This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my privacy policy.

Fall off the Bone Slow Cooker Short Ribs is a perfect hearty, satisfying, and savory dinner! Full of flavor and fork tender succulent beef, it's a meal worth coming home to.

Serve this with a side of Dad's Famous Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Cauliflower or Stick of Butter Baked Rice. You can serve the meat and sauce on top the sides to help sop up all the goodness as well.

Tender, juicy flavorful Slow Cooker Short Ribs with carrots

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

According to definition, short ribs are a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of beef cattle. They include a short portion of the rib bone, thus the name short rib. This cut of meat is actually pretty tough but once it reaches fork tender, it's amazing. Your whole family will love this delicious dish!

This is why beef short ribs were meant for long, slow braising at a low heat. The longer you cook them the better they become, if you try to cook them fast, they'll remain tough. Cooking them in the slow cooker may just be one of the best ways to get them to the perfect level of fall-off-the-bone doneness. After cooking away for hours in your crockpot, short ribs turn from chewy and tough to melt-in-your-mouth tender. They're a perfect winter meal. Add a vegetable some rolls and your set for a hearty week day or Sunday special meal.

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs Ingredients

The ribs slow cooked with the sauce imparts the best flavor. You are going to love it!

  • Beef Short Ribs: 8-10 should fit nicely in your slow cooker
  • Salt and Pepper: To taste
  • Olive Oil:To Taste
  • Carrots: Use large carrots, not baby carrots. Large carrots have more flavor
  • Beef Broth: To have a good beefy flavor don't substitute for other broth.
  • Garlic: 3 cloves minced, sounds like a lot but trust me it's needed.
  • Tomato Paste: Imparts strong flavor without the extra water.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Gives immense flavor
  • Italian Seasoning: One of my all time favorite spice combinations, it's so good!

Cooking Beef Short Ribs

Quick prep work and then let the slow cooker do all the work!

  1. Sear: Salt and pepper the short ribs and sear in the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Make sure to do all sides. When they have a nice golden crust on all sides place in the slow cooker and add the carrots on top.
  2. Sauce: In a small bowl whisk the beef broth, garlic, tomato paste, worcestershire and italian seasoning. Pour the sauce over the ribs
  3. Cook:For best results cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Preparing, and browning short ribs.

Tips for the Best Short Ribs

It's really hard to mess these up, unless you don't let them cook long enough.

  • Ribs:You can use short ribs with the bone in or without. Either will be amazing
  • Veggies: You can add onion and celery along with the meat.
  • Searing:You may be tempted to skip the searing step, Don't! It caramelizes the surface of the meat enhancing the flavor. So good! Worth the extra time.
  • Tough: If you short ribs turn out tough, that means that they didn't cook long enough. Long and slow is key and they need to reach an internal temperature of 180-205 degrees F. This is when the heat is able to break down the connective tissue that makes them tough.

How to Make a Gravy

The sauce will create a mouth-watering gravy you don't want to skip.

  1. Cool: After the meat has cooled for about 15 min in its juices remove the meat and cover.
  2. Drain: Let the drippings cool for another 5 min till the fat begins to rise. Spoon the fat off of the liquid and discard.
  3. Boil: Turn the Slow Cooker on high or you can pour the drippings into a saucepan on the stove over high heat.
  4. Thicken: Mix 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch and ¼ cold water together. Pour into the drippings and stir constantly till nice and thick.

Fork Tender Slow Cooker Short Ribs in a bowl with mashed potatoes and carrots.

More Beef Recipes to Love

  • Thai Basil Beef
  • Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
  • Slow Cooker Korean Beef
  • One Pot Beef Stroganoff
  • Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
  • 8-10 beef short ribs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5 large carrots sliced
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

  • Salt and pepper the beef short ribs. Heat a large skillet with the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the short ribs and sear each side for 1-2 minutes or until they have a golden brown crust. Remove from skillet and add to the slow cooker and add the carrots on top.

  • In a small bowl whisk the beef broth, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning. Add to the slow cooker.

  • Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Serves: 6

Calories 66 kcal (3%) Carbohydrates 9 g (3%) Protein 2 g (4%) Fat 3 g (5%) Saturated Fat 1 g (5%) Cholesterol 1 mg Sodium 306 mg (13%) Potassium 363 mg (10%) Fiber 2 g (8%) Sugar 5 g (6%) Vitamin A 10204 IU (204%) Vitamin C 7 mg (8%) Calcium 45 mg (5%) Iron 1 mg (6%)

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword short ribs, slow cooker short ribs

Alyssa Rivers

I am Alyssa and the blogger behind The Recipe Critic. I started my blog in June of 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family.

Read More Posts by Alyssa

Categories

Reader Favorites