Honey Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs
A little sweet, a little spicy…..Honey Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs are the most fabulous dinner you’ll ever make. Slow roasted in the oven, Instant Pot or slow cooker, this braised short ribs recipe is one for the record books.
Braised Short Ribs
Winter weather just brings on all the cozy, comfort food cravings. With a chili in the air, we just want to eat something hearty and hot to warm our bones and these Braised Short Ribs are just the cure for the winter blues.
Tender, melt in your mouth tender beef short ribs are braised in a sweet and spicy Honey Chipotle sauce that’s simple to make. They’re so easy to throw together and make your house smell just amazingly intoxicating. They’re the perfect special occasion dinner party for entertaining but we also love them on the random snow day.
We love to make these frequently because the leftovers are great thrown into a grilled cheese sandwich or shredded and tossed with buttered noodles.
Or freeze leftovers for a quick weeknight dinner that takes minutes to heat up.
Ingredients
- Beef Short Ribs – I use bone-in beef short ribs because I feel they get more tender while they cook. You can use boneless short ribs but the cooking time may be a little shorter. If you can’t find short ribs, this recipe works well with chuck roast.
- Vegetables – Aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots and celery are the base of the sauce. Mirepoix, the French term, is a building block of flavor for most stew and braised meats.
- Garlic – Real minced garlic cloves add a nutty flavor for the sweet and sticky sauce.
- Spices -Ground cumin, ground cayenne pepper, chili powder, kosher salt and black pepper give it a southwestern flair.
- Chilis – A combination of hatch chilis, chipotle chilis and the adobo sauce from the canned chipotles give the sauce a subtle, yet fiery heat.
- Wine – Dry Red Wine, like Pinot Noir or cabernet sauvignon, is reduced and provides sweetness.
- Tomatoes – I use canned diced tomatoes for convenience but you can use fresh, diced tomatoes as a substitute.
- Beef Stock – Homemade beef stock is best base for your braising liquid but your favorite brand is great and convenience. You can substitute with beef broth.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Braised Short Ribs
These Honey Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs can be made in the oven or the slow cooker…..or even the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. The browning and sautéing all happens right in the same pot.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the short ribs, working in batches, in the pot until a golden brown sear and crusty on all sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the onions and carrots to the pot cooking until softened. Stir in the celery and cook for a few minutes longer.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns a deep mahogany color, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the seasoning, chilis and adobo sauce.
- Stir in the red wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the tomatoes, beef stock and honey. Return the beef ribs and the accumulated juices to the pot and submerge in the braising liquid.
- Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
- Braise in the oven for a cooking time of 90 minutes.
- Whisk the butter and cornstarch, or all purpose flour, together. Transfer the ribs to a platter.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and cook on low heat until slightly thickened.
- Serve the short ribs with the rich sauce.
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What Are Beef Short Ribs
Beef Short Ribs are a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of the cattle. They often contain a small part of the rib bone with a big, beefy piece of meat on top. They’re incredibly easy to make.
Because short ribs come from a tough cut of meat, braising them in liquid like wine or beef stock is necessary to make them tender and melt-in-your-mouth amazing. They soak up flavor like a sponge, too, so it’s fun to play around with the ingredients to amplify the flavor.
I decided to make them with a Mexican twist and had a ton of canned chipotle chiles in the pantry. Honey, ancho chili powder, cumin, hatch chilis….they ended up making the most amazing sauce ever for these Honey Chipotle Braised Short Ribs. Rich, tangy, sweet, spicy, smokey….all the flavors you’d want in a classic comfort dish.
How to Store Leftovers
Transfer any leftover beef short ribs to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze short ribs in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
What To Serve with Short Ribs
- The Very Best Mashed Potatoes
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Mascarpone and Brown Butter
- Easy Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe (Esquites Recipe)
More Easy Braised Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Ale
- Short Rib Ragu
- Birria Tacos (Quesa Birria)
- Easy Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Braised Beef Brisket
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Get the Recipe: Honey Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in short ribs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 canned chopped hatch chilis, drained (if you can’t find hatch chilis, use canned green chilis)
- 3 canned chipotle chilis
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce, from the canned chipotle chilis
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 1/2 tablespoons room temperature butter
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Season each short rib generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or braisier over medium heat. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown very well, about 2 to 3 minutes per side cooking in batches, if necessary. Do not overcrowd pan.
- When the short ribs are very brown on all sides, transfer them to a platter. (If using the slow cooker, transfer ribs to the slow cooker or crock pot at this point.)
- Drain all but two tablespoons of the fat, add the onions and cook until softened. Stir in the carrots and celery, continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Stir the vegetables and add the tomato paste. Brown the tomato paste for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cumin, cayenne, chili powder, hatch chilis, chipotle chilis and adobo sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Lower the heat and reduce the mixture by half.
- Stir in the tomatoes, beef stock and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil and return the short ribs to the pan bone side up. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven.
- Roast the short ribs for 1 1/2 hours or until the ribs are tender but not falling off the bone. (If using the slow cooker, do not return the ribs to the pot but pour the sauce mixture over the ribs in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6-7 hours.)
- Return the pot to the stove top over medium heat. Remove the lid and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to cook for 20 minutes or until the sauce reduces slightly.
- Whisk together the butter and cornstarch until smooth. Transfer the short ribs to a platter and cover to keep warm. (This method is the same for the slow cooker or crock pot.)
- Stir in the butter mixture and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and return the ribs to the pot turning to coat.
- Serve immediately with 1/2 cup of sauce.
22 Comments on “Honey Chipotle Braised Beef Short Ribs”
Making this tonight for supper and wow my house smells amazing! I did make it in my Dutch Oven and is now in the oven cooking for two and half hours! Can’t wait to taste it! Thanks
Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoyed it!
Fantastic dinner tonight! Thank so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to have the leftovers. I am sure after a day, it will be even better!
This is a phenomenal recipe! The flavors meld so well with a lovely after wash of mild heat (I did cut the cayenne pepper in half). I can imagine doing this also with chuck roast or pork shoulder.
Thank you so much! It is great with chuck roast!
I’m going to make this recipe for Sunday dinner tomorrow in the slow cooker . One question would I add the butter and cornstarch mixture in at the same time with the sauce or wait until the last 30 minutes of cooking ?
I’m going to do my short ribs in the slow cooker one question for the butter and cornstarch mixture do I need to boil on stovetop until it thickens and then pour over the ribs or do I whisk it up and pour in the slow cooker ? If I don’t thicken up on stovetop would the mixture thicken up in the slow cooker without boiling on stovetop to thicken ? Thank you
Hi! It will definitely thicken up in the slow cooker without boiling it first.
Thank you
When you say 3 canned chipotle chili’s, do you mean three peppers from the can or 3 cans? Thanks!!
Just three chilis from the can. Definitely not three cans….that would be like fire! LOL! 🙂
Awesome recipe girl!…Thanks, I’m go to make this and will send you photos =)
Yes! Please send pics, I love seeing reader recipes, too!
Please post the instant pot version!!!
Yum, this will be on our dinner table this weekend. This dish looks amazing.
Delicious dinner!
How much honey?
I added it to the recipe instructions. Thanks!
So where’s the honey??
Got it!
Short ribs! Girl you are speaking my language.
Sweet and spicy! Just the way I like my ribs!