Grass Fed Beef Short Ribs: Texas Low & Slow Perfection

Short ribs are the kind of cut that punishes impatience and rewards the opposite.

You cannot rush them. But put bone-in beef short ribs in a slow cooker with red wine, tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaves for eight hours and what comes out is fall-off-the-bone tender meat in a flavorful braising liquid that most restaurants would charge $40 a plate to serve you.

This beef short ribs recipe has been around our house for years. Carrie developed it back when she ran Carrie's Kitchen, a meal planning service for Texas families, and it's one of those recipes that never needed improving. Set it up in the morning, go about your day, and come home to short ribs that have been slowly braising in red wine and tomatoes all afternoon. The rib bones release gelatin into the liquid, the red wine sauce concentrates, and the onion and mushrooms melt into the broth. It handles itself.

Grassfed beef short ribs take this to another level. The beef is more distinctly beefy — more mineral, more complex — because it comes from cattle that actually lived on Texas pasture. And the collagen-rich connective tissue around each rib bone converts slowly to gelatin over those eight hours of low heat, giving the braising liquid real body and giving the meat a silky texture you cannot fake or shortcut.

What Makes Grass-Fed Short Ribs Different from Conventional Beef Ribs

Short ribs come from the chuck and rib section of the animal — specifically from the short plate and rib primal — making them one of the richest, most collagen-heavy cuts of beef. That collagen is exactly why braising is the right method. Low heat over a long time converts collagen to gelatin, which gives braised short ribs their signature texture and gives the red wine sauce its body and depth.

Bone-in short ribs are worth seeking out. The marrow in the rib bone contributes to the braising liquid during a long cook, and you lose that with boneless. If boneless short ribs are all you can find, they will still work in this beef recipe — just reduce slow cooking time by about an hour.

Grass-fed beef has a different fat profile than grain-fed — higher in omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), lower in total saturated fat. You can read more about the nutritional research in our science behind grass-fed beef nutrition. For short ribs specifically, the fat is marbled between the rib bones and renders slowly during a long braise in a way that keeps the meat moist throughout — without the excess pooling you get from grain-fed.

English Cut vs. Flanken: Choosing the Right Short Ribs for This Recipe

English cut gives you thick individual rib sections — typically 2 to 3 inches long with one rib bone per piece — and these are what you want for braising or slow cooking. Flanken cut slices across multiple bones and is thinner, better suited for grilling or Korean-style preparations. When choosing short ribs for this recipe, ask for English cut, bone-in, about 5 lbs total. More on where short ribs fit in the full animal in our complete grass-fed beef cuts guide.

Carrie's Kitchen Slow Cooker Grass-Fed Beef Short Ribs Recipe

This braised short ribs recipe comes straight from Carrie's Kitchen — the meal planning service Carrie ran for Texas families. It's a genuinely simple slow cooker method that produces flavorful, restaurant-quality results with minimal hands-on time. The combination of dry red wine, diced tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and mushrooms creates a braising liquid that develops all day while you're not paying attention to it. © Carrie's Kitchen LLC

Ingredients

• 5 lbs grass-fed beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch sections
• 2 1/4 cups dry red wine
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 7 tsp garlic, minced
• 6 fresh parsley sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp beef tallow (optional, for searing)

How to Make Carrie's Slow Cooker Short Ribs Step by Step

1. Pat the short ribs dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Optional sear: Heat beef tallow in a large skillet over high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides for 2–3 minutes per side until deeply browned. Remove the ribs and set aside. Browned short ribs go into the slow cooker with a head start on flavor — but this step can be skipped on a busy morning.
3. Place the ribs in an even layer on their sides in the slow cooker.
4. Add the red wine, diced tomatoes with juice, mushrooms, onion, garlic, parsley sprigs, bay leaves, and thyme.
5. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. This is cook low and slow at its most literal — do not rush it.
6. After 4 hours, add the cubed potatoes.
7. When done, remove the ribs and discard the parsley sprigs, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs.
8. Skim the fat from the top of the cooking liquid.
9. Return ribs to the pot and serve with the braising liquid spooned over the top.

Tips for Cooking Grass-Fed Short Ribs

Temperature, Time, and Why Grass-Fed Cooks Differently

Grass-fed beef cooks 25–30% faster than grain-fed at equivalent temperatures because of its leaner profile. In a slow cooker on low, this matters less because you're working in a forgiving long-cook range — but it does mean grass-fed beef will reach tenderness faster than conventional recipes suggest when you cook in the oven or on the stovetop. On low for 8 hours in the slow cooker is the sweet spot. If you're cooking on high, start checking at 4 hours.

Short ribs get tough when they haven't cooked long enough — not when they've cooked too long. The collagen around the meat on the bone needs sustained low heat to fully convert to gelatin. If yours are still firm, go another hour. Slow cookers vary significantly in actual temperature, so treat timing as a starting point and test tenderness near the rib bone — it should give easily.

Choosing a Good Red Wine for Braising

You don't need an expensive bottle, but use something you'd actually drink. A Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Cotes du Rhone all work well for short ribs with red wine. Two cups of wine is the bulk of your braising liquid, so off-notes in a cheap bottle will concentrate as the liquid reduces. Don't pour in something you wouldn't pour in a glass. Save beef bouillon-style shortcuts for another day — a good red wine is one of the things that makes this recipe what it is.

The Optional Sear: Why It's Worth It

Taking 10 minutes to sear the short ribs before they go into the slow cooker builds a flavorful layer that carries through the entire braise. The Maillard reaction when you brown the ribs creates compounds that no amount of slow cooking can replicate from a raw start. Beef tallow has a high smoke point and clean flavor that's ideal for this step — or use butter if that's what you have. For more on rendering and using tallow, see our beef tallow guide.

Dutch Oven Oven-Braise Variation

If you'd rather braise in the oven, this braised short ribs recipe translates well to a large Dutch oven and produces slightly more caramelization from the dry-heat environment. Here's how to braise beef short ribs the Dutch oven way:

1. Pat the short ribs dry and season with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Heat beef tallow in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches so you don't crowd the pot, add ribs to the pot and brown the short ribs for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply crusted. Remove the ribs and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion to the same pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking for 1–2 minutes until it darkens slightly.
5. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for 2 minutes so the alcohol cooks off and the browned bits dissolve into the sauce.
6. Add the diced tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir to combine.
7. Return the ribs to the pot, nestling the short ribs on all sides into the liquid so they are mostly submerged.
8. Cover the large Dutch oven tightly and transfer to oven at 300°F. Braise in the oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, adding the cubed potatoes at the 1.5-hour mark.
9. Remove the ribs and set aside. Discard bay leaves and thyme. Skim fat from the top of the liquid. If you want a thicker red wine sauce, let it simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 5–10 minutes to reduce.
10. Return the ribs to the pot and serve.

The tomato paste in this version adds a richness and depth that the slow cooker method builds over a longer cook. Add beef broth — or an equal amount of beef stock — if you want more liquid than the wine and tomatoes provide. For a similar oven-braise approach with a different cut, check out our Bordeaux braised grass-fed beef chuck roast recipe — same low-and-slow principle, different cut of beef.

Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Method

If time is short, you can make braised short ribs in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker and get a genuinely good result — not quite fall-off-the-bone in the same way as the slow cooker, but close. The process mirrors the Dutch oven version: use the sauté function to sear the short ribs, build your aromatics, add the beef broth, red wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and diced tomatoes, then pressure cook on high for 45–50 minutes with a natural release. Add the potatoes for the last 10 minutes.

The Instant Pot won't develop the same depth as an 8-hour slow cooker braise, but for a weeknight when you need this on the table in under 2 hours, it's a solid shortcut. The remaining ribs reheat just as well the next day regardless of which method you used.

What to Serve with Braised Short Ribs

The braising liquid in this recipe — red wine, tomatoes, mushroom juices, and thyme — is rich enough that all you need is something to pour it over. Creamy mashed potatoes absorb the sauce better than almost anything else. Cauliflower mash works equally well if you're eating paleo or low-carb. The cubed potatoes cooked right in the slow cooker also do the job if you'd rather skip the extra side dish.

A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts through the richness nicely. If you're feeding a crowd in Dallas or Houston, some crusty sourdough for sauce-mopping rounds it out. And if you want to deepen the broth even further, a cup of grassfed beef bone broth stirred in at the start adds another layer of flavor and collagen.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Short Ribs

Leftover short ribs are arguably better the next day once the flavors have fully melded. Transfer the ribs and braising liquid to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4–5 days. To reheat the ribs, put them in a covered pot over low heat and add beef broth — just a splash — then warm slowly until heated through. Avoid the microwave if you can; reheating too fast tightens the muscle fibers and you lose the texture the long braise built.

If you want to reheat in a batch, a low oven covered tightly in foil works well. Braised short ribs also freeze beautifully — store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you reheat.

One practical bonus to the refrigerate-overnight approach: the fat from the top of the braising liquid solidifies and lifts off cleanly the next morning. Skim that layer before reheating for a cleaner sauce. Grass-fed short ribs produce noticeably less surface fat than grain-fed, so this step goes fast regardless.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you braise beef short ribs without red wine?

Yes. Replace the red wine with an equal amount of beef broth plus 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. The vinegar provides the acidity wine contributes, which helps tenderize the meat and balance the richness of the braise. Beef stock works here as well — just add a splash of vinegar to replace the wine's brightness. The flavor will be slightly less complex but still very flavorful.

What is the difference between bone-in and boneless short ribs?

Bone-in short ribs have the rib bone attached to the meat, which contributes marrow and gelatin to the braising liquid over a long cook. Boneless short ribs are the same muscle without the bone — more convenient but with less depth of flavor. Either works for this beef short ribs recipe. If using boneless, reduce slow cooker time to about 6–7 hours on low and check for tenderness early.

Why are my short ribs still tough after 8 hours?

Short ribs get tough when they haven't cooked long enough — not when they've cooked too long. The collagen around the rib bone needs sustained low heat to fully convert to gelatin. If yours are still firm at 8 hours, go another hour. Slow cookers vary in actual temperature, so treat timing as a starting point and test by pressing near the bone — it should give easily when the short ribs are done.

How do you skim the fat from braised short ribs?

The easiest method is to braise a day ahead, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight, and lift the solid fat layer off the top the next morning before you reheat. For same-day cooking, use a wide spoon to skim fat off the top, or pour through a fat separator. Grass-fed short ribs produce noticeably less surface fat than grain-fed, so there is less to deal with either way.

Does this recipe work in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker?

Yes — see the Instant Pot method above. Use the sauté function to sear the short ribs before pressure cooking. High pressure for 45–50 minutes with a natural release gets you close to the slow cooker result in a fraction of the time. It won't have the same depth as the 8-hour slow cooker braise, but it's a solid short rib recipe when time is short.

Order Grass-Fed Beef Short Ribs from Texas Ranchers

Every short rib we sell comes from Texas ranchers using regenerative grazing practices — no antibiotics, no growth hormones, 100% grass-fed and grass-finished. This is food that heals, not harms — and beef short ribs braised low and slow in red wine and thyme are one of the best ways to experience what properly raised Texas beef actually tastes like.

Texas Grass Fed Farms delivers to Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Waco, and beyond. Browse our grass-fed beef collection and our beef BBQ and slow cook cuts, or join our mailing list to receive updates and be first to know about new products and special offers.