Although I’ve never been a great lover of beets, I adore them in some dishes, like borscht. I was inspired by that straightforward soup and believed the tastes would complement the rich, fatty short ribs, which they most definitely did.
| Cook Time: | 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pound beets, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 1 cup cubed carrots
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Generously season short ribs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat vegetable oil over high heat in a heavy pot. Brown short ribs on all sides until they are dark brown, about 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add onions and continue cooking over high heat until onions go from golden to dark brown, about 8 minutes; this will make a richer, darker sauce. Stir flour into the onion mixture; cook for about 1 minute. Pour in broth; add bay leaf, beets, carrots, and celery. Bring pot to a simmer. Place browned short ribs in pot, evenly distributing them among the vegetables.
- Bake in preheated oven until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter.
- Bring sauce to a fast simmer over high heat until it is reduced by half and slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if needed.
- Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh chives.
- I used 2 large beets totaling 1 pound, peeled and cut into eighths.
- Optional step: when you taste your finished sauce, if you want to add some acidity to balance the sweetness, adjust with a splash of white vinegar.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 1471 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 21 g |
| Cholesterol | 265 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 52 g |
| Saturated Fat | 56 g |
| Sodium | 2218 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 130 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
We thought this was good, but the sauce wasn’t our favorite. The ribs cooked up nicely – I only had bone in, so I just cooked them whole and they were falling off the bone. The veggies were awesome. Great recipe – thanks!
These turned out very well. I did add a little dill because I like dill. I served it over zoodles.
These turned out very well. I did add a little dill because I like dill. I served it over zoodles.
Another keeper. We like beets a lot so it was a nice addition to the short ribs. I followed the recipe but added the cumin and other spices suggested by others. I served the stew over egg noodles.
Perfect as is. The sauce was fabulous.
This is amazing! The slight sweetness of the beets just compliments the beef. I used stewing beef and beef stock, and added a celery root. Of course the veggies was all out of my garden. Otherwise nothing else added. I have made this 3 times already. Just gets better every time. Chef John knows his stuff!
Good as a starting off point for a recipe. The seasoning wasn’t borscht enough for me though. I ended up using 2 tbl of dill, 1 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of caraway seeds, 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tsp of thyme. Also, always preferred parsnips over carrots so swapped those as well.
Warm & comforting. We made this for Valentine’s dinner & served with crusty buttered bread & a nice French red table wine! Leftovers froze very well & we will make again for game night with friends.
I was very pleased with the results of this recipe. I made this using my Hot Pot pressure cooker. I did not add the vegetables until the meat had cooked for 15 minutes and allowed to depressurize on its own. I then added the vegetables, cooked them for 5 minutes and manually reduced the pressure.
I ended up making this with brisket because the butcher was out of short ribs. Doubled the time in the oven to get to “fork tender”. It was fantastic! Will definitely try it again with short ribs another time.
My husband didn’t think he would like, but had two plates
O.M.G!!!! I hate beets. Now, I love them! Fantastic! Made no changes just really, generously, seasoned my ribs with salt. Perfection!
This is a delicious dish I well be making this again.
This is a wonderful, wonderful meal. We served it with a goat cheese creamy polenta and asparagus! Absolutely perfect Christmas dinner.
Outstanding recipe. Very rich flavor. Next time I will add more vegetables.
Really good stuff! Truthfully, I probably won’t make it often; I was looking for a way to use up some beets left in my case box. On the other hand, I have so much bracing liquid left even after reduction, that it is going to Bebe tarter for what I expect to be a lovely soup. Thanks, Chef John!
Wow chef John does it again! This dish was amazing!!! My husband was sckeptical of the beets and the red mixture but he loved it as well. I served this over large egg noodles and omitted the sour cream at the end. Next time I will try it with a splash of vinegar to help balance the sweetness but it’s still amazing as is. This is a must try! Just be warned that the beets will stain everything so be careful where you choose to cut and peel. Thanks chef John!
I found this recipe while looking for a slow-cooker idea for short ribs, and bought the ingredients without noticing it called for braising. Here’s my crockpot version. Browned the meat in a dutch oven, in batches. Transferred them to the crockpot, then did onions as in the original recipe. Added 2 tsp minced garlic for the last minute, then browned the flour enough to get rid of flour taste. Deglazed the dutch oven with about half the broth, then put it all in the crockpot, with the remaining ingredients. About 1 hour on high, followed by 4 hours or so on low. When all was done, I removed the meat and vegetables to a large bowl, de-fatted the liquid, then thickened it with a corn starch slurry on the stove top. Served the whole thing over extra-wide egg noodles. Wife said it’s a definite keeper.