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Dive into the depths of flavor with our Short Rib Ragu recipe. Discover slow-cooked, savory perfection and redefine your pasta experience.
Featured with this recipe
If you want something that tastes like you ordered it at a gourmet restaurant and that will impress your guests, this is the dish. One of those “low and slow” recipes, it may take a long time to cook (it simmers for about 4 hours), but when it is finished, that meat will fall off the bones and have such a depth of flavor and savoriness, you’ll be shocked. It’s that good. It is absolutely worth the time it takes.
Ingredients in Short Rib Ragu
- Beef Short Ribs
- Olive Oil
- Mirepoix – a mix of carrots, celery, and onion
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Tomato Paste
- Red Wine – use a dry red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
- Beef Broth
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Pappardelle Pasta
- Basil and Parmesan – for garnish
Secrets to the Perfect Short Rib Ragu
- Searing the Meat– searing the meat you will be using before you slow cook it is a great way to increase the flavor of the meat, as well as improve the texture. Don’t discard the drippings and browned bits of what came out of the meat onto the bottom of the pan while it was being seared. Those add so much flavor to what you are cooking as well.
- Sautéing the Aromatics– in cooking, ‘aromatics’ are the herbs, spices, and vegetables used as the base of flavor in the dish. The idea to sauté these ingredients is to release their flavor as well as reduce their bite.
- Letting the Sauce Simmer-simmering slowing allows liquid to evaporate, which infuses more and more flavor into what you are making. Even though simmering can take longer than doing something on a rapid boil, a simmer will enhance the flavor of your food, thickening the sauce, and allow for the ingredients of your short rib ragu sauce to mingle.
Variations
- For a different slow cooker Short Rib Ragu, make it in the Crock Pot. it will take longer, about 7 hours, but you could experiment with this option.
- Not a fan of short ribs? Try another protein:
- Chuck roast (the most popular meat choice for Ragu)
- Pork shoulders
- Or, use any fatty or tougher meat that will become tender over a long cooking time.
Recipe Tip
Make sure to pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel before seasoning. This will help the seasoning stick to the ribs and it will create a better crust when you sear the ribs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Short Rib Ragu
Cooked pasta would be delicious, because it is a tomato sauce based dish. You could mix it up and try gnocchi, another favorite–pasta, just a little different. Ever tried polenta? This could be your chance. Polenta is a cornmeal paste that can be baked or fried. It’s very plain and goes well with herbs like sprigs of fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, or even parsley mixed with it. Mashed potatoes would also be welcome here! Anything with lots of fresh herbs, parmesan, and black pepper on top.
Yes, but they need a long, low, and slow cooking time to get them to a soft and juicy place. We recommend simmering for 4 hours. After this, they become extremely tender.
The most likely answer is that they haven’t been cooked for long enough.
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How to Make Short Rib Ragu
Short Rib Ragu
Equipment
- large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 4 short ribs
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shredded celery
- 1/2 cup shredded onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes with the juice
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound pappardelle pasta cooked according to package directions
- basil for serving
- parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Pat short ribs dry with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Sear the short ribs on each side until a deep brown crust forms. Remove from pot and set aside. Do not drain the pot.
- Add carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves to the pot. Cook until soft – about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a dark brick red.
- Add wine, beef broth, and tomatoes, and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Place the short ribs back into the sauce. It is okay if some parts stick out, but most of the ribs should be covered.
- Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 4 hours. The ribs should fall off the bone and the meat should be extremely tender.
- Remove bones and bay leaves from the sauce. Use 2 forks to shred any large chunks of meat in the sauce. Give it a really good stir.
- Serve over pappardelle pasta and garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.
Notes
- If at the end of the simmering time the sauce has too much oil at the top, then you can spoon some of it out with a ladle.
- You can serve this ragu over any pasta of your choice, but we especially love pappardelle and large rigatoni.
- San Marzano tomatoes are the best tomatoes to use if you can find them. The sauce in the jar is thicker and the tomatoes are more flavorful. Look for the DOP seal for real Italian imported tomatoes!
Love this! Very easy to follow along and the extra tips were helpful too…I was looking for something different to do with an elk roast so I used it instead of the short ribs and it turned out awesome! I also put mine in the oven rather than simmering on the stove top, I let it go for 7 hours at 200⁰ in the porcelain dutch oven and it came out great! Thank you!