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    Home » Recipes

    Published: Dec 9, 2021 · Modified: May 3, 2022 by Cassie Waltman · 4 Comments

    Cranberry Braised Short Ribs with Cranberry Red Wine Glaze

    Jump to Recipe

    I'm sharing a special occasion meal with you for the holidays and boy, is it a good one. These Cranberry Glazed Short Ribs with Cranberry Red Wine Glaze are slow food at its best. Tender, succulent beef is paired with a glossy sweet-savory sauce for a delicious combination!

    Serve this with a classy appetizer like this Cranberry Goat Cheese Ball or a dessert like these Cranberry Cheesecake Bars for a dinner party! Or, if you are looking for another cozy dinner try Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets with Apple Cider Gravy.

    A Dutch oven containing mahogany beef ribs in a shiny sauce alongside two tumblers of wine and a white plate with a serving of the ribs.

    This recipe works best for quiet, chilly days where the smell of the ribs in the oven all afternoon will be stoking everyone's appetite and you'll have no trouble bringing them to the dinner table. Short ribs can be expensive so this meal is perfect for special occasions. This meal is easily impressive enough to be on your holiday table!

    Ingredients

    The ingredients needed for this Cranberry Braised Short Ribs recipe are fairly simple once you have the short ribs on hand. Basic ingredients plus slow cooking can yield some pretty fantastic results!

    The ingredients for cranberry braised short ribs are arranged on a white surface.

    Beef Short Ribs: I love to use boneless beef short ribs when I can find them, but they are rarely available. Bone-in short ribs will yield even more flavor, so use what you prefer. Choose ribs that are meaty and trim the excess fat from them before cooking.

    Onions, Celery, and Carrot: This classic flavor base, also known as a mirepoix, brings aromatic flavor to the braising liquid.

    Garlic: Garlic is so delicious in a braising liquid. The slow cooking brings out the sweetness and reduces the pungency.

    Red Wine: Used to deglaze the pot before braising, red wine add luxurious flavor and prevents the short ribs from becoming too sweet. I use a cabernet sauvignon, but a merlot is a great option too. The alcohol will evaporate with cooking.

    Cranberry Juice: To avoid an overly-sweet recipe, use 100% cranberry juice if you can find it. Make a celebratory Cosmopolitan cocktail with the extra juice while your short ribs braise.

    Beef Broth: Beef broth brings the braising volume up to almost cover the short ribs so that they cook to tender perfection while in the oven.

    Dried Cranberries: Sweet-tart dried cranberries provide thickening of the braising liquid and sweeten the glaze for a well-balanced flavor.

    Rosemary: Rosemary is the perfect herbal addition to the short ribs. The bold flavor compliments the red wine and cranberry well where other herbs might just kind of disappear into the background.

    Prepare the Braising Liquid

    The beef short ribs being browned in teh bottom of a heavy cast iron pot.

    To start, browning the short ribs is absolutely necessary. Don't skip this step! Choose a heavyweight Dutch oven for this recipe that can go from stovetop to oven. Preheat your oven and adjust the racks as needed to accommodate the pot plus the lid!

    Season the short ribs on all sides with salt and pepper and cook them on all sides until they are deeply browned and caramelized. This will bring a lot of flavor to the final dish. Simply heat the oil in the Dutch oven on medium heat and use a pair of tongs to rotate the meat so that each side is caramelized. Remove each batch to a separate plate (I always use the inverted lid!) while you cook all of the short ribs.

    The mirepoix softening in the bottom of the Dutch oven with the browned ribs and wine for deglazing nearby.

    Remove all but about two tablespoons of fat from your Dutch oven and add in the garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for five minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. While the vegetables cook, scrape the bottom of the pot to bring up any flavorful beef bits.

    The mirepoix is deglazed with red wine in the bottom of a heavy cast iron pot.

    Add in the red wine to deglaze the pot. Continue scraping the bottom to get any browned bits to make their way into the sauce. Add the cranberry juice and beef stock to the pot and bring everything to a simmer.

    Braising the Short Ribs

    The cranberry braised short ribs ready for braising in the oven.

    Add the beef ribs and any accumulated juices, the rosemary, and the cranberries to the pot. Make sure the ribs are mostly under the liquid before covering the pot and placing it in the oven to braise (hands-free!) for 2 hours. I love a slow braise like this, it makes for tender beef and takes almost no effort on my part.

    The cranberry braised short ribs after baking in the oven.

    Once the ribs have cooked for 2 hours, bring the Dutch oven back to the stove top. Remove the ribs to a plate and tent them with foil to keep them warm.

    Prepare the Cranberry Red Wine Glaze

    A mesh strainer with the vegetables and cranberries from the braising liquid sitting over a glass bowl.

    Strain the sauce and discard the solids. You can place your sauce in a gravy separator to remove even more fat, but I usually proceed with the sauce as-is.

    The glossy sauce after reduction coating the back of a wooden spoon.

    Put the remaining liquid back into the Dutch oven and then reduce the sauce over medium-high heat until you have a thick, glossy, sweet, and savory glaze that coats the back of your spoon. I try to scrape all of the browned flavor from the sides of the pot and incorporate it into the glaze as things reduce. The glaze will be about half the volume of what you started with and take about 10 minutes for full reduction.

    Pour most of the glaze into a serving pitcher or gravy boat and use the remainder to coat the short ribs before moving them to a serving platter.

    Serving Cranberry Braised Short Ribs

    Cranberry red wine flaze pouring over a cranberry braised short rib sitting on a white plate.

    Bring the ribs to the table and be prepared for oohs and aahs! I like to serve these Cranberry Braised Short Ribs over mashed potatoes with green beans or broccoli on the side. They are also excellent with polenta and sautéed kale or spinach. Pass that gravy boat around and let your table guests drizzle over their desired amount of Cranberry Red Wine Glaze.

    Serve these with a side of maple balsamic brussel sprouts, which can go into the oven while you finish up the ribs and sauce!

    A white platter of glazed short ribs sitting on a white surface with a gravy boat of cranberry red wine glaze nearby.

    Make-Ahead Options

    If you want to make this main dish ahead of time for a special occasion dinner, these short ribs will freeze well with their sauce in an airtight container. Simply thaw the ribs overnight and reheat them, covered, in the oven along with the sauce before serving. I like this hack for big dinners. It saves a lot of time and energy when entertaining!

    Try it and share

    I hope you try these Cranberry Braised Short Ribs and share them with family or friends. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

    Recipe

    A Dutch oven containing mahogany beef ribs in a shiny sauce alongside two tumblers of wine and a white plate with a serving of the ribs.

    Cranberry Braised Short Ribs with Cranberry Red Wine Glaze

    Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat.
    Cranberry Braised Short Ribs with a glossy cranberry red wine glaze over tender, succulent beef are perfect for special occasion meals.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs 25 mins
    Total Time 2 hrs 45 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 2-4 pounds beef short ribs (2 pounds of boneless ribs, 4 pounds of bone-in ribs)
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup carrot, diced
    • 1 cup celery, diced
    • 1 cup onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 cup red wine
    • 2 cups cranberry juice
    • 1 cup beef broth or stock
    • 2 sprigs rosemary
    • 1 cup cranberries, dried
    • kosher salt and ground black pepper, as needed

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325°F and move racks to accommodate your covered Dutch oven, if needed.
    • Trim the short ribs of excess fat and season them well with salt and pepper.
    • Heat a large (5 qt.) Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil. Brown the ribs in batches on all sides until deeply caramelized. Remove to a plate while you finish the remaining ribs.
    • Remove all of the ribs from your Dutch oven and then remove all but about two tablespoons of fat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook about 5 minutes with constant stirring, until softened.
    • Deglaze the pot with wine and scrape off any brown bits. Add in the cranberry juice and beef stock and bring the liquid to a simmer.
    • Add in the ribs and any accumulated juices, cranberries, and rosemary. Try to get all of the ribs under the surface of the liquid.
    • Cover the Dutch oven and transfer the pot to the oven. Bake for two hours.
    • Bring the pot to the stovetop again and remove the ribs to a plate. Tent them with foil to keep them warm.
    • Strain the remaining sauce and discard the solids. Put the sauce back into the Dutch oven and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
    • Boil to reduce the sauce until it is thick and glossy and coats the back of a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
    • Put most of the sauce in a serving dish and coat the ribs with the remainder before placing on a serving platter.

    Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.

    Keyword beef, rosemary, wine
    Share your results on Instagram!Mention @planeatpostrepeat or tag #planeatpostrepeat !
    A Dutch oven with mahogany beef ribs in a shiny sauce alongside two tumblers of wine. The words, "Cranberry Braised Short Ribs with Cranberry Red Wine Glaze" and "Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat." are in a box at the bottom.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cassie @ Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says

      December 08, 2022 at 10:19 am

      5 stars
      I want your dinner party to be a success! Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Meal Plan 2022: Week 2 - Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says:
      May 3, 2022 at 2:31 pm

      […] Cranberry Braised Short Ribs, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans: Lucky me, I have these ribs waiting in the freezer too! Recipe testing will leave you with plenty of extra food. This will still be a weekend meal because it’s too special to throw together on a weeknight! […]

      Reply
    2. Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets with Apple Cider Gravy - Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says:
      October 13, 2022 at 10:45 am

      […] you in the mood for another special meal idea for chilly nights? Try these Cranberry Braised Short Ribs! They are rich and balanced with a sweet-savory […]

      Reply
    3. Tender Cranberry Orange Snacking Cake with Molasses - Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says:
      November 29, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      […] using cranberries! This Cranberry Herb Goat Cheese Ball is perfect for an appetizer and these Cranberry Braised Short Ribs are a special occasion dinner everyone will rave […]

      Reply

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