Red Wine Braised Short Ribs on the Traeger

First smoked, then seared and finally braised, short ribs take a little more effort but put out an amazing result. These red wine braised short ribs, cooked up on the Traeger grill, are the ultimate wintry comfort food that is perfect for a weeknight family meal or a dinner party. You pick!

BRAISED MEALS ARE A WINTER TREAT

In the depths of winter (which is what we are definitely facing now– consistent days in the 30*s and snow that never melts), comfort food is what sounds tasty and appropriate. We love making braised dishes this time of year because they’re relatively hands-off yet result in rich, flavorful and comforting dishes.

BEEF SHORT RIBS BRAISE WELL

When thinking about what to braise, we find that beef cuts that are sturdy, have good marbling, some bone and a decent heft to them braise well. This includes chuck roast (which is boneless), but ends up really tasty under low, slow and moist cooking. The same goes for beef short ribs which benefit from the extended time to break down the marbling and result in tender meat.

WHAT KIND OF RIBS TO USE

As you know, beef short ribs are a thing of BBQ legend. In Texas at traditional BBQ joints, beef short ribs are sold one at a time with a big rib bone attached. As I like to say, it’s like brisket on a stick.

But there are other kinds of short ribs to be made on the BBQ, and the ones we used for this recipe are the shorter ones. About 2-3 inches thick, our short ribs are cut across the bone so you end up with a chain of smaller bone pieces and lots of meat surrounding them.

Beef short ribs (the short kind) are generally fairly easy to find in your grocery store, and you can definitely ask your butcher to help you get them. Or skip that grocery store step entirely and grab them from Snake River Farms, here.

A PRIMER ON BEEF RIBS

Here is a quick run down on the various cuts of beef that are related to the short rib.

DINO BONES / BEEF PLATE SHORT RIBS

If you’re looking to cook the big ribs– what we call “dino ribs”, you’re looking for a very specific cut. Ask your butcher for cut 123A. Usually 3-4 bones in a set, these are hefty, require low and slow cooking like a brisket and result in what we consider to be an epic BBQ bite- brisket on a stick. Pick up some of these from SRF here. And I share a recipe for this cut on my website, here.

BEEF SHORT RIBS

Beef short ribs like the ones used in this recipe are essentially a cross-cut version of the 123A ribs. Usually 2-3 inches thick, they include segments of bone surrounded by lots of meat. These are also best cooked low and slow- and we think braised is best. Pick these up from SRF here.

A VARIATION: INDIVIDUALLY CUT

Sometimes, you’ll find beef short ribs cut into individual pieces. Usually square-ish, it’s meat surrounding a singular slice of bone. You treat these the same way you cook the larger portions.

FLANKEN SHORT RIBS

Further breaking down the beef plate short ribs into smaller pieces, flanked short ribs are thinly cut (usually 1/2 an inch or less) and are great for marinating and cooking quickly. We love them Korean-style, marinated in flavorful soy-sauce based mixtures and cooked until just caramelized and done. A recipe of mine for Korean-style short ribs is featured here. They’re sometimes harder to find, so check out your local Asian market, where we often find SRF ones!

BEEF BACK RIBS

Coming from a different part of the cow, beef back ribs come from the back of the animal. They often have less meat than short ribs but cook really well in a low and slow environment (either dry or moist) and are a delicious BBQ bite. We give beef back ribs an asian twist in this recipe.

FOR THIS RECIPE, MAKE A WINE BRAISE

There are just a few quick and simple steps to make these epic red wine braised short ribs on the Traeger.

STEPS

Once you’ve acquired the right cut of meat for this cook, the steps are pretty easy. First you season the short ribs heavily in my Garlic Junkie seasoning.

Then smoke the beef short ribs on the Traeger for about an hour to allow the wood-fired flavor to permeate the meat.

Give the beef short ribs a quick sear in a hot cast iron dutch oven to caramelize the exterior and begin to melt the fat.

Using the same dutch oven, create the braising liquid which will impart so much flavor in your beef short ribs.

MAKE THE BRAISE

For this recipe, we combined onions, celery and carrots, garlic, chicken stock, a cube of beef bouillon, tomato sauce and red wine along with a bunch of herbs (rosemary, parsley and thyme) to create a super flavorful braising liquid.

Saute the veggies briefly, then add the liquids and bring to a simmer before adding the herbs and then finally the seared beef short ribs.

SET AND FORGET- THEN SERVE

Once the braise is made and the beef ribs are nestled in the pot for a slow cook, put the lid on the pan and the pan in the Traeger and allow them to cook for 3-4 hours until the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 203*. They should be fall-apart tender at this point.

Pull out the ribs, shred the meat and stir it back into the sauce.

We serve our red wine braised short ribs over a pile of cheesy mashed potatoes.

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

• Beef short ribs
• My Garlic Junkie seasoning
• Butter
• Onion
• Celery
• Carrot
• Garlic
• Tomato sauce or tomato paste
• Flour
• Chicken broth
• Beef bouillon cube
• Red wine
• Herbs (thyme, rosemary & parsley)

to serve: cheesy mashed potatoes

WHY COOKING WINE BRAISED BEEF RIBS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS 

Beef short ribs are most delicious when cooked low and slow which gives the meat lots of time to become super tender and for the fat to render out of the marbling. This can be accomplished in your slow cooker or the oven- but we like to cook everything we possibly can on our Traeger grills. This keeps the kitchen temperatures steady, reduces mess and adds interest and uniqueness to everything we serve.

By first smoking the beef short ribs, you impart some wood-fired flavor in the meat. They’re then seared hot on the induction burner attached to the Traeger Timberline XL grill. Using the same pan you make a braising liquid and put the pan back in the Traeger grill to cook low and slow.

The steps are simple but the flavor result is anything but. Cooking on the Traeger is our favorite thing.

• 

• 

STEP-BY-STEP

• Preheat your Traeger grill to 225*.
• Season the beef short ribs generously with Garlic Junkie seasoning.
• Place the ribs in the preheated grill and close the lid.
• Allow the ribs to smoke for about 1 hour.
• Place a heavy dutch oven on the induction burner of your Traeger and allow the pan to get very hot.
• Quickly sear each side of the smoked short ribs until golden brown- about 90 seconds per side.
• Set the seared beef ribs aside.
• In the same pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery and carrots.
• Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic to the pan and then stir in the flour.
• Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously, to coat the vegetables in the flour and soak up any remaining butter.
• Stir in the tomato sauce and continue cooking.
• Add the chicken broth and bouillon cube and stir to combine.
• Pour in the red wine and mix well.
• Add the herbs and then nestle the seared beef short ribs in the braising liquid.
• Cover the pan with the lid and transfer it carefully to the Traeger.
• Increase the heat to 300* and allow the beef ribs to cook for 3 hours.
• Check the internal temperature of the beef- when it reaches 203* pull the pan from the grill.
• Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes, then carefully remove the ribs and the herb pieces from the liquid.
• Shred the meat with two forks, removing any big pieces of fat or gristle.
• Stir the shredded meat back in the sauce.
• Serve the red wine braised short ribs over a bowl of cheesy mashed potatoes.

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

Here are some other braised recipes to try:

• Braised Chicken Quarters
• Smoked Goat Leg
• Italian Beef
• Passover Brisket

Products used in this cook:

• Traeger Timberline XL
• Smithey Ironware Dutch Oven
• Garlic Junkie Seasoning from Spiceology

Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue