Once you sous vide short ribs, you’ll never do it any other way. Cooked at 175 degrees F for 48 hours, these short ribs may take a long time to cook, but they are so worth it! Shallots, red wine, and thyme make the perfect “braising” liquid for a flavorful and delicious meal.
This is one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook Sous Vide Meal Prep. It’s the kind of recipe you stand over the stove picking at long after the meal is over because it is just that good. Don’t just take my word for it – to quote one of my recipe testers, Heather from Fueling a Southern Soul: “AMAZING!!!! SO GOOD!!”
Sous Vide Meal Prep
This cookbook outlines my entire method for keeping your freezer stocked with ready to sous vide meals (and some great recipes to boot!).
Boneless short ribs, a fatty cut, really benefits from the extremely low and slow cook that only sous vide can do. Yes, they’ll be delicious cooked on the stovetop or crockpot, too, but… sous vide is better. I promise. If you are looking for a similar recipe that doesn’t require sous vide, make sure to try my Beer Braised Pork Shanks. However, I’m confident you’ll love these and be antsy to make all my other sous vide beef recipes!
Choosing the Right Cut of Short Ribs
When choosing the right cut for sous vide or braised short ribs, look for something called one of the following:
- Boneless short ribs
- Boneless braising ribs
- English short ribs
They should look like big chunks of beef, not thin strips.
Time and Temperature for Sous Vide Short Ribs
This is a long time, but trust me, it’s worth it for the most delicious, fall apart tender ribs you’ve ever had.
Sous vide short ribs at 175 degrees F for 48 hours.
How to Make Sous Vide Short Ribs
Buckle up: I know I’m the queen of simple sous vide recipes, but this one is a little more in depth than something like my Sous Vide Tri Tip Steak.
Vacuum seal tip: Since you’re using liquid, this can be tricky. Use gravity by having the bottom of the bag hang off the counter. Watch the bag as it’s sealing. When you see liquid creeping up towards the seal line, hit the seal button.
Tip for evaporation: When cooking for this long at this high of heat, you risk the water evaporating and the immersion circulator failing because the water falls to low. To make sure this doesn’t happen, cover the top of the water bath in plastic wrap or foil.
When the short ribs are done cooking, remove the bag from the water bath. Open the bag and remove the ribs to a serving plate. Do not discard the liquid in the bag, it’s gold!
Using two forks, shred the short ribs on the serving plate. Pour the liquid from the bag over the shredded short ribs.
Serve with parmesan polenta or mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped parsley.
Tips for Success
- Vacuum Sealing with Liquid
- Since you’re using liquid, this can be tricky. Use gravity by having the bottom of the bag hang off the counter. Watch the bag as it’s sealing. When you see liquid creeping up towards the seal line, hit the seal button.
- Preventing Evaporation
- When cooking for this long at this high of heat, you risk the water evaporating and the immersion circulator failing because the water falls to low. To make sure this doesn’t happen, cover the top of the water bath in plastic wrap or foil.
- Preventing the Bag from Floating while Cooking
- To make sure the bag doesn’t float, use sous vide magnets, a ceramic plate or bowl, or both.
You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story here.
Get the Recipe:
Fall-Apart Sous Vide Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless short ribs
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter, + more as needed
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- chopped parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat water bath using immersion circulator to 175 degrees F.
- Season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butter and sear the short ribs on all sides until a deep brown. Remove the short ribs to a plate.
- Make the sauce. Reduce the heat to low. Add more butter if necessary. Add the diced shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Add the tomato paste. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until reduced by about ⅓.
- Add the short ribs, red wine mixture, thyme, and bay leaf to a vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal. Since you're using liquid, this can be tricky. Use gravity by having the bottom of the bag hang off the counter. Watch the bag as it's sealing. When you see liquid creeping up towards the seal line, hit the seal button.
- When ready to cook, cook in water bath preheated to 175 degrees F for 48 hours.
- When finished, add the contents of the bag, including liquid, to a shallow serving bowl and shred the short ribs by inserting two forks and pulling them apart.
- Serve with polenta or mashed potatoes and lots of freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
- Vacuum Sealing with Liquid
- Since you’re using liquid, this can be tricky. Watch the bag as it’s sealing. When you see liquid creeping up towards the seal line, hit the seal button.
- Preventing Evaporation
- When cooking for this long at this high of heat, you risk the water evaporating and the immersion circulator failing because the water falls to low. To make sure this doesn’t happen, cover the top of the water bath in plastic wrap or foil.
- Preventing the Bag from Floating while Cooking
- To make sure the bag doesn’t float, use sous vide magnets, a ceramic plate or bowl, or both.
