Farmhouse Braised Short Ribs are built on a simple idea: when the ingredients are good, you don’t need much else. This is a stripped-back, from-scratch approach that creates richness the old-fashioned way — without store-bought stock, long ingredient lists, or unnecessary steps.
Simple Braised Short Ribs Without Store-Bought Stock
The sauce begins where all good braises begin: with the meat itself. Short ribs are browned deeply, then gently simmered with water, allowing them to create their own beef stock as they cook. A classic mirepoix does the quiet background work, infusing the braise with sweetness and depth.
Larder / Shopping Checklist:
- bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- garlic
- bay leaves
- red wine
- water
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- high smoke cooking oil, like sunflower or canola
- cornstarch
Farmhouse Braised Short Ribs with From-Scratch Sauce
This recipe is a good exercise in learning to build a sauce, from scratch. To do so, you have to really work on that sear. We need even, deep colour. Don’t move your short ribs around too much, leave them in contact with the heat, unless your flipping them.
If you’re following Peace Love & Butter on the social feeds and catch some of the video content you’ll see me shift the pan, over and over, not the product. Control your heat. Control your results.
Classic Short Ribs Braised the Old-Fashioned Way
Near the end, after we strain our juices, a portion of that softened mirepoix is pulsed and returned to the pot, thickening the sauce naturally and giving it body without heaviness. This adds body and flavour. If you have a large strainer, you can push the pulp of the mirepoix through with a ladle back into your pot.
A dash of red wine adds structure and warmth, while a small cornstarch slurry finishes the sauce just enough to coat the back of a spoon — rich, glossy, and deeply savoury without feeling overworked and all my favourite gluten-free folks have happy tummies.
The result is everything short ribs should be: fork-tender meat, a sauce that tastes built rather than assembled, and a dish that feels special without being complicated.
Rich and Simple Braised Short Ribs for Easy Entertaining
This is a perfect New Year’s menu main — comforting, generous, and quietly impressive. But it doesn’t have to be a special occasion meal. This is largely passive cooking once you get past the searing. Then it’s an hour and a half to two hours of braising time before you come back to make the sauce.
Here we’re serving with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes to balance the richness, and a pour of good Cabernet Sauvignon alongside. It’s the kind of meal that invites friends to linger, refill their glasses, and start the year slowly.
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Farmhouse Braised Short Ribs
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: serves six
Description
Farmhouse Braised Short Ribs made with a simple, from-scratch sauce. Braised in water to create homemade beef broth, finished with mirepoix, red wine, and a rich, glossy gravy.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 - 4 sprigs fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
- small bundle of fresh parsley stems (if you have them)
- 12 whole peppercorns
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup red wine
- 3 cups water (plus more as needed)
- kosher salt - to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 3 - 4 tablespoons cooking oil or ghee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Dry meat VERY well with paper towel. Season short ribs with salt and pepper.
- Heat cooking oil or ghee in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown short ribs deeply on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and celery, to the pot. Cook until softened.
- Toss in your bay leaves and lightly toast in the oil until fragrant. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Return short ribs to the pot and add water until ribs are mostly submerged. Tie thyme sprigs and parsley stems together with kitchen twine, add to the pot, and ensure it’s well submerged. Toss in whole peppercorns.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and transfer to 325°F (165°C) oven. Braise for 2 hours (or more depending on the thickness of your short ribs), turning once, until very tender.
- Remove ribs. Strain vegetables from beef broth using a sieve or strainer, with a bowl underneath to capture the broth. Return liquid to the pot, over medium heat. Pulse about 1 cup of the mirepoix with some braising liquid until smooth, then return to the pot.
- Add a dash (up to a 1/2 cup) of red wine for balance. (The wine is for the cook, not the dish.) Reduce over high heat for about 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol and evaporate a bit of liquid.
- Stir cornstarch with cold water and add to the sauce, at the boiling point. Whisk immediately to distribute cornstarch and thicken the sauce. Add more if needed.
- Return ribs to the sauce to heat through if needed, and serve.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: North Amarican
