Easy slow cooker bone-in beef short ribs in a rich onion gravy served over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, a comforting and nutritious dinner that goes down well all year round. It's a budget-friendly family meal that can be enjoyed at the end of a long day and it's packed with rich and delicious flavours. Melt-in-the-mouth beef that falls away from the bone and flavourful gravy is the ultimate dinner recipe!
Perfect for cosy family dinners, Sunday lunches or hearty weeknight meals these short ribs are the ultimate comfort food for every season. We might lean into this kind of food more in the cold season, but to me, comfort food goes wonderfully well at any point in the year.
At the end of a long day, when all you want is a bowl of steaming hot food to relax and leave all the stress behind, good good can do wonders. And I don't mean some light bites, but good old chunky meat smothered in lots of gravy and creamy rich mashed potatoes, that's the kind of food you want!
And this always delivers! The ribs are first seared for extra flavour, then the onions and garlic are fried gently until golden and delicious, and a rich beef stock generously seasoned is poured over them.
All this is cooked in a crockpot until the meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone! This is restaurant-style food that needs very little hands-on cooking time! I cooked mine on high, but you can also cook it on low for 8-9 hours if you are away during the day.
Just set everything up in the morning, and in evening some heavenly comforting food will be waiting for you. The gravy can be made in less than 5 minutes on the stove top to save you time and get the best consistency!
And if you like slow cooker beef recipes, my slow cooker beef brisket with onion gravy is as comforting and easy to make, and as affordable! I also made slow cooker beef short ribs chili and that was so good!
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- bone-in beef short ribs - they create a richer gravy and a more succulent meat than boneless ribs
- beef stock / broth - adds incredible deep flavour to the gravy, I highly recommend using it, the more concentrated, the better
- Worcestershire sauce - adds a salty rich touch to the gravy
- tomato paste - boosts the savoury flavour while also balancing out the saltiness with its natural sweetness
- garlic and onion - turn the gravy from plain to a richer, more flavourful gravy
- salt and pepper - go easy on the salt as the Worcestershire sauce and stock already add saltiness
- oregano, thyme and parsley - add flavour and colour
- oil - for frying, I prefer vegetable oil, but anything else would do
- cornflour / cornstarch - to thicken the gravy
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- heat up the oil in a large pan, add the ribs, season with salt and pepper and sear
- remove them from the pan and add them to the slow cooker
- in the same pan add the peeled and chopped onion and garlic and fry until golden
- add the tomato puree, seasoning, sauce and stock
- pour everything over the ribs and cook on high for 4 ½ hours or on low for 9 hours
- make a cornflour slurry
- strain the liquid through a sieve and pour it into a pan
- add the cornflour slurry and simmer it on the stovetop of 2-3 minutes until it thickens into gravy
- remove the bones off the ribs and serve them on a bed of mash smothered in gravy
Expert tips
Searing the ribs beforehand adds so much flavour not only to the meat, but also to the gravy. The pan will be easily deglazed when the onions and garlic and fried and soak up all the juices and brown bits left in the pan.
I highly recommend straining the liquid before making the gravy, it remove the excess fat and all the bits that would make it lumpy. You will be left with a smooth gravy that is flavourful and rich.
Never overfill the slow cooker, it should never be more than 2 thirds full, so they ribs can cook through until they are tender.
Other slow cooker beef recipes
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Slow Cooker Bone-In Beef Short Ribs in Gravy
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in short ribs
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups beef broth/stock (500 ml)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
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Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large pan.
- Add the ribs, season them with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides.
- Remove them from the pan and add them to the slow cooker.
- In the same pan, add the peeled and chopped onion and garlic, and fry them on a low heat until golden.
- Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and stock, and mix well.
- Pour the mixture over the ribs and cook everything on high for 4 ½ hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
- Strain the liquid in which the ribs cooked.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water and mix well to get a slurry.
- Add the slurry to the strained liquid and pour everything in a pan set over a medium heat.
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens into gravy.
- The meat should be tender enough to just pick up the bones that are falling apart.
- Serve them with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Video
Notes
- Searing the ribs beforehand adds so much flavour not only to the meat, but also to the gravy. The pan will be easily deglazed when the onions and garlic and fried and soak up all the juices and brown bits left in the pan.
- I highly recommend straining the liquid before making the gravy, it remove the excess fat and all the bits that would make it lumpy. You will be left with a smooth gravy that is flavourful and rich.
- Never overfill the slow cooker, it should never be more than 2 thirds full, so they ribs can cook through until they are tender.
Nutrition
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