This post may contain affiliate links.
There’s truly nothing cozier or more decadent than a slow-cooked Beef Short Rib Ragu. And with this recipe in hand, the intimidating dish becomes manageable and achievable. A short ingredient list, simple process, and hands-off cooking method make this braised short rib ragu doable any night of the week.
Sure, it’s got a long-ish simmer time, but the ingredient list is streamlined to include just the necessary ingredients. It’s not long just for the sake of tradition. Everything on the ingredient list is intentional and serves a specific purpose.
Additionally, the process itself is super easy. Brown the beef, cook the aromatics, combine everything in one pot and pop it in the oven to braise. The final step is to shred the beef, add it back to the sauce and toss it all together with your favorite pasta.
The ultimate Italian comfort food meal that I think you will love! Let’s dive in.
Ingredient Notes
A full ingredient list, with measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beef Short Ribs: the beautiful thing about this recipe is it can be made with either bone-in or boneless short ribs. I’ve tested this recipe countless times with both cuts, and it comes out beautifully with either. Instructions for using either cut are in the recipe card. For this recipe, I recommend using short ribs that have been cut in half so they are square. Whether they are bone in or boneless (in this case, you can cut them yourself) they will be easier to brown and fit in a pot with the sauce.
- Anchovies: I recommend using whole anchovies packed in oil. Salted anchovies will be too salty (though you can rinse them). Anchovies add umami to the dish, which enhances the overall savoriness of the dish.
- Canned tomatoes: another versatile aspect of this recipe is you can make it as saucy as you want. You will need one (28-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes and a 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
A Rundown of How to Make Short Rib Beef Ragu
- Brown the Short Ribs
The first step is to brown the beef short ribs. Season them well with kosher salt (more than you think you’ll need!) Then brown them in a large Dutch oven or braiser in a splash of neutral high-heat cooking oil (vegetable or avocado oil). This step is less about cooking the beef and more about developing flavor on the beef and in the pot.
- Cook the Aromatics
Once the beef is browned, transfer it to a plate and use those flavorful beefy drippings to cook down the aromatics (onion, carrot and garlic). Once those are softened, throw in the tomato paste, anchovies, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook this mixture just briefly to cook out the “raw” flavor of the tomato paste.
- Braise the Short Ribs
Slowly whisk in the beef broth then add in the whole peeled tomatoes. Instead of just dumping in the can of whole peeled tomatoes you’ll want to crush them by hand or with kitchen shears. Nestle the browned beef short ribs in the sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven to braise for 2 hours. After 2 hours, uncover the pot and continue braising for about 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the sauce is reduced (and slightly darker in color) and the beef shreds easily.
- Shred the Beef Short Ribs and Serve
Using tongs, transfer the beef to a sheet pan to cool until cool enough to handle. Use two forks (or your hands) to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Discard any fatty or tenuous bits and the bones.
Add the shredded beef back to the sauce. Cook the pasta to al dente, then toss the pasta with desired amount of braised short rib ragu and loosen up the whole dish with a splash or two of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Test Kitchen Tips
- A good rule of thumb when tossing beef short rib ragu with pasta is use 8 ounces of dry pasta for every 2 cups of sauce you have. This recipe makes 8 cups, so technically you have enough for 2 pounds of pasta. That’s a lot!
- Use any leftover braised beef ragu to make Ragu Lasagna without bechamel sauce (or my Lasagna made with cottage cheese).
- Instead of dumping cooked pasta into a strainer and, in turn, dumping the pasta cooking water down the drain, use a spider to transfer the al dente pasta to a skillet with the beef ragu. This way you reserve that starchy water for adding to the pasta which makes it saucy and ultra-luscious.
- Instead of spooning the beef ragu sauce over the cooked pasta, toss the pasta with the beef short rib ragu to combine and evenly coat the pasta. Cooking the pasta and sauce together for a minute or so allows the pasta to soak up some of the sauce, making it ultra-flavorful and restaurant-worthy.
Storage Info
- Store ragu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.
- For longer storage, freeze the ragu for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop over medium-low.
Serving Ragu
The obvious way to serve short rib ragu is with some kind of pasta, but there are many ways you can use this including stuffed shells, lasagna and cannelloni.
For something a bit different, spoon it over cheesy polenta or grits, or make an Italian-inspired poutine with baked (not fried!) Polenta Fries. I also love to spoon this sauce over twice baked potatoes.
Equipment Needed
Beef Short Rib Ragu Recipe
Description
Save This Recipe!
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Video
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 6 tablespoons (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) tomato paste
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped (~3 tablespoons)
- 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (crushed by hand or with shears)
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes*
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, or 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
- dry pasta, such as papardelle or linguine
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Heat oil in Dutch oven or brasier over medium-high heat until simmering. Season beef short ribs with 2½ teaspoons salt. Brown beef on all sides, about 8 minutes. (Brown in batches if needed so you don’t overcrowd pan). Remove and transfer to a plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings in pan.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and carrot to pot with drippings; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring to scrape up fond, until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, garlic, anchovies, oregano, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon black pepper and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until tomato paste starts to stick to bottom of pot, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in ¼ cup broth, scraping up any browned bits, then stir in remaining broth and tomatoes and juices; bring to a simmer.
- Add browned beef to pot, cover, and transfer to oven; cook 2 hours.
- Uncover and continue to cook until sauce has reduced and beef easily shreds apart, 45–60 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven; using tongs, transfer beef to a sheetpan or cutting board and let cool for 5–10 minutes. Using a spoon, skim grease from surface of sauce. Using 2 forks, shred beef into bite-size pieces, discarding bones and any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Return beef to sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
- Toss with pasta: cook desired amount of pasta to al dente according to package directions. For every 8 ounces of pasta, add 2 cups of sauce to a skillet and heat over low. Transfer al dente pasta to skillet with sauce and toss to evenly coat; add a couple tablespoons of pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce and make it silky (continue doing this until desired sauciness is reached). Cook for a minute or so then enjoy immediately.
