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The short rib is a cut of beef made up of a small portion of rib only, along with the surrounding meat. Short ribs can be taken from the brisket, chuck, plate or rib area of beef cattle, with premium short ribs from the rib area retailing at the highest price, followed by brisket and chuck, and fattier short ribs from the plate area generally being the cheapest cut.
There are two major types of short rib cut. The ‘flanken’ is cut across the bone, leaving a shorter portion of bone, at just 1 or 2 inches. The ‘English’ is cut parallel to the bone and leaves a longer portion of bone, at up to 6 inches. English cut short ribs may be served individually, or as a ‘plate’ of 3 or 4 connected ribs.
Short rib meat is not as tender as steak meat, but it is much more flavourful, with a rich beefiness like chuck roast and added depth of flavour from the bone marrow. It should be well cooked in order to break down the connective tissues and tenderise the meat, which can include slow-cooking methods such as braising, stewing or sous-vide, or methods that use intense heat for a short period of time, like barbecue.
Discover more about the different cuts of beef, their characteristics, and how to cook them, with our ultimate guide: Beef Cuts Explained.
Beef short ribs recipes
Make the most of this flavourful cut of meat with these irresistible beef short rib recipes.
Slow-cooked beef short ribs with chimichurri: this Argentinean-inspired recipe was created by chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz, from Sydney’s legendary asado style restaurant, Porteno. The ribs are slow-cooked on a barbecue, properly rested, then served with a delicious chimichurri sauce, made with garlic, herbs and chilli in olive oil and tangy red wine vinegar.
Gordon Ramsay’s slow cooked beef short ribs: multi-Michelin-starred restaurateur and TV chef Gordon Ramsay knows a thing or two about cooking meat, and his beef short ribs are melt in-the-mouth perfection. The meat is slow-braised in a rich broth of red wine, garlic, tomato and beef stock until tender, and served with crispy pancetta and sautéed mushrooms.
Boneless short ribs slow cooked: this irresistible short rib recipe cooks the beef low and slow for 3 hours until tender and falling apart, and uses all those delicious cooking juices to make a mouthwatering red wine sauce. It tastes great served with garlic mashed-potato, creamy polenta, or grilled vegetables.
Homemade braised short ribs: take inspiration from some of today’s top chefs as they explain how to make their particular take on short ribs in your own kitchen. As well as the Gordon Ramsay recipe we’ve already seen, you can try Wolfgang Puck’s Cabernet braised short ribs, served with silky mashed potato, or Ina Garten’s red wine braised short ribs served with blue cheese grits or mashed potatoes.
If you’re slow-cooking your short ribs, it can be difficult to know the best temperature and cooking time for that perfectly tender, melt-in the-mouth texture. For a deep dive into cooking techniques take a look at our article on the perfect way to cook short ribs.
