Make a restaurant classic at home using your Ninja FlexFlame. Smoked red wine braised short ribs are tender and luxurious.
What are beef short ribs
Beef short ribs can be cut from the plate (belly), rib (side and back) or chuck (shoulder) primals. And they can be cut English style, flanken style or as 3-bone slabs of plate ribs.
When you look for short ribs in the grocery store, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the English cut short ribs. That’s what this recipe calls for.
These beef ribs are cut into individual bones and those bones are usually cut in half, so they’re 3-4 inches long. The bones are wide and flat and have a rectangular cube of meat resting on top of the bones.
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Season: Place the ribs on a sheet pan. Season all sides with brisket rub.
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Heat Grill: Ignite the burners. Set the FlexFlame to Low & Slow and the temperature to 275F. Add wood pellets and push the Woodfire Technology button.
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Smoke Ribs: Add the seasoned ribs to the smoker and cook for 90 minutes.
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Smoke Veggies: Place the oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a pan. Toss to coat. Place the pan on the smoker next to the ribs and smoke for 30 more minutes.
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Braise: Stir the veggies. Place the ribs in the pan on top of the veggies. Pour in the red wine and beef broth. Cover with foil and cook for 2-2 1/2 hours. The ribs are ready when they are fork tender or reach a temperature of 200-205F degrees.
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Serve: Remove from the grill. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes. Serve on a bed of cheesy grits or mashed potatoes. Top with some of the red wine pan sauce and veggies.
The pellets will smoke for 30-45 minutes. For more smoky flavor, add pellets to the hopper every 30 minutes.
Calories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 44gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 312mgPotassium: 920mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1855IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- Beef Short Ribs: Each pack usually has 3-4 ribs. I recommend buying 2 packs for this recipe, which is 3-4 pounds.
- Girls Can Grill Brisket Rub: This is a coarse rub with kosher salt, black pepper, onion, garlic and chiles. You can also use salt, pepper and garlic.
- Avocado Oil: Or your favorite type of oil.
- Sweet Onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Fresh Garlic
- Red Wine: I prefer using a dry, robust wine. Sweet red wines don’t go well with this short ribs recipe.
- Beef Broth or Beef Stock
SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can't find bone-in beef ribs, you can also use boneless beef ribs. Instead of sweet onion, you can also use yellow onion or white onion. If you don't like red wine, substitute the wine with extra beef broth.
See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to smoke short ribs on the Ninja FlexFlame
- STEP ONE: Remove the short ribs from the packaging. Place them on a sheet pan. Season all sides with the brisket rub.
- STEP TWO: Ignite the burners. Set the FlexFlame to Low & Slow and the temperature to 275F. Add wood pellets and push the Woodfire Technology button.
- STEP THREE: Place the seasoned ribs on the smoker. Set to one side, so you have room for the veggies later in the process. Smoke for 90 minutes.
PRO TIP: The wood pellets will smoke for 30-45 minutes. For more smoke, refill the hopper every 30 minutes.
- STEP FOUR: Place the oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic in a large dutch oven or aluminum pan. Toss to coat. Add to the smoker next to the ribs and continue cooking for 30 more minutes.
- STEP FIVE: After the ribs have smoked for 2 hours, they should have an internal temperature of around 185F degrees. Stir the veggies. Add the ribs to the pan. Pour in the red wine and beef broth. Cover with foil and cook for 2 more hours.
- STEP SIX After 2-2 1/2 hours, they should reach an internal temperature of 200-205F degrees. They should also feel very soft and fork tender.
PRO TIP: Larger, thicker ribs will take longer to become fall-off-the-bone compared to smaller ribs.
How to serve braised beef short ribs
Remove the pan from the smoker. Let rest for 10-15 minutes while you make a pot of cheesy grits or mashed potatoes.
Spoon the grits onto a plate and top with a smoked beef short rib. Use a spoon to scoop up some of the reduced red wine sauce and veggies from the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the juices on top.
Garnish with something green like parsley, chopped chives, green onion or an arugula leaf.
The beef ribs should be so soft and tender that you can enjoy them with a fork. This is one of those comfort foods that your family will be craving.
Quick Creamy Southern Cheese Grits
Looking for an easy, delicious side dish? Try this quick Southern cheese grits recipe. It’s so creamy and cheesy and great with any meal.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to six months.
You can enjoy leftover beef ribs whole, or shred the meat to make short ribs grilled cheese or quesadillas.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Season all sides of the beef ribs liberally
- Smoke both the ribs and veggies before braising
- Use dry red wine in your braising liquid
- Cook until they are fork tender
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes to an extent. Once they reach an internal temp of around 205F degrees, they should be tender. If you keep cooking them beyond that, they can dry out.
If your short ribs are tough, you probably didn’t cook them long enough. Keep them covered with foil and cook them until they are fork tender or reach an internal temperature of 200-205F degrees.
I like using dry red wines like red blends or cabernet sauvignon. I usually pick a bottle that I would enjoy drinking. Skip the cheap wines for this dish.
Sure, but obviously you’ll lose the smoke flavor. Instead of smoking the ribs and veggies, you can sear the ribs in a pan on the stove on all sides over medium-high heat with some oil.
Then, place all of the ingredients in a dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on the stove until tender.
Sure. If you don’t like the taste of red wine, just use extra beef broth in place of the wine.
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