Careme

Location: Quality Food Center - South Mercer Island (8421 SE 68th St)

Slow Cooker Red Wine Beef Short Ribs with Carrot–Celery Braise

Tender, wine-braised beef short ribs with a vegetable-heavy braise—classic comfort that’s very different from peppercorn steak or lemon-jus strip. Great for a weekend; the slow cooker does the work.

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Ingredients

  • Beef Choice Bone-In Short Ribs 1.5 lb (about 3–4 short ribs) $9.59 sale (per lb)
  • Jumbo Yellow Onions 1 medium, sliced $1.29 sale (per lb)
  • Organic Celery (1 lb) 2 stalks, chopped $2.99
  • Carrots 3 medium carrots (about 10 oz), chopped $1.69 (per lb)
  • Spice World® Fresh Diced Garlic (5 oz) 1 tbsp $3.49
  • Kroger® Fat Free Reduced Sodium Beef Broth (32 oz) 2 cups $2.49
  • Red wine 3/4 cup (or use extra broth if avoiding alcohol)
  • Tomato paste (optional) 1 tbsp
  • Olive oil 1 tbsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Bay leaf (optional) 1

Instructions

  1. Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Stove (sear): Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Brown short ribs 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer to slow cooker.
  3. In the same skillet, sauté onion, celery, and carrots 4–5 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste if using.
  4. Deglaze with red wine (or a splash of broth), scraping browned bits. Pour everything into the slow cooker.
  5. Add beef broth (2 cups) and bay leaf. Cook on LOW 7–8 hours (or HIGH 4–5) until very tender.
  6. Skim fat from the surface. Reduce sauce on the stove 5–10 minutes if you want it thicker. Serve 2 ribs per person with plenty of the braised vegetables and spooned sauce.

Health notes: Rich (higher saturated fat) but balanced by plenty of carrots/celery/onion. Skim fat from the braising liquid after cooking to lighten.

Drink pairing: Washington Syrah (peppery + dark fruit) or a WA Cabernet Sauvignon for a richer match.

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You asked

Do I remove the ribs before thiking it seems to be falling apart

Careme

Yes—remove the ribs first, especially if they’re falling apart. How to do it: - Use tongs plus a wide spatula or slotted spoon to lift each rib out gently. - Set ribs on a plate/tray and tent loosely with foil. - Strain out (or scoop out) the vegetables if you want a smooth sauce, then thicken/reduce the liquid. - Return the vegetables to the slow cooker (or serving bowl), then nestle the ribs back in right before serving. If you thicken with cornstarch: - Take the ribs out, whisk slurry into the hot liquid, and let it bubble/thicken (slow cooker on HIGH or in a saucepan). Keeping the ribs out prevents them from shredding into the sauce.

You asked

Should i stir the slow cooker ever?

Careme

No, you generally shouldn’t stir during cooking. - Leave the lid on: stirring usually means lifting the lid, which drops the temperature and can add 20–30 minutes to the cook. - Short ribs do best undisturbed: the meat stays nestled in the liquid and gets tender while the veggies soften around it. When to touch it: - About halfway through ONLY if you notice the top of the ribs is drying out (liquid level low): quickly flip the ribs or spoon some liquid over them, then re-cover immediately. - At the end: gently stir just to combine and taste/adjust seasoning (and to help release meat from the bones if it’s falling apart).

You asked

Recommend a starch side?

Careme

Best starch sides for those red-wine short ribs (serve 2): 1) Creamy mashed Yukon Gold potatoes - Use: Yukon Gold Potatoes (from your list) - Why: classic with short-rib gravy; soaks up sauce. 2) Buttered egg noodles - Why: super easy and great with braised beef; lighter than mash. 3) Polenta (creamy cornmeal) - Why: restaurant-style pairing; especially good if you reduce the braising liquid into a glossy sauce. 4) Crusty bread - Why: simplest; perfect for mopping up the braise. If you want the most “in-season WA” feel from what you’ve got on sale: mashed Yukon Golds.

You asked

Do I remove vegat ales before deglazing?

Careme

No—don’t remove them. After you brown the ribs and transfer them to the slow cooker, keep the vegetables in the same skillet and sauté them first. Then deglaze right over the vegetables (they’ll help loosen the fond and pick up that flavor). After deglazing, you pour the whole contents of the pan—vegetables plus liquid—into the slow cooker. Only remove vegetables if the pan is overcrowded and steaming instead of browning (rare). In that case, you can brown in batches, but you still deglaze with the vegetables in the pan at the end.

You asked

What would change if I 2.5 lbs of short ribs

Careme

If you’re using 2.5 lb of bone-in short ribs (instead of 1.5 lb), scale up the braising liquid and aromatics so there’s enough coverage and flavor. Ingredient changes (approx): - Short ribs: 2.5 lb (no change) - Olive oil: 1–2 tbsp (you may need a bit more for searing in batches) - Onion: 1 large + 1/2 more (or 2 medium) - Carrots: 5 medium (about 1.5 lb total) - Celery: 3–4 stalks - Garlic: 1.5–2 tbsp - Beef broth: increase to 3–3.5 cups total - Red wine: increase to 1–1.25 cups (or replace with extra broth) - Tomato paste (optional): 2 tbsp - Bay leaf: 1–2 Method changes: - Sear in batches so the pan stays hot; don’t crowd. - Slow cooker time is about the same: LOW 8 hours (or HIGH 5 hours). Use “tender” as the cue—bones should feel loose. - Make sure liquid comes at least 1/2 to 2/3 up the ribs in the slow cooker (they don’t need to be fully submerged). - More fat will render: skim at the end, or chill the sauce and lift off the solidified fat for the cleanest result. - If the sauce is thin, reduce on the stove a bit longer (10–15 minutes instead of 5–10).

Planned by Careme.