liked my slow cooker short ribs, try these fantastic recipes in your next meal. Including my slow cooker asian lamb shoulder.
👪 Serving size
This tender slow cooker short ribs recipe will feed around 6 people, depending on the size of the beef ribs. For 3 lb of short ribs, you can expect 6 servings. So you can easily scale it up and down to your guest's requirements.
When serving your short ribs, remember that they are quite filling. You might only need to serve a few ribs per person. This will help to ensure that everyone gets a chance to try them
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Try one of my quick, easy, and affordable dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Braised "Boneless" Short Ribs Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Short ribs - boneless
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Large onion - chopped
- 2 Bay leaves - whole
- 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 teaspoon Beef bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoon Fresh thyme - chopped
- 1 cup Red cooking wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream
- Fresh parsley - optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add salt and pepper to taste to the meat, and sear the boneless short ribs on all sides and then place them into the bottom of a slow cooker.
- In a mixing bowl, add dijon mustard.
- Add tomato paste.
- Add thyme.
- Add beef bouillon.
- Pour in red wine.
- Whisk sauce ingredients together until smooth and combined.
- Place bay leaves and onions over the ribs in the slow cooker.
- Pour the red wine mixture over the top of the meat, place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. You will want to use low heat if possible in order to ensure the most tender ribs possible.
- Once finished, remove the meat from the slow cooker. Place on a serving platter.
- Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a skillet over medium heat.
- Pour in heavy whipping cream, and whisk the sauce well until combined.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium again. Cook down until the gravy reaches the desired consistency stirring frequently.
- Serve over mashed or riced cauliflower with gravy and fresh parsley (optional).
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