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Crockpot Beef Short Ribs

Crockpot beef short ribs with wine-dark sauce are slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender and spoonable over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. This hands-off method builds deep flavor with red wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and classic herbs.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef short ribs and sauce
  • 4 lb bone-in beef short ribs
  • 1 cup dry red wine (Cabernet or Merlot)
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 stalk celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
For serving and garnish
  • 1 Mashed potatoes or creamy polenta
  • 0.25 Fresh thyme and parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and build the slow-cooker base
  1. Season the bone-in beef short ribs generously with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, coating all sides.
  2. Place the seasoned short ribs in the slow cooker in a single layer as much as possible.
  3. Whisk together the red wine, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar until evenly combined.
  4. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, diced celery, and diced carrots to the slow cooker, then sprinkle in the dried thyme and dried rosemary.
  5. Pour the sauce over everything so the meat and vegetables are well covered.
Slow cook until tender
  1. Cook on low for 8–9 hours until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, with the sauce bubbling gently around the edges.
  2. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and skim excess fat from the surface of the sauce.
Serve
  1. Serve the ribs over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta, spooning the sauce generously over the top.
  2. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley for a bright finish before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: for the deepest flavor, don’t overcrowd the slow cooker—arrange ribs so sauce can circulate around them. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently until warmed through. Freeze ribs and sauce in an airtight container up to 3 months (potatoes/polenta are best fresh). For a gluten-free option, use a Worcestershire sauce labeled gluten-free.