This Slow Cooker Short Ribs recipe is the easiest way to make tender, fall off the bone short ribs. Cook them in a rich broth with potatoes and carrots for the perfect cozy meal to make on a Sunday.
Hands off
beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: How to make tender, fall off the bone short ribs
Worth It: It is a cozy, comforting, and satisfying meal for the winter months
Bonus: This recipe requires minimal prep since the slow cooker does most of the work
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy cozy meal – With this slow cooker method, it’s so easy to have delicious short ribs for a cozy dinner.
- Amazing leftovers – Short ribs are so tender and juicy, so they make the absolute best leftovers.
- Make ahead dinner – This dish requires some prep to begin, but once everything is in the crockpot, it couldn’t be easier! Keep dinnertime easy with this recipe.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve these slow cooker short ribs alongside carrots and potatoes that cook in the slow cooker. If you prefer, you could omit the potatoes and make these mashed potatoes to go with them instead.
If you want some greens to go with your dinner, I love making this fall harvest salad or a quick greens salad with this apple cider vinaigrette.
Ingredients and Ingredient Substitutions
- Bone in short ribs – if you prefer a less fatty meat, you can trim some of the fat off before cooking
- Salt, garlic powder, black pepper – use the this simple spice blend to season the short ribs before cooking
- Yellow baby potatoes – I find the yellow baby potatoes are best for this recipe, but you could also use red potatoes
- Carrots – the sweetness of the carrots is so delicious in the broth from the short ribs
- Tomato paste – the tomato paste adds a depth of flavor to your broth
- Beef broth – the broth adds a ton of flavor to your dish and keeps the short ribs juicy
- Dijon mustard – the dijon adds a tanginess to your broth. I prefer dijon but yellow mustard will also work
- Red wine vinegar – the vinegar gives the short ribs a little bit of zest and brightness. You could also use balsamic vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce – add Worcestershire for a big punch of flavor that makes a huge difference in your dish
How to make
Step 1: Sear the Meat
Mix salt, garlic powder and pepper. Pat short ribs dry and season on all sides with the salt, garlic and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. When preheated, place seasoned short ribs in the skillet fat side down. Allow the fat to render and brown. Then, brown the short ribs on all sides, flipping every couple of minutes.
While those brown, place the halved baby potatoes and carrot medallions in a slow cooker. Remove the seasoned short ribs from the pan and place in the slow cooker.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
Reduce the heat to med-low and add the tomato paste to the pan and mix with any browned bits. Pour the beef broth into the pan slowly whisking the tomato paste and browned bits into the broth as it pours into the pan.
Which the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and worcestershire sauce in with the broth. Allow this mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes before pouring over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Cook and Enjoy
Place the lid on top of the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. After the short ribs have cooked for a few hours, I like to toss the contents and then nestle the meat side of the short ribs down into the broth.
You will know that this dish is complete when the meat is shreddable with a fork and then bones easily slide out. Skim any excess fat from the top of the crockpot.
Serve the short ribs over the cooked carrots and potatoes with extra broth from the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper as needed and garnish with parsley.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, put the slow cooker short ribs in the microwave until warmed through or heat in a shallow pan on the stovetop.
Check out these Crockpot Dinners
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Slow Cooker Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 lb bone in short ribs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 20 oz yellow baby potatoes cut in half
- 4 large carrots peel and cut into rounds
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- ** If you are more sensitive to high fat foods, trim excess fat off of the short ribs – I do not do this.
- Mix salt, garlic powder and pepper. Pat short ribs dry and season on all sides with the salt, garlic and pepper.
- Heat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat. When preheated, place seasoned short ribs in the skillet fat side down. Allow the fat to render and brown. Then, brown the short ribs on all sides, flipping every couple of minutes.
- While those brown, place the halved baby potatoes and carrot medallions in a slow cooker.
- Remove the seasoned short ribs from the pan and place in the slow cooker.
- Reduce the heat to med-low and add the tomato paste to the pan and mix with any browned bits. Allow the paste to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Pour the beef broth into the pan slowly whisking the tomato paste and browned bits into the broth as it pours into the pan.
- Which the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and worcestershire sauce in with the broth. Allow this mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes before pouring over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Place the lid on top of the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. You can cook on high for 4-5 hours, but I find the texture of the short ribs to be much more tender if you cook on low.
- After the short ribs have cooked for a few hours, I like to toss the contents and then nestle the meat side of the short ribs down into the broth so that they are covered in broth as they continue to cook – resulting in more tender meat.
- You will know that this dish is complete when the meat is shredable with a fork and then bones easily slide out. Towards the end of cooking I like to skim some of the excess fat off the top of the slow cooker with a spoon. You can also absorb this fat with a paper towel or even a fresh piece of bread.
- Serve the short ribs over the cooked carrots and potatoes with extra broth from the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper as needed and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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