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Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions. Slow cooked short ribs in apple cider with fresh herbs and sweet caramelized onions. If there’s one cozy fall and winter meal you need to be making, it’s these braised short ribs. They’re simple to put together and totally delicious. Serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and you’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night in.
It’s about this time every year that I lean into making more low and slow dinners, either in the crockpot or braised in the oven.
There’s just something so comforting knowing that dinner is slow cooking all day long. It means a warming meal is sure to be had at the end of the day. And in fall, that’s really all I want. What I love about short ribs is that there’s something so “fancy” about them. But yet they’re actually so simple and easy to prepare.
And when cooked properly, totally delicious!
Of course, these short ribs were inspired by my brother Creighton. He’s a huge fan of pot roast. He’s always asking me to make a recipe similar to what my mom made growing up.
I’m sure at some point I will make a classic pot roast, but I love slow braising short ribs. I knew these would not disappoint anyone.
And trust me, Creighton was very pleased with this dinner. He’s been talking about it ever since I made the recipe, so I’m excited to share it today!
The details
I’ve been really into caramelizing onions lately. I love the added richness in flavor they bring. I also love that caramelizing the onions really takes the bitter bite out of them. Therefore, I knew I wanted them to be a big part of this recipe.
Start by searing the ribs in a nice big cocotte that’s oven safe. When the ribs are browned, pull them out, then add the onions and start to slowly cook them down. I love to add a splash of the apple cider to help the onions cook down a little quicker.
When the onions have reached a light gold color, the rest is simple. Just add the short ribs back to the pot, add lots of apple cider, white wine (or broth), carrots (my favorite part), garlic, and fresh thyme.
Arrange some apple wedges around the meat. Then cook low and slow all day long either in the oven or in the crockpot.
The kitchen will smell incredible as this slow cooks all day, and the outcome is beyond good.
I love the pairing of sweet apple cider and tangy caramelized onions. Something about the combo with beefy short ribs is just so good.
Finish it up
I love to serve this over creamy mashed potatoes, with gravy and onions spooned over top. Then simply add some crusty bread on the side. This really is one of the best, cozy meals there is.
It feels very fancy, and very French too, which is so fun!
I made this exact recipe for Sunday night dinner with the family. It was the perfect dinner to enjoy on our first snowy night of the year. If you need something warm and hearty to serve this fall, this recipe is a go-to.
Looking for other slow cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Lastly, if you make these Cider Braised Short Ribs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the how-to video:
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 868 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone in beef short ribs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups chicken broth or dry white wine
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 apple, quartered (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large oven-safe Dutch Oven over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs to a plate, wipe the pot clean of grease. 3. Add the butter and onions and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add a 1/2 cup apple cider, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the cider has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the thyme, then add the short ribs back to the pot. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups cider, broth or wine, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Arrange the apples around the meat. Cover and roast in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.3. Remove the bay leaves. Serve the ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes. Drizzle with the pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- 1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, then rub with flour to coat. Heat a large Dutch Oven over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. 2. To the bowl of your crockpot, add the butter and onions, then place the ribs over the onions. Add thyme, apple cider, broth or wine, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. During the last 1-2 hours of cooking, add the apples, arranging them around the meat.3. Remove the bay leaves. Serve the ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes. Drizzle with the pan sauce and onions. Enjoy!
What are you finding better, wine or the broth? Going to try tomorrow..
Devine!!
I used a chuck roast as someone suggested…couldn’t find the short ribs after 2 stops so I gave up 🙂
Thanks so so much!! Love to hear that! xT
Delicious!
I made it with a beef chuck roast instead of short ribs as that was what I had. The chuck was less poundage than the short ribs amount specified so I adjusted the liquid accordingly. I also used the oven method as my slow cooker recently died 😩. I also used the chicken stock instead of wine. I included the optional apples which cooked down into the sauce like a savory apple sauce of sorts.
The carrots were so delicious in this recipe. The meat was also so good and thankfully was good quality meat. A good crusty bread would also be appropriate to sup up that sauce 🤤.
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try! xT
Honestly.. made over 50 HBH recipes so far, (loved every one of them, mostly) and this was not it… flavor was GOOD, I will say. The oven method made the meat so incredibly tough. Basically boiled fatty meat. The searing didn’t do what it needed for this – maybe WholeFoods gave me super fatty bone in spare ribs, but dang.. fatty bite, EVERY bite with chew. Followed the recipe for the 3hr. Real disappointed as that 5 lbs was $60. Bummer.
Hey Lauren! I am SO sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know! xT
This looked nothing like the picture. We did the slow cooker method, following it to an T. It came out looking grey and tough. Nothing but boiled pork. It honestly was gross and my family didn’t even eat it. Maybe the oven method would be better. We were really disappointed in this..
Why pork? It should be beef ribs
Did you use the right kind of meat? I should have been beef short ribs and not pork.
Hey Maura, I’m so sorry about that!! Thank you for letting me know! xT
There’s no apples or shallots in the ingredient list
i cant find short ribs. can i use a chuck roast?
I will be using a slow cooker.
Yeah, that should work great! xT
Hey Tieghan! I’m so excited to try this recipe. During my grocery shop, I was only able to find boneless beef short ribs so I got those instead. Should I make any changes to the recipe or cooking time? (I will be using my slow cooker)
Thanks for your help, I appreciate it 🙂
Hi there! You might just want to decrease the cook time by 15-20 mins! xT
Made this tonight for Sunday family dinner and it didn’t disappoint. Flavourful, smelled great as it was cooking in the oven. Meat was so tender and with mashed potatoes it was comfort food at its best! Another Half Baked Harvest winner. A good number of my rotational recipes come from HBH – thank you Tieghan.
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! So happy to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Can I cut this recipe in half for two people? It looks delicious. Thanks!
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried that but that should work fine! Hope you enjoy! xT
Does the calorie count include the mashed potatoes it’s served over? Thanks for the input! I’m excited to make it this week!
Hi Katelyn,
It does yes, but I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Made this recipe this weekend and it was SO good! The cider flavor that cooked into the short ribs was amazing. My short ribs were a little on the fatty side, so there was a lot of grease floating at the top of the pot, but otherwise it was a recipe I will make again!
Hey Erin,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
Hi, I made this a while back and the amount of liquid was way too much the whole crock pot was full and I feel like it lost a lot of its flavor mine did not have pan sauce it was like a soup any recommendations?? I still gave it a five stare because it could have been something I did wrong but I had soup that night
Hi Amber,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! What size is your crockpot? You could certainly reduce the liquid until the meat is just covered. I hope this helps! xx
Hi Teighan,
I made these last night and they were so delicious! We ate all of the ribs but have lots of the sauce left. Do you have any recommendations on how to use the rest of the sauce?
Thanks in advance!
D’Ann
Hey D’Ann,
Happy Sunday!😃 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) What about using the sauce for some cheesesteak sandwiches? xT
Hi Tieghan!
Planning on making these tomorrow in the slow cooker but I do not have a Dutch oven to sear them. Can I just sear them on the stovetop in a normal pan, and if so about how long per side?
Hey Megan,
Sure, that will work well for you, just until browned on each side. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out! xx