How to Make Short-Rib Stew: Hearty Short-Rib Stew Recipe

Short-rib stew is a dish consisting of beef short ribs cooked in liquid with vegetables and aromatics. Short ribs are often braised or slowly cooked in liquid on the stovetop or in the oven, which helps soften the connective tissue in the meat for a tender, flavorful bite. The braising liquid and aromatics may be added to the stew or discarded.

Short ribs consist of a piece of meat from the serratus ventralis muscle and a “short” portion of the rib—not the full rib, which, on a cow, is huge. They tend to have a lot of fat and connective tissue, so they’re a popular choice for hands-off, low-and-slow cooking methods, such as braising.

A cow’s 13 ribs are counted from head to tail, with rib number one located in the shoulder, or chuck primal, and rib 13 in the loin, or mid-back. Short ribs come from ribs two through five, found in the chuck and brisket primal cuts, and six through eight, found in the rib and plate cuts. Fatty plate short ribs, the cheapest of the lot, are usually sold together as a slab. Meaty-but-tough chuck and brisket short ribs are moderately priced, while beef back ribs (aka dinosaur ribs) from the rib primal, are the most tender and expensive.

There are many variations of short-rib stew, including in Mexican and Korean cuisines. Some of the most popular dishes with stewed short ribs include:

1. 1. Galbi-jjim: This Korean-style short-rib stew (also spelled “kalbi-jjim”) is one of the most famous Korean dishes. It is typically made for special occasions in Korea, such as the fall harvest holiday Chuseok. Galbi-jjim recipes often start with blanching the beef short ribs. The beef is then braised with mirin (rice wine), soy sauce, brown sugar, scallions, mushrooms, daikon or Korean radish, carrots, chestnuts or pine nuts, Asian pear, jujubes, and rice cakes. Korean braised short ribs are typically served with a garnish of sesame seeds and green onions and with a side of rice and kimchi.
2. 2. Red wine-braised short-rib stew: Red wine and beef are a classic pairing in Western cuisine. It's important to cook the wine before adding the meat, or the alcohol will start to "cook" the beef.
3. 3. Caldo de res: Caldo de res is a Mexican beef stew that features beef short ribs. The stew vegetables often include corn, summer squash, carrots, and potatoes. You can serve caldo de res with tortillas for easy short rib tacos.