Sous vide short ribs are the perfect dinner party recipe! Easy to make ahead. Just finish in a hot skillet. Served with a delicious, red wine reduction sauce. These are packed with flavor!
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Dinner at home with friends is so much fun. Cooking always brings an element of entertainment, and who doesn’t like hanging out in the kitchen? It seems that it always ends up being the gathering spot, no matter the occasion.
But if you’re the one doing the cooking, I highly suggest that you go easy on yourself and plan a meal where you can do most of the work ahead of time.
That’s why these sous vide beef short ribs are perfect for entertaining.
These fall-apart tender ribs are perfect served over a bed of creamy polenta, egg noodles or sour cream mashed potatoes.
Ingredient notes
- Beef Short Ribs – You’ll want about 2 pounds in total, which is about 4 beef short ribs.
- Oil – Canola oil or vegetable oil is best. You’ll want an oil with a high smoke point.
- Butter
- Dry Red Wine – Here’s some of my favorite red wines for cooking.
- Shallots
- Thyme & Bay Leaf
- Beef Stock or Bone Broth
- Flour
- Salt & Pepper
Equipment notes
This cooking technique requires a gadget or two. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Immersion circulator – AKA the sous vide machine!
- Vacuum sealer bags – Vacuum-sealed bags work best, but you can also use the water displacement method.
- Sous Vide Container– Any heat-proof container will work (like a large stock pot). But, because the cook time is so long, I like to use a container with a lid to minimize the water evaporation. Otherwise, you’ll be adding water every couple hours.
- Sous Vide Lid – Essential for long cook times! A good lid will prevent you having to add more water every couple hours!
How to make them
Cook the Ribs
To start the cooking process, place your sous vide in a vessel that’s large enough to hold enough water for your bag to be fully submerged and deep enough to ensure that the water level falls between the minimum and maximum level indicators on your sous vide circulator.
- Set the sous vide to 155-degrees.
- Season short ribs with black pepper and vacuum seal using your preferred method.
- Cook for 48 hours.
- After time as elapsed, remove the bag from the water bath and place in a large bowl of ice water.
Note: At this point you can refrigerate the ribs until you are ready to serve, up to 4 days.
Make the Red Wine Sauce
- Simmer wine, shallots, thyme and bay leaf until reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Add broth and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until reduced by half, 15-20 minutes.
- Strain the sauce and discard any solids.
- Return the sauce to the pan and heat over medium low heat.
Note: At this point you can refrigerate the sauce for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Sear
- Remove the short ribs from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and butter.
- Once melted, sear short ribs for about 1-minute per side, tilting skillet and spooning butter them as they brown.
Serve
Serve the short ribs with red wine sauce spooned on top. I like to serve them on a bed of creamy polenta, egg noodles or sour cream mashed potatoes.
How to make ahead
Both the short ribs and the red wine sauce can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time. To make the short ribs ahead of time, complete the sous vide 48-hour cooking process. Then refrigerate until ready to serve. To finish, sear as directed. To make the red wine sauce ahead of time, strain the sauce and refrigerate. Reheat over medium-low heat when ready to serve.
What to serve with them
The short ribs can be served alongside buttered noodles, mashed potatoes or creamy polenta with a spoonful of the red wine sauce on top. Round off the meal with an arugula salad, roasted brussels sprouts, or some glazed carrots and you’re set.
Or, check out one of these → 30+ Sides for Short Ribs.
FAQs
For a tender, just starting to fall-off the bone texture, I prefer to cook my ribs at 155-degrees. You can cook as high as 175-degrees for even more tender ribs.
The longer the short ribs cook, the more tender they become. This is because the connective tissue (collagen) breaks down as it cooks. So, a 24-hour cook will be firmer than a 36-hour cook at the same temperature. I like to cook the ribs for a minimum of 48-hours.
It’s virtually impossible to overcook in the sous vide. However, I wouldn’t recommend cooking them for any longer than 72-hours. They may become too tender and a bit mushy.
Yes! Generally, when cooking from frozen, the only thing you need to adjust is the cook time. However, since we’re already cooking the ribs for 48 hours, there is no need to add any additional time.
Erin’s wine pairings
- These sous vide braised short ribs are just begging to be paired with big bold reds like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc or Merlot.
More savory dinner recipes
More sous vide recipes
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Full Recipe
Sous Vide Short Ribs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 beef short ribs (bone-in (about 2 lbs. total))
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Red Wine Reduction
- 1 cup dry red wine
- ½ cup minced shallots ((1 large or 2 medium shallots))
- ¼ tsp dried thyme ((or ½ teaspoon fresh thyme ))
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups beef broth (or stock)
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Set the sous vide to 155-degrees.
- Season short ribs with black pepper.
- Vacuum seal using your preferred method.
- Cook for 48 hours.
- After time as elapsed, remove the bag from the water bath and place in a large bowl of ice water. At this point you can refrigerate the ribs until you are ready to serve, up to 4 days.
- Remove the short ribs from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and butter. Once melted, sear short ribs for about 1-minute per side, tilting skillet and spooning butter them as they brown. Remove from pan and place on a plate to rest. Top with red wine sauce and enjoy.
Red Wine Reduction:
- To a small saucepan, add broth, wine, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the mixture reduces by half, about 25-30 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and flour until smooth. Add this mixture to the saucepan and whisk until thickened. Drizzle over the short ribs and enjoy.
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