If you love bold flavors and don't have hours to spend in the kitchen, you will love these Slow Cooker Short Ribs. Succulent beef short ribs are slowly cooked in a savory and aromatic broth with herbs and vegetables until they are fall-off-the-bone tender. The best part? You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to make it happen!
Short ribs are a classic dish that is always served in the best restaurants.
With this recipe, you can bring those flavors and aromas home with minimal effort.
For serving, mashed potatoes are a classic option. Try my Crockpot mashed potatoes, Ninja Foodi mashed potatoes, or mascarpone mashed potatoes.
I also love to serve the ribs over creamy slow cooker polenta or cheesy polenta.
Round out the meal with a simple green salad, garlic butter asparagus, and bread machine dinner rolls.
Ingredient Notes
Let’s Talk Ingredients
I like using garlic powder here—it keeps things simple and you don’t have to worry about burning fresh garlic when searing the ribs. Dried rosemary and oregano both work great, but if you’ve got fresh herbs, use about two tablespoons of each, finely chopped. Thyme’s another great option if you want to mix things up.
I prefer bone-in short ribs since the bones add incredible flavor while they cook. You can use English cut or flanken-style ribs—either works. Boneless is fine too, just cut the cooking time a bit.
Step by Step
For the full recipe for slow cooker beef short ribs with measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Making a Gravy
The drippings from beef short ribs in the crock pot are going to be loaded with flavor!
Since they have a lot of fat, may want to strain the liquids before using them as a sauce or gravy. To do this, spoon the liquid into a fat separator or large bowl and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
The fat will rise to the top and can then be skimmed off. This step is completely optional - I skip it almost every time!
To make the sauce, transfer the remaining juices to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, stirring for about 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
Thoughts on Overcooking
It is possible to overcook this beef short ribs recipe in the slow cooker.
Slow cooking is best when done between 8-10 hours, depending on the size and type of cut you are using.
It's important to check the temperature regularly while the ribs are cooking, as they should be cooked to an internal temperature of 190ºF before being removed from the heat.
Cooked beyond this temperature can result in overcooked and dry short ribs with a tough texture.
Bone-In Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- 3 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, salt, and mustard.
- Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels, and then sprinkle the seasoning mix on the outside. You can refrigerate overnight if you like, or proceed with the recipe.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the seasoned short ribs and cook on all sides for 1 minute per side.
- Transfer the beef ribs to your slow cooker using tongs.
- Add the carrots and onion to the skillet, and cook for 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste directly to the oil, and stir for 1 minute before stirring the paste into the vegetables.
- Add the vegetables to your crockpot.
- Pour the beef broth and vinegar on top.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
Bill Hawkes says
Wendy,
I had been wanting to do a short rib crockpot recipe for sometime, but hadn’t found one that appealed to me until I came across yours. I followed the recipe exactly. The short ribs came out great. I reduced the cooking liquid and made a sauce for them. We really enjoyed them, but am going to make some minor tweaks. We both love onions so will add an additional onion next time. I am not a carrot fan but my wife is so won’t make a change there. I am going to add the veggies without sautéing them next time. Save a little time and with the long cook time I believe they will come out fine. We served them with Spinach Maria and a glass of French Burgundy and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
Wendy Polisi says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! More onions would be delicious - I still have a little one who "thinks" she hates onions, so I tend to go lighter most of the time. If you happen to think of it, let me know how your tweaks go.