Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

Rebecca Baron 40 Comments

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These Paleo braised short ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and barely any work, yet are fancy enough for company. No one will even know or care you are serving them a healthy dinner!

Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (1)

This is short ribs with garlic and rosemary that's baked in the oven. It's really easy to make these short ribs partly because there are only seven ingredients.

This recipe is one I tried to copycat from a restaurant I went to. I'd never had short ribs before and I fell in love with them. Have you seen short ribs in the store and didn't know how to make short ribs? I don't know what took me so long to get on board with short ribs, but I had them for the first time at Disneyland earlier this year at La Brea Bakery Cafe in Downtown Disney. They were so good. I went back a few days later and had more. I had to come home and re-invent the short ribs recipe.

I don't know how many times I saw short ribs in the grocery store before I decided to give them a try. I don't really like BBQ ribs because they have too many ribs and not enough meat for my liking and I thought short ribs were basically the same thing. Wrong. This recipe makes the ribs taste like a really good roast, but I like the texture of the meat better and it has a richer flavor.

The extra flavor comes from the bone, the fat, the location of the meat on the cow and this technique. Browning the ribs then cooking them in a crockpot for several hours makes tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs you can sometimes eat with a spoon.

So good and so easy. I like to get this started while my children are all still at school and it's quiet and I can turn on my favorite TV show or movie and watch while I get the ribs ready. Then they just cook away and smell insanely awesome while we do homework, clean the kitchen, do laundry, drop them off places, read to them, etc.

Then when we are done with all that stuff, I normally make a side dish by throwing a bag of cauliflower from Costco in one of my Instant Pots and cooking it for 10 minutes, then I mash it with my fork and put a good amount of butter on it. So good and so easy.

Alternately, you could make polenta. It's more traditional and looks so pretty with it, but it can be difficult to make polenta Clean (especially to buy it Clean) and my children don't really like polenta. It must be the texture. They love mashed cauliflower though.

This short rib recipe uses red wine, but beef broth can also be used in its place if you don't want to use wine. If you do not have a dutch oven, the first step of browning the ingredients can be done in a regular saute pan and it can be transferred to a crockpot to finish cooking (on low for 6-8 hours).

This recipe is a great addition to our Sunday meals list. We can prepare it before leaving for church and let it cook while we are gone and then have a great meal after church as a family. I always remember having great Sunday dinners with my family growing up.

We would eat together as a family every night but Sunday's we would have a little bit more of a nicer meal. This meal reminds me of something we would have for a special dinner.These ribs would be perfect served over polenta (as pictured) or a parsnip or cauliflower puree. Also, note that some people do not consider red wine to be Paleo. If that is you, substitute with beef broth.

What are short ribs?

I kind of just always assumed that ribs were ribs. I didn't really care that much because we hardly ever ate them anyway. When we did they were always barbecued.

Well, I learned that spare ribs are pork. My dumb! Short ribs are beef. Spare ribs in pork are the equivalent of short ribs in beef. Beef short ribs are usually meatier and larger than pork spare ribs.

Can you overcook beef short ribs?

Of course. You can overcook everything. Although, there is a large margin of error with these.

I think they are very best if you cook them until they are very well done and fall apart so much that you can break them apart with your spoon.

How can you tell when they are done?

When the meat is very tender and starts pulling away from the bone, then it is time to take it out of the oven and let it rest in a covered pan for about 20 minutes before serving.

Please let me know if you try this recipe. I would love to know how it turns out for you and if you have any questions! I have a whole bunch more clean eating recipes that I make for dinner all of the time.

Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (2)

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Recipe

Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (3)

Paleo braised Short Ribs Recipe with Garlic and Rosemary

★★★★★5 from 24 reviews

  • Author: Rebecca Baron
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Total Time: 140 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Paleo
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Description

These Paleo short ribs are fall off the bone tender and hardly any work. Perfect for a fancy weekend dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 ½ pounds Beef Short Ribs (bone-in, cut into 2-3 inch pieces)
  • Real Salt * (to taste)
  • Ground Pepper (to taste)
  • 2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Sweet Onion (Sliced)
  • 3 Cloves Garlic (Sliced)
  • 2 Tbl Tomato Paste
  • ¾ Cup Red Wine
  • 1 ½ Cups Beef Broth
  • 4 Rosemary Sprigs

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Heat the olive oil over medium/high heat in a ceramic coated cast iron pot.
  3. Coat the short ribs in coarse salt and pepper and place in the hot pan.
  4. Cook until deep golden brown and then flip each piece over and brown on the other side.
  5. Remove the ribs from the pan to a plate.
  6. Add the onion to the hot pan and saute until onion is translucent, 4-5 minutes.
  7. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
  8. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds, coating the onion.
  9. Add the red wine, if using, and let it reduce by one half. Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. If you are not using the wine, simply add in the beef broth and bring to a simmer.
  10. Put the short ribs back in the pan. Toss in the rosemary sprigs, cover with a lid, and place in the preheated oven.
  11. Bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until ribs are fall off the bone tender.
  12. Serve over polenta or a vegetable puree, such as parsnips or cauliflower.

Keywords: Tender, Baked, Braised

Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (4)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LQS

    Made this last night. Hubs liked it, son not as much but still ate it. The gravy/sauce it makes is really delicious and the first thing hubs noticed and appreciated. I find the cut of meat a little difficult to eat, especially when it's still on the bone and so fatty. Think we prefer shredded short rib meat since they're easier to eat and not as messy, but that's our personal thing not an issue with the recipe. The presentation looked really nice and the recipe was super easy to make! May try again with another cut of meat since the sauce was so delish. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  2. Heather

    Braised short ribs over mashed rutabaga. Delicious!!!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (9)

    Reply

  3. Sharon F.

    I altered this recipe a bit because I didnt have everything but they were amazing.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (11)

    Reply

  4. Alex

    I can't wait to eat these!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (12)

    Reply

  5. Jodi

    I’ve been using this recipe for years (since I was so fortunate to have found it!). Not only do I use it for short ribs, I double the recipe and use it for my 4 lb. pot roasts!! I just add a bag of baby carrots to the roasting pan and it is AWESOME!!! It is my go to for feeding a large family crowd. I serve the pot roast with mashed potatoes. By far, the BEST recipe EVER!!!

    Reply

  6. Brittani

    OMG! Delicious- used apothic red wine & reduced it

    Reply

  7. Chris

    Made a paste with the garlic and rosemary. Twice as many mushrooms. Reduce oil and use butter 😉 go full time in oven as then the meat melts.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (13)

    Reply

  8. Kara Farnsworth

    Delish!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (14)

    Reply

  9. Meghan H

    Served over mashed potatoes. Turned out so good, meat falls right off the bone, great flavor!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (15)

    Reply

  10. Chris

    WOW!! Beautiful pictures. Adding to the menu

    Reply

  11. Hope Hausman

    Excellent! The recipe’s a keeper!

    Reply

  12. Lisa Roesler

    Delicious dinner tonight

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (16)

    Reply

  13. Mariette N

    Delicious!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (17)

    Reply

  14. Leesa Lavender

    Wow. These were simply outstanding! I used all beef broth since I'm on Whole 30. I served with a cauliflower puree. Probably one of the best meals I've ever made.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (18)

    Reply

  15. Danielle W.

    Amazing!!!! Used boneless and bone-in. Both are super tasty! Will DEFINITELYI be making this again.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (19)

    Reply

  16. Anna I

    This is our favorite short ribs recipe! We serve over garlic grits.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (20)

    Reply

  17. Diane S

    Made these tonight! They were fantastic. The best short ribs recipe I’ve tried. We had ours with mashed cauliflower.

    Reply

  18. Lyme Of Mine

    Perfect just the way they are!

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (21)

    Reply

  19. Leslie Z

    Turned out wonderful.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (22)

    Reply

  20. Roy M

    Added 1 tbsp of honey after an hour in the oven and continue baking for 1 and half hour more. It turned out soft, tender and deliciously sweet.

    Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (23)

    Reply

  21. J. M. RODAK

    Hi! Thank you for sharing! I just made this and it was amazing! Although I made it stovetop, but it turned out fabulous. I just wanted to let anyone who thought they could NOT make this unless they had a Dutch oven know that it turned out very well via stovetop in a big stock pot with lid. I cooked it on low heat for about 3 hrs and it was fall-ofd-the-bone delish!! So, don't be discourage or think you have to go out an buy an expensive new pot. Just take your time and trust your nose. ?

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Thanks for this comment. I'm sure it will help encourage lots of people!

      Reply

  22. Noreen

    I made this over the weekend per the recipe and it was delicious. I served it with a cauliflower rice side. Put the leftovers in the fridge overnight, skimmed the fat off the top in the morning, then took the leftovers from both dishes, added some additional veggies, some beef broth, a splash of chicken stock and some water to make a fabulous, delicious soup! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      Sounds wonderful. Thanks for the suggestions too!

      Reply

  23. Richard Kohout

    This recipe looks good. But if you serve it over polenta, it definitely will not be Paleo then!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      So true!

      Reply

  24. Jen

    Sooo good! I will make this again.

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      I'm so glad you like it! It's one of my favorites too and I feel like short ribs get the "short" end of the stick sometimes, which is too bad cause they are awesome!

      Reply

  25. Miryan

    I've made asian shor ribs inthe past and brased short ribs. This recipe looks simple and looks delicious! I will definatly be making them this week. I have all the ingrefiants already. Can't wait!

    Reply

  26. Tiarra L Nelson

    I made this tonight and I ran into a few problems so I decided to write here to let people know how to fix them if they happen to run into the same. My rosemary is right from the garden and is incredibly sticky like pine needles. Because of this the 4 sprigs was too much- and that's considering that I made double what the recipe called for in meat and only used an extra 2 sprigs of rosemary- for someone buying from the store or whose rosemary is not as strong as mine this likely would not be an issue. The rosemary made it bitter because of how overpowering my bush is. This is easily fixed with fat or salt. Both fat and salt balance bitter. I opted for salted butter. I'm not sure how paleo butter is considered but it fixed the problem instantly and saved the night for us. I also wanted mine a hint less sweet from the tomato paste so I slowly add'd in a squeeze of lemon until it was the balance I like. Nobody else minded the sweetness here but they all liked the taste after the lemon (you could not taste lemon you really add in only tiny amounts to taste)- this is just me nit picking but wasn't really a problem, it could have gone without the lemon if I didn't have it on hand it it would have been an enjoyable meal. I made sure to simmer the sauce until the flavors were well combined because this was the first time I made this and that's how I determined what I wanted to adjust before putting it in the oven, so I recommend others do so to account for personal preference as well. After adjusting to taste as far as the flavors in the base recipe I threw in two bay leaves and about a teaspoon of dried thyme. Overall I liked this recipe and its not the OP's fault my rosemary was way too strong, lol I just thought I would mention it. I am going to make this again regardless.

    Reply

  27. Donna

    This looks real good, I'll have to try it real soon.

    Reply

  28. Lindsay

    Can you make this in the crockpot? This recipe looks delicious!

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      You could. It wouldn't be the same, but it would still be good. If I had to guess, I would say 6-8 hours on low.

      Reply

  29. Daisy

    Could i do this in a cast iron ( not enameled) dutch oven? Ive heard rumors of tomato products and cast iron not working well together.

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      I wouldn't. Tomato definitely ruins mine, although if it's seasoned really well, you can get away with it. Some people line theirs with tin foil or just buy one of the expensive pans. That's my least favorite part of cast iron pans.

      Reply

      • Daisy

        Thanks for confirming this for me.
        Guess I'll start saving my money for an enameled Dutch oven 🙂

        Reply

  30. Andrea

    How much tomato paste is needed? It's listed in instructions, but not in list of ingredients.

    Reply

    • Rebecca

      2 Tablespoons of tomato paste. I like to buy the little squeeze tubes and use only what I need.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Paleo Braised Short Ribs Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

Why are my braised short ribs tough? ›

If they aren't braised long enough, they can be super tough to eat; if they are cooked too long, the meat will just fall apart. The key to preparing short ribs is to cook them until they reach a point that is just before they would fall apart.

What cut is best for braised short rib? ›

Choosing the right cut of short rib:

Look for well-marbled, bone-in short ribs with a good amount of meat versus fat. This marbling adds flavor and keeps the meat moist during the cooking process. Opt for bone-in ribs as they contribute to the richness of the dish and provide additional depth to the braising liquid.

Can you cook braised short ribs too long? ›

Don't Overcook the Beef.

Believe it or not, it is possible to braise short ribs for too long. While you want the short ribs to be fall-apart tender, cooking them too long will result in ribs that are mushy. There's a fine line, but it is there.

Are braising ribs the same as short ribs? ›

When the rib bone is cut into a 3-to-6-inch (7.6 to 15.2 cm) length, left as a section of meat (a "plate") containing three or four ribs or cut into individual ribs with meat attached, the short rib is known as an "English cut". They may also be known as barbecue ribs, braising ribs, or fancy cut ribs.

Does meat get more tender the longer you braise it? ›

The long, slow cook time helps develop flavor and turn even the toughest meat cuts fork-tender. One of the most popular types of braised beef is pot roast, which is usually a chuck or round roast with added vegetables. Lamb and pork are also delicious when braised.

Should short ribs be submerged when braising? ›

Short ribs that are cooked completely submerged in liquid will come out with a thin, watery sauce, while those cooked in just a thin layer of liquid—enough to provide a moist environment under your Dutch oven's lid—will produce a rich, flavorful sauce.

How do you thicken braised short rib sauce? ›

To thicken, mix flour and cold water to create a slurry, then slowly whisk into sauce until desired consistency is reached. If necessary, reheat the short ribs in the sauce in the oven until hot. Serve.

How long to braise short ribs at 350? ›

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. ...
  2. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. ...
  3. Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2½ hours.
Mar 14, 2023

What are the two types of short ribs? ›

Butchers cut beef short ribs in two dominant fillets: flanken and English. We also know flanken short ribs as crosscut ribs, kosher ribs, and Korean-style ribs. Chefs may refer to English cut short ribs as braising ribs, barbeque ribs, or fancy cut ribs because of the dense slab of meat perched atop their bones.

How many short ribs do I need for 4 people? ›

You'll need about three-quarters of a pound of bone-in short ribs per person. If you cook the beef the day before and chill it overnight, you'll be able to lift off much of the fat that hardens on top of the sauce.

How much liquid do I need for braised short ribs? ›

Return the short ribs to the pan and add 2 cups water or until the water has just about covered the meat. Add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Check periodically during the cooking process and add more water, if needed.

How many short ribs for 5 people? ›

Calculating how many short ribs per person depends on how the ribs are cut; sometimes the ribs are really short and sometimes they are unusually long. It is better to figure by weight—a little more than 1 pound of bone-in short ribs should suffice per person.

How many short ribs per person? ›

If you're serving beef short ribs to adults, it's best to plan on 2 short ribs per person.

What temp do you braise short ribs at? ›

6Cover with the lid and place the Dutch oven in the oven. Cook at 350°F for 2 hours, then reduce the heat to 325°F and cook for 30 to 45 minutes more. The ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to sit, lid on, for at least 20 minutes before serving.

How do you fix tough short ribs? ›

Braising is the act of cooking food in a liquid to add flavor, moisten, and tenderize. It does usually require a longer cooking time, which works best for tougher cuts of meat. Braising is best at lower temperatures like 250-350˚F/121-177˚C to allow your food to cook slowly, usually for hours, depending on what it is.

How do you make short ribs less tough? ›

Braising beef short ribs: why and how

You end up with a meat and a sauce that are ideally suited to each other and are both incredibly tasty. Braising is an ancient means of cooking tough cuts of meat to tenderize them, and is also quite simple.

How do you make beef short ribs not tough? ›

I do short ribs in a slow cooker. I completely submerge them in liquid and they cook all day (8 hours minimum) and when I pick them out of the pot they quite literally fall off the bone, soft, tender and tasty. Low and slow (and long) is the way to go.

Why isn't my short rib tender? ›

If you get short ribs that have striations of muscle that look extremely lean and then a thick fat cap on top, you're going to end up with meat that's tough and dry, not tender and melting. Short ribs can be cut two different ways: flanken- and English-style.

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