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Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs. Slow cooked short ribs in red wine with fresh herbs and sweet cranberries. If there’s one cozy holiday meal you need to be making, it’s these braised short ribs. They’re a one pot and done kind of dinner, festive, and totally delicious. Serve these over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and you’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night in.

overhead photo of Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs with mashed potatoes, wine and salt in photo

I’ve been waiting for Thanksgiving week to be here for so long. This is always such a fun week with so much excitement in the air. I’ve never put a ton of pressure on myself to make Thanksgiving perfect. I think this is why I am able to look forward to it so much. All of my brothers are in town (well one arrives tomorrow). I’m excited to spend some time with them, take a minute to soak everything in, and be thankful for all this year has had to offer. It’s been a big year of growth here at HBH, and I’m so thankful to be doing what I love each and every day.

It’s been go, go, go for months now, so I haven’t really had the chance to organize the studio and make it just right. Plus, we’re still waiting on furniture for the upstairs loft and office. Regardless, on Saturday afternoon I finally decided to put down my computer and spend a couple of hours organizing and tidying up around the studio to prepare for Thanksgiving. It was fun to spend a little time styling out the space. Thanksgiving will be our first “big dinner” here, so I’m getting excited! I may or may not have already set my tables.

Anyway, with all of my family in town, that means I need easy meals that everyone will love.

Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribsin slow cooker

Enter these tangy red wine braised short ribs.

This recipe has been my go-to for about a year now. I first made these ribs back in December of last year. And ever since then I’ve been making them for big crowds. My brothers love short ribs, so this is the perfect dinner to serve this week…especially with snow in the forecast. Nothing is better on a snowy night than a dinner of slow cooker short ribs.

Plus, they are so easy to make. Just one pot, set the slow cooker, and come home to dinner. EASY.

side angle photo of Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs

Like most (good) short rib recipes, this one starts out by searing the ribs in a super hot skillet. Trust me, I know how much of a turn off this is in any recipe. But searing the ribs is an essential step and will give you a tender, flavorful short rib every time. I know you might not want to dirty the pan or deal with the grease splatter, but if you want a delicious meal, take the extra ten minutes and sear the ribs before adding them to the slow cooker (or oven).

Once the ribs are seared, you pretty much just throw all remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and cook all day long. Low and slow is key with short ribs, so I recommend cooking the full six hours on low. You can slow cook these in the oven as well.

The major flavor for these shorts come from dry red wine, fresh herbs, and tangy cranberries. Now, I know the cranberries might be throwing some of you off, but I promise, the cranberries in this recipe are delicious.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year when cranberries are in season is to pair them with beef and red wine. Something about the combo of cranberries, red, wine, and beefy short ribs are just so good. It feels very fancy, very French, and when served over creamy mashed potatoes, it’s really one of the best, coziest meals there is.

I actually made this exact recipe yesterday, for Sunday night dinner with the family. It was the perfect dinner to enjoy on a cold November night. If you need something warm and hearty to serve this week before Thursday’s feast, I highly recommend these short ribs.

They cannot be beat.

overhead close up photo of Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs

If you make these 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Watch the How To Video:

Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1446 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  • 1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large oven safe skillet, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs and transfer to the slow cooker. 
    2. To the slow cooker, add the onions, shallots, and carrots. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. During the last 2 hours of cooking, add the cranberries. 
    3. Remove the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Serve the ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes. Drizzle with the pan sauce. Enjoy!

Oven

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
    2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large oven safe skillet, sear the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs to a plate. Add the onions, shallots, and carrots, cook 5-10 minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize. Add back the short ribs. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Sprinkle over the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.
    3. Remove the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Serve the ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes. Drizzle with the pan sauce. Enjoy!
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Comments

  1. Teighan,
    I made the short ribs and they are wonderful!!! I will be making them for Christmas dinner this year, so excited for everyone to enjoy them. Thank you and happy holidays!

    1. Hey Michelle,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Happy Tuesday! 🎄

  2. Hello Teighan!!

    Can you make this the day before and if so how should I reheat it if I did it in a slow cooker.
    Oven???

    1. Hey Michelle,
      Sure, you could reheat on low in the oven! I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT

  3. 5 stars
    I made this recipe last night -it was absolutely delicious! I used Carnivore Cabernet wine. The gravy was outstanding. I used the oven method with my Dutch oven. I served it with buttered parsley egg noodles. Will definitely make this recipe again and maybe tasted better the second day. Thank you again for a delicious recipe.

    1. Hey Rachel,
      Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! 👻

  4. I am hoping to make this for Christmas dinner and it would be nice to make it the slow cooker so I can use the oven for something else, but does it taste and look just as good coming out of the slow cooker versus oven? Do you suggest one over the other?

    1. Hi Christina,
      I find the recipe gives the same results using both the slow cooker and the oven, so it should be great for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT

  5. Oh could only find boneless short ribs. How would I adapt the cooking time because I can’t wait to get this in my table.

    1. Hey Janice,
      I would just follow the recipe as written, they will be super tender! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT

  6. Sounds delicious… Was just wondering about adding (reduced?) cranberry juice to the red wine raising liquid… Your thoughts?
    Thnx!?

  7. Is there another kind of meat that could
    Be used with this recipe? 5 lbs of short ribs is pretty pricy for us if not a special occasion so wondering if another type of meat would work with your short rib recipes 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious, I had cranberries that I had frozen this winter and it was perfect. Will definitely make it again!

    1. Hi Teri,
      Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe:) I am so glad it was enjoyed! Hope you’re off to a great Monday! xxT

    1. Hi Mackenzie,
      I would still follow the cook time as is:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

  9. Hey there- planning on making this recipe on Friday. UnfortunatelyI can’t find cranberries anywhere, do you recommend anything I can use instead? I bought frozen raspberries, not sure if that’d be good or not.

    Thank you so much!!

    1. Hey Taylor,
      Sure, you could try the frozen raspberries, if you can find frozen cherries I think I would go with those! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

  10. 5 stars
    I managed to find some short ribs on sale — only 1.5 pounds instead of 5 — but they were enough for us, and they were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly (oven version) and served on mashed potatoes. A repeat recipe if I ever find them on sale again!

    1. Hey Helen,
      Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan

  11. 5 stars
    Another great recipe. Short ribs were on sale which was a plus but the reason I liked this hearty meal is because it was on the simple side. Some prep but then into the slow cooker for the day. Savory, stick to your bones meal. My men loved it and so will you!

  12. Hi Tieghan!
    All of the grocery stores in my area are out of fresh cranberries and none of them sell frozen cranberries. Would it be ok to sub with canned jellied cranberry sauce?

    1. Hi Amanda,
      I would do 50 minutes on high pressure. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan