By Alison Roman
- Total Time
- 4 hours, plus seasoning
- Rating
- 5(2,312)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This bright, sweet and salty recipe for braised short ribs will work with bone-in or boneless meat, as long as the short ribs are thick (at least 1½ inch), and not the thinly sliced Korean style. Seasoning your meat with salt and pepper at least 24 hours in advance will greatly improve the flavor of the finished product. And, if you can spare an extra 24, making them a day ahead of serving will make them even better, with all that braising liquid flavoring the meat as it sits. Finishing with herbs and lemon are hardly a revelation in the braised meat department, but they are especially welcome here. The fresh lemon juice at the end transforms the braising liquid into a bright, brothy, spoonable sauce good enough to drink.
Featured in: Alison Roman’s Seder Table
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 5pounds bone-in short ribs, at least 1½-inch thick, cut into single bone portions (or 3½ to 4 pounds boneless, at least 1½-inch thick)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2large yellow onions, quartered
- 2heads garlic, halved crosswise
- 3tablespoons honey
- ½cup apple cider vinegar
- ½cup soy sauce or tamari
- 4cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth
- 4thyme sprigs
- 2cups parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- ½bunch chives, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt
- 3lemons, halved, for juicing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
994 calories; 87 grams fat; 36 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 40 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 1007 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Season short ribs with salt and pepper at least 1 hour (at room temperature) and as much as 48 hours (covered and refrigerated) in advance.
Step
2
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches, sear short ribs until deeply golden brown on both large flat sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer short ribs to a large plate or cutting board and drain all but about 2 tablespoons fat from the pot. Discard remaining fat. Repeat with remaining short ribs. Drain all fat from the pot and carefully wipe out. (No need to wash, just get rid of any scorched bits.)
Step
3
In the same pot over medium-high, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and garlic get a bit of color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add honey and cook, stirring until it starts to bubble furiously, turning a darker amber brown and sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks.
Step
4
Add vinegar and soy sauce, and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a strong simmer and cook to reduce by about half, 5 to 8 minutes. Add broth and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and add short ribs back in, bone-side up, making sure they are as submerged in that braising liquid as possible. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Do not look at it or remove the lid for 3 hours. (Nothing bad will happen, promise.)
Step
5
After 3 hours, check the short ribs, they should be extremely tender and nearly falling apart, almost having the jiggly texture of a baked custard or Jell-O. (If not, continue roasting another 20 to 30 minutes.) Remove from oven.
Step
6
At this stage, you can remove the lid and using a spoon, carefully skim as much of the top layer of fat as possible. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees, and return the pot to the oven, uncovered, to let the short ribs brown a bit on top and thicken the braising liquid a bit, another 35 to 45 minutes. (Alternatively, you can remove the short ribs from the oven, let them cool at room temperature and place in them in the fridge, overnight. When ready to serve, remove them from the fridge and using a spoon, scrape off the solidified fat on the top layer. Return the short ribs, covered, to a 325-degree oven until totally warmed through, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the lid and increase temperature to 425 degrees, and continue to cook, uncovered, to let the short ribs brown a bit on top and reduce the braising liquid, another 35 to 45 minutes.)
Step
7
Meanwhile, combine parsley and chives in a small bowl and season with flaky salt.
Step
8
Remove the short ribs from the oven and serve straight from the pot or transfer them to a shallow bowl or plate with high sides, spooning the braising liquid over. Squeeze lemons over, letting the juice season the braising liquid. Sprinkle with parsley mixture before serving.
Tips
- While my preference is almost always bone-in for any cut of meat, this recipe will work with boneless ribs, too. (And a brisket, if you must: Add an hour to the cooking time for a 4-pound brisket.)
- If you are lemon-poor, oranges are can step in for that last hit of acidity and brightness. If those aren’t an option, a splash of vinegar will do the trick.
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2,312
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Cooking Notes
Howard Dickler
What happens to the papery covering of the half heads of garlic in the long braise? Are the heads still intact and removed at the end? Thanks
Cinnamon
For the cooks asking about the garlic papers, I watched the NYT Cooking video of Alison making this entire meal (it’s on YouTube now), and she didn’t remove them at all! She did peel the papers off of the onions but just sliced the garlic heads in half and then placed both ingredients in the Dutch oven to brown. The only thing I saw her removing from the pot at the end of cooking/reheating was fat from the short ribs. Hope this helps!
Amy
For the record, soy sauce is not kosher for Passover - there are some nasty fake KP subs but I wouldn’t build a dish around it. Kind of disingenuous to feature a main course recipe that is impossible to make if you’re even moderately observant.
Stefanie
I made it in the slow cooker yesterday, it worked out perfectly. Followed the recipe exactly - browned the meat on the stove top, placed in the cooker, then poured the braising liquid over top, turned it on low for 8 hours. AMAZING.
Sandy Camargo
Any way to do this in the Instant Pot?
julie
I did these in the instant pot— browned everything on sauté and then 35 minutes on high, natural release for 20 minutes. I chilled over night, took off the fat, then put in a Dutch oven to rewarm then brown as in the recipe. They were a hit!!!!
Kat
This was DELICIOUS!!! Even better the second night. We put them in lettuce wraps with rice and some rice wine vinegar, scallions and ginger. It was incredible.
robin
Made steps 1 - 5 last night and this is off-the-hook delicious. My sister also made it for our virtual seder tonight. It's gonna be a new family classic. On the garlic - we cut one garlic head in half and removed the most papery leaves but leaving the rest intact. And then peeled another head. It's all good and the paper stuff doesn't effect the end result - don't fret (I did.)
Sharon
I made these for Easter and they are fabulous! Halved the recipe, 3 short ribs for 3 people (quarantimes)! I totally forgot the garnish at the end, but they were superb anyway. The garlic skins mostly dissolve. I fished out 2 or 3 that I could find. I wish I made more! Served with mini smashed garlic potatoes and broccoli rabe. I can't wait to have a dinner party and make this again, someday (sigh). Highly recommend!
Rich S.
After braising as directed, I put warm dutch oven into my 2-car walk-in (it's winter in NH), and defatted it in the morning, saving the fat of course. For dinner I riffed on beef birria tacos by dipping flour tortillas in the warmed fat and toasting them on a plancha. Topped with a generous mound of the shredded short ribs, diced onions and cilantro, a couple of hits of a nice (medium) hot sauce, and a drizzle of the (now defatted) beef jus. Holy smokes was that a tasty dinner!!!
Marina
[Not kosher for Passover for Ashkenazim.] But you can try using Coconut Aminos instead. You'll probably want to use more salt in this case because Coconut Aminos contain much less salt, which makes it a good low-sodium alternative to soy sauce in general.
Debbie
Has anybody tried this in a slow cooker? If so, how did you adapt the recipe?
jackie
Yep, this is amazing. I halved all the ingredients, but still cooked it as instructed (3 hours in oven etc). Served with coconut rice and garlic & ginger bok choy. Opened a spicy, juicy Napa Valley Pinot noir to pair. WOW!
Bruce K.
Alison,Thank you. I made all of the dishes in your article for our Seder last night. They were wonderful and inspiring. It felt like a bright spot during a dark time.
SJ
This recipe was sooooo good! We ended us saving the braising liquid and used it to braise chicken thighs the next night - the dish that keeps on giving!
Margi
Made ribs exactly as written and WOW!!! Served them last year with mashed potatoes, cornbread and a fresh slaw for a showstopping Easter brunch. Family requests for an encore 2024!
Cathy
Most amazing braised short ribs I've ever made. Wonderful recipe which I followed as written.
Joy
I have now made this twice exactly as directed. Both times the liquid had evaporated and caused the entire dish to burn. Although unburnt meat does have good flavor, there is no juice. Any hints as to what I may be going wrong?
Serving Size Not Accurate
Delicious flavor! But recipe states 8-10 servings? This barely served 4 adults! (We served over polenta and also had appetizer, salad, and bread.)
Tammi
I don't think most people eat an entire pound of short ribs. At our house this definitely served 6 with leftovers.
chris
This is by far the best short rib recipe I’ve tried. Awesome.
hannah
Made this exactly according to the recipe, seasoning 24 hours in advance, then cooking and letting it chill out in the fridge overnight (strained out the broth and stored that and ribs separately.) reheated and served to a coupe friends and we savored every bite. Exquisite dish.
Cass
Absolutely delicious. However, although I did remove the outer paper covering of the garlic bulb, everyone one of my 3 dinner guests ended up with at least one papery peel in their serving. Next time (and there will be many next times since this was so good), I will peel the garlic before cooking this.
Susan
This is the best recipe for beef short ribs that I have ever cooked. A very nice change from the standard beef broth, red wine, tomato paste, etc. typical combination. My New Year’s Eve guests devoured the ribs. I made only one change. I did remove the papery outside from the garlic cloves. Other than that I followed the recipe. Strongly recommend making the ribs the day before, so that the fat congeals and is easily removed. Really delicious.
Donna
Made this for our Christmas dinner. Absolutely delicious. My family ouuu’d,aaahhh’d and uummm’d the entire meal. The only thing I would do differently is not do the 425 finish. The sauce was much more delicious prior to that. I can’t begin to imagine how fabulous that will taste next time I prepare it. And there definitely willl be next time.
jennifer
Delicious but definitely does not serve 8 to 10 people. I bought 8 lbs of perfect sized short ribs and it barely served 8 people.
sasha
Help! What does “single bone portions” mean? Not clear what length I should tell my butcher to cut the short rib pieces to… will it matter?
Amy
Can I make this in advance and freeze it?
Katherine
Made this as written (but cut the portions for 2 people) and it was spectacular. I bought 3lbs of short rib and got a few meals out of it. Shout out to the commenter who recommended lettuce wraps with the leftovers - that was our absolute favorite!
Leah
I made this dish with brisket and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Next time I will peel the garlic, however. The sauce was amazing and I like it chunky. The other option would be to strain it before serving. The fresh lemon juice and parsley added right before serving or essential so don’t forget those.
K. Wolfrum
Prepared as written. There is a local upscale restaurant known for their short ribs. This recipe is as good if not better. It didn’t hurt I used Snake River Farms beef. This is a great company dinner that has no last minute work.
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