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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.
Hi there, If you were to do this in the Instant Pot, how would you time/cook it? Thanks!! Liz
Hi there! I’m so sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe in an Instant Pot before so I’m not sure! xTieghan
hi! if i did this recipe with stew meat, how long would i slow cook it for? would i have to adjust any of the ingredients? thank you!
Hi there! I would decrease the time by 15 or 20 minutes! xTieghan
Couldn’t find ribs that weren’t stupid expensive, so I got a Chuck roast. The biggest our store has was 3.44 pounds. Should I reduce the amount of liquid or the cook time at all?
Thanks!!
That should be just fine! I wouldn’t change anything, just keep an eye on it 🙂 xTieghan
How do you think adding baby Yukons to the crockpot/Dutch oven would work?
Hey Annie,
That should work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
My husband and I loved this recipe! It’s the perfect recipe for fall as the days are getting cooler. As someone else noted, I made it using a chuck roast because of the price of short ribs. Turned out great!
Hey Carol, Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
Really want to make this but short ribs are so expensive in my area right now! I have a boneless chuck roast on hand. Do you think that would work? Any modifications if I can use it? Thank you!
hi! if i did this recipe with stew meat, how long would i slow cook it for? would i have to adjust any of the ingredients? thank you!
Hey there, that would work just fine! Enjoy! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I love all your recipes and make them weekly. I got right under 3 pounds of short ribs since there is only 2 of us. Should I half the liquid ingredients since I’m only making half the amount of short ribs!? Thanks
Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
How did you get the color to be so dark?
Hi Katie! Just depends on how long you cook the recipe, certain ingredients used, etc.! xTieghan
You had me at caramelized onions!
I have many short ribs recipes, simply because my husband loves them. He loved them when all I did with them was pour on some bottled barbecue sauce and cook them in the over (oh what a long way I have come since those early days of marriage some 50 years ago!). But when I began to braise them in one set of flavors or another, well … let’s just say his elevated palate definitely approves. He took one bite of this version, chewed slowly, put his fork down, and looked up. “This,” he declared, “This is the one. Best ever.” High praise coming from him.
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this last night with the recommended mashed potatoes and it was amazing! I used the oven-cook method. Perfect in three hours. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I love short ribs, but after seeing the price I decided to go with a chuck roast. The flavor was great, and I did mine in the slow cooker. However, I felt like it was too much liquid, and the sauce didn’t look anything like in the picture. I was hoping for a thicker, darker sauce. A little too much on the onions, so I only did 2. The meat was still tender and tasted great with mashed potatoes. Maybe next time, I’ll try this in my dutch oven.
Hey Lisa! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe and for the feedback, I really appreciate it! xTieghan
I found this recipe to be quite onion-heavy, but after reading the comments I see that it might have been better to sauté them in the slow cooker before adding all of the other ingredients. 4 onions still seems like a lot, maybe I’d use 3 next time– or 2 and a couple shallots.
The flavor is superb, though, and the meat falls right off the bone. Such a great hot meal for a cold autumn night!
Also, if I make it again, I will wait until the bone-in short ribs are on sale… it hurt my wallet this time, but I justified it by thinking about the leftovers and how many meals I’ll actually get out of this dish. I’ll have it again this week and then freeze the rest for when I’m snowed in this winter : )
Hey Liz! I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped! I hope it was still enjoyable! xTieghan
Wow! This was an amazing fall/winter meal for the slowcooker! Worth the money for the short ribs – they just fall apart and are super tender after 8 hours of cooking! Whole family loved it! Served on top of mashed potatoes. My son said it was like we were celebrating Thanksgiving 2.0 (lol we’re in Canada so Thanksgiving has already passed)! Next time would add a few more apples in the last 30 minutes of cooking!
Hey Erin! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
This recipe is a winner! I made it tonight for dinner and everyone devoured it. My eight year old asked me to make it for her birthday meal..in March! It was a hit, and I’ll be sure to make it again.
Hey Tara! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
My kids enjoyed it which makes it a winner. I added some oregano based off some of the comments and used stew meat. It was tender and yummy!
Hey Janelle! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
WOW! !
Outstanding!
I never thought apple cider would pare so well with beef!
This is my you new favorite fall dinner recipe!
Can’t wait to make it again! Easy to make, 4 star restaurant quality!
Hey Dave! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan