Description
Fall-apart tender beef short ribs cooked with onions, garlic, carrots, fresh herbs, and a rich balsamic beef gravy in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, about 8 ribs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more as needed
- 2 sweet onions, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick slices
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 large carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
- Chopped parsley, rosemary, or thyme for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels.
- Combine the cornstarch, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over all sides of the short ribs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear the short ribs in small batches for about 5 minutes per side, or until deeply browned. Add more oil as needed and transfer the ribs to the slow cooker.
- Add the onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Scrape the skillet to loosen the browned bits.
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the sauce over the short ribs in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, until the ribs become fork-tender.
- Add the carrots during the final 1 to 2 hours of cooking.
- Remove the bay leaves. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with mashed potatoes, rice, bread, or vegetables.
Notes
- For thicker gravy, remove the meat and vegetables after cooking. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, then stir the slurry into the cooking liquid.
- Cook the gravy on HIGH for 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches your preferred thickness.
- The gravy continues to thicken as it cools. Add a small amount of beef broth when it becomes too thick.
- Cook the ribs until they pull apart easily rather than relying only on the stated cooking time.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1053
- Sugar: 9
- Sodium: 1179
- Fat: 73
- Saturated Fat: 31
- Unsaturated Fat: 42
- Trans Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 80
- Cholesterol: 302