Braised Beef Short Rib Ragu

An indulgent meal, perfect for special meals. This braised Beef Short Rib Ragu is restaurant quality, made from the comfort of home. A great romantic dinner for two or dinner party star!

Italian Style Comfort Food, Made at Home!

It’s great to have a couple restaurant-quality recipes down to make at home for special occassions. This short rib ragu is the perfect romantic dinner for two (Valentine’s Day?!), or an impressive meal for a dinner party.

Don’t let this dish intimidate you! I am breaking it down into small steps, so any a novice cook can be successful with this recipe.

Short ribs come from the beef chuck roast portion of a cow. They are the 5 short ribs from the chuck section that are too small to be used as steaks.

Because of the high fat content and amount of connective tissue, they are best served slow cooked, as in this ragu recipe that braises them for hours.

Braising is a cooking method that first browns the meat dry, then submerges the meat in a braising liquid, cooking at low heat, to keep it moist while slowly breaking down the connective tissue. It results in tender, fall apart meat. It’s an ideal method for cooking flavorful, but tough, short ribs.

This beef short rib ragù is made in 3 simple steps:

• First, brown the beef ribs. The deep browning of the ribs results in a more flavorful sauce! The Maillard Reaction describes what occurs when the aminos and sugars in meat react at high temperatures. <– necessary for the full flavor of this dish!
• Second, make the “soffrito“, which is an Italian term for a flavorful veggie combo of onions, carrots, and celery. The soffrito is caramelized with tomato paste and garlic.
• Last, add the braising liquids and aromatics – dry red wine, crushed tomatoes, a parmesan rind, a bay leaf, and some herbs (thyme, sage, and rosemary). Once these are tossed in the pot with the vegetables, the short ribs are nestled in, and the pot is covered, leaving the ribs to braise at a low temperature for 3-4 hours. **This is another step that cannot be rushed, so ensure you have time!

What’s Ragu? The difference between ragu and short rib bolognese

Ragù is a traditional Italian sauce, made by braising meat for an extended period of time at low heat. The meat is flavored with a soffrito, tomatoes, and wine. The result is a tender shredded meat, in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. Ragu is thicker, with the emphasis on the braised meat.

Ragu alla Bolognese is a ragu traditionally made with beef and veal. Modern cooks put their own spin on it, making it with everything from short ribs, to ground beef, to lentils. It is a thinner sauce, with less emphasis on the meat and more on the sauce. It starts with a ragu, and is thinned with a higher ratio of broth, cream, or wine.

What You’ll Need

Browned Short Ribs

• Beef Short Ribs
• Avocado Oil (tallow, ghee and olive oil also work!)
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
• Yellow Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Dry Red Wine (Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or dry Italian red)
• Beef Broth (beef stock, or even a vegetable broth works!)
• Crushed Tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano tomatoes)
• Parmesan Rind
• Bay Leaves
• Trio of Fresh Herbs (fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage)

To serve:

• Heavy Cream (optional, to add depth to the sauce)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese (to garnish)
• Fresh chopped parsley (to garnish)
• Pappardelle pasta, or gluten free pasta of choice (try this gluten free pappardelle)
• -OR- serve on top of polenta, quinoa, or low carb cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles

Tips Before Starting

Timing the Ragu

Ragu is a dish that cannot be rushed! The browning of the ribs and soffrito take time for the full flavors to develop. The depth of flavor depends on these two steps, so do not rush through them. Similarly, for the ribs to break down and the meat to fall off the bone, the meat needs braised for a long period of time. Smaller ribs may be done in about 3 hours. My large ribs take about 4.5 hours to be ready!

Use a Cast Iron Braiser

A cast iron braiser is a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, perfect for slowly cooking meats on the stovetop or in the oven. It will be useful for so many dishes! I use this cast iron braiser – it’s a great price and I’ve been using it for years.

Tie the Herbs

Instead of finely chopping the herbs, tie the thyme, sage and rosemary together in a bundle so they infuse the sauce with wonderful flavor and then are easily removed later on.

Prep your Veggies

Hand cut your vegetables and mince the garlic if desired. To save time, roughy cut the vegetables and then throw them in to a food processor until they are chopped.

How to Make Short Rib Ragu

Step 1: Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels. Heat a dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat, and add avocado oil. Add the ribs, and generously season with salt and pepper. Brown each side of the ribs. *Take your time and ensure the meat gets a nice dark color.* This will give the sauce a deep flavor! Remove the short ribs from the pot.

Step 2: Drain the excess fat (all except about 2 tablespoons of oil) from the pot. Add in the carrots, celery and onion. In Italian, this is called “Soffrito.” Brown the soffrito over medium heat, caramelizing the vegetables for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add the garlic and tomato paste, and stir into the vegetables. Allow the vegetables and tomato paste to caramelize, leaving brown bits in the pan. This adds more flavor to the sauce. The soffrito, garlic and tomato paste should cook for about 25 minutes – don’t rush this step!

Step 4: Deglaze the pan with red wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot, to incorporate the browned bits with the sauce. Allow the wine to reduce by half. This takes about 5 minutes.

Step 5: Add in the beef stock, parmesan rind, bay leaf, and bundled herbs. Nestle the short ribs back into the pot.

Step 6: Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the short ribs to braise in the liquid for 3-5 hours. Smaller short ribs will take about 3 hours. If your ribs are cut larger, like the ones I used, it will take closer to 5 hours (boneless short ribs cook faster than bone-in short ribs). After 3 hours, check your pot to make sure there is enough liquid, using beef stock to thin it if necessary. Check the meat to see if the bones easily detach from the meat. Continue cooking until the meat easily shreds with a fork.

Step 7: Remove the parmesan rind, bay leaf, and herb bundle from the pot, and discard. Remove the short ribs from the pot. Place the meat on a cutting board, and shred it with two forks. If desired, remove the larger chunks of fat from the shredded meat.

Step 8: Stir the shredded short ribs back into the pasta sauce. If desired, add a little heavy cream and parmesan to further deepen the flavors of the ragu.

Step 9: Serve the ragu tossed with pasta, or over the top of polenta or rice. Garnish with parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

How to Serve this Short Rib Ragu Recipe

Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta

Short rib ragu is popularly served with pappardelle pasta in restaurants. The wide noodles are great for coating in this thick and meaty sauce! The ultimate comfort food, if you ask me.

Stick to your gluten free diet by trying these gluten free pappardelle noodles made with corn and rice. They have a great texture very similar to traditional pastas!

Or, serve with your favorite pasta! Any will work.

Short Rib Ragu Over Polenta

Polenta is a creamy corn meal based dished made by warming the corn meal with water into a thick porridge. It’s a great base for thick sauces like this ragu.

Make it Low Carb – Short Rib Ragu over Cauliflower Rice or Zucchini Noodles

Enjoy your favorite Italian flavors, sans the grains! Saute some cauliflower rice to serve with this dish, or use raw zucchini noodles. I prefer not to cook my zucchini noodles (they get soggy!). Make sure the ragu is extra hot when you pour it on top of the zucchini and the noodles will soften and be the perfect texture!

How to Store Leftover Ragù

Once the ragu has fully cooled, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

To serve, the ragu needs to be fully reheated. Add it to a skillet (the beef fat from the short ribs will have solidified) and heat over medium heat until it reaches a low simmer, adding beef broth or water to thin as necessary.

Other Slow Cooked Beef Recipes

• Beef Barbacoa (Chipotle Braised Beef)
• Beef Birria de Res
• Moroccan Beef Stew (Beef Tagine)

I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration!