Short Rib Ragu
Published September 19, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This chunky Short Rib Ragu is a delicious beef gravy with incredible tomato, vegetable, and herb flavors for the ultimate Italian sauce. My family has become addicted to this sauce and love it with pasta.
I love all the different Italian sauces because they’re always flavorful and easy to make. You must try my Bolognese or Authentic Alfredo Sauce if you’re the same.
Short Rib Ragu
Short rib ragu, or ragù di cossolette di manzo in Italian, is a classic sauce recipe for braised short ribs in a flavorful tomato and beef stock liquid with herbs and vegetables. The result is a fork-tender meat sauce that is incredibly flavorful. It can be served directly over polenta, with gnocchi, or with pasta.
This type of sauce, or gravy, would be a typical “Sunday sauce” due to its several-hour cooking process. The longer this sauce cooks and sits, the more flavorful it will become, as the ingredients will have ample time to marry. I don’t often say this, but I’m willing to share that this is one of my top five favorite all-time sauces.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – Bone-in or boneless short ribs can be used for this recipe.
- Onions – Yellow, white, or sweet onions can be used. In addition, you’ll need some whole garlic cloves.
- Vegetables – The classical vegetables are carrots and celery. You could also add other root vegetables, such as rutabaga or parsnips.
- Herbs — I used a combination of bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. As long as you use bay leaves, you may use any combination of the other herbs.
- Tomatoes — For this recipe, you can use crushed, whole, peeled tomatoes that have been hand-crushed, diced, or pureed.
- Stock – Beef stock or brodo is best to use.
- Wine – Any dry red wine such as merlot or chianti is good.
- Tomato Paste – A little tomato paste will add a lot of body, umami flavors, and help to thicken the sauce.
- Lemon – Juice from a lemon is added to the sauce at the end to make it more delicious.
- Pork – This is optional, but I used pancetta in this ragu which I then seared the beef in the rendered pork fat. You can also use guanciale or pork belly.
How to Make Short Rib Ragu
Cook the pancetta in a large rondeau pot over low to medium heat until the fat is rendered. Set the crispy lardons to the side.
Pat dry the short ribs on all sides and then season with salt and pepper.
Place the short ribs into the pot fat cap side down and cook over medium heat and brown well on all sides, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set them to the side.
Stir in the onions, gently season with salt, and cook for 5 minutes or until they start to turn brown. Then, turn the heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.
Mix in the carrots and celery, add on a lid, and sweat over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, which takes 30 to 45 seconds.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it turns a rust color.
Deglaze with red wine and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes to reduce and concentrate the wine flavors.
Pour in the tomato puree, beef stock, herbs, cooked pancetta salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
Place in the short ribs, add on a lid and cook over low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
Remove the herbs and bones from the short ribs in pan. Break up the beef in the sauce using two forks or a large spoon.
Garnish with optional finely minced fresh parsley and try serving with pasta.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: For freshness, you can make this up to 2 days ahead
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze it covered for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of ragu to a medium-sized saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Chef Notes + Tips
- The combination of onions, celery, and carrots in Italian is known as sofrito.
- Patting dry the beef helps it to brown better when searing.
- Searing the beef until it forms a dark brown crust will add exceptional flavors to the ragu.
- If the pan is smoking too much when searing the beef, turn the heat down so that the rendered fat doesn’t burn.
More Beef Recipes
Short Rib Ragu
Ingredients
- 4 ounces medium-diced pancetta, about ½ cup
- 3 pounds bone-in short ribs
- 1 large, small-diced yellow onion, about 2 cups
- 3 peeled medium-sized small diced carrots
- 3 small diced ribs of celery
- 8 smashed garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 28 ounces tomato puree
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2-4 fresh parsley sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pancetta in a large rondeau pot over low to medium heat until the fat is rendered. Set the crispy lardons to the side.
- Pat dry the short ribs on all sides, then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the short ribs into the pot, fat cap side down, and cook over medium heat and brown well on all sides, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set them to the side.
- Stir in the onions, gently season with salt, and cook for 5 minutes or until they start to turn brown. Then, turn the heat down to low and cook for 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Mix in the carrots and celery, add on a lid, and sweat over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, which takes 30 to 45 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it turns a rust color.
- Deglaze with red wine and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes to reduce and concentrate the wine flavors.
- Pour in the tomato puree, beef stock, herbs, cooked pancetta salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Place in the short ribs, add on a lid and cook over low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
- Remove the herbs and bones from the short ribs in pan. Break up the beef in the sauce using two forks or a large spoon.
- Garnish with optional finely minced fresh parsley.