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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!
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.
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Oh my gosh. This was outstanding!!!! Will definitely make again.
Hey! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
Did you use white wine or broth when you made this?
Hey there! You can use either! 🙂 xTieghan
This recipe is AMAZING! I made this for my family today and they raved about how amazing it was. This is definitely one of those recipes you can make to impress dinner guests!
Hey Kelly! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
Question. In your picture, it shows a full garlic head. Is that something you can do, or was it for pictures? Thanks! Excited to make this recipe this week. 😀
Hi there! It was mostly just for photos, but you can use more if you’d like! 🙂 xTieghan
This was SO good. Whole family loved it and my house smelled incredible while it was cooking. A very nice Sunday dinner.
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for trying out the recipe, love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
absolutely fantastic. the aroma in the house while this is cooking is unreal. I used boneless short ribs and they were so tender and flavorful. one of the best fall recipes ever!
Hi there! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
These were absolutely delicious! The prep isn’t too much and then they just cook really slow for several hours. This is the perfect time of year to make these too with the all the apple ciders available! I served mine over a creamy parmesan polenta and a no-knead crusty bread and butter. So yummy!
Hi there! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
Did anyone else’s garlic turned green/blue? I used fresh garlic and followed the recipe exactly. A little worried as it is cooking. Thanks!
To clarify- I used 2 cups apple cider, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Hey Grace! Oh no I’m so sorry about that, I’ve never heard of that before! xTieghan
I have honestly had that happen before when making scampi. Very strange. Don’t recall it changing the favor though.
Ohhh…I bought the wrong cut of meat. I got stew meat instead. Do you think it will work for this recipe still??
Hi there! Yes, stew meat will work just fine with this recipe 🙂 Enjoy! xTieghan
Wondering if it’s OK to freeze after I’ve made so much. There’s only two adults in the house now so I put them in quarts and hoping I can freeze for another day. Xoxox
Hi there! That should work just fine 🙂 xTieghan
Do you think this could be made with a brisket instead of ribs?
Hi there! That should work just fine 🙂 xTieghan
Hi! My dutch oven is only 5qts! Will it all fit? Or am I better off doing it in the crockpot?
Thank you!
Hi there! I would probably recommend cooking in the crock pot 🙂 Enjoy! xTieghan
Really good! The o key thing I did differently is that I cooked the carrots separately, but the short ribs came out so tender and with such good flavor
Hi Jenny! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Another amazing dish. I made it to the recipe directions; however I only used 4lbs of short ribs and that was plenty for 6. I used a 1/2 cup of white wine, because that is what I had and added two apples. I cooked it in a Dutch oven, it took 4 hours took cook.
Hi Katy! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
It was good and cooked very well! Next time I would add a little less apple cider. It was kinda sweet for my taste.
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan