By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023

Take your dinner to the next level with this simple, yet stunning beef short ribs recipe. Your house will smell amazing and your family will be racing to the table for dinner to enjoy these slow cooker beef short ribs.

Serve your Crockpot Short Ribs with Gluten-Free Cornbread and Homemade Coleslaw for a delicious meal! I created a Instant Pot Beef Short Rib as well.

Crockpot Short Ribs

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs

A good Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs recipe will get me excited to make dinner any day of the week. It will have me running to the store looking for the best cuts of beef short ribs and it will have my family at the dinner table on time.

These slow cooker beef short ribs are one of my favorite meals and after you make it from scratch like I did, it'll be one of your favorites too. I've had plenty of beef short ribs in my time, most from restaurants and too many from expensive menu.

I honestly thought that I had to go to an expensive restaurant to get a good slow cooker short rib. I am so glad I was wrong.

Beef short ribs are easy to make and it can be just as amazing as the restaurant version. So many people are afraid to make them because they think only master chefs can cook up a good beef short rib. Do you have a slow cooker or Crock Pot? Well, you can make these crockpot short ribs

How to Make Crockpot Short Ribs

1. Mix the first five ingredients (the spices); set aside.
2. Place the tomato paste, water, balsamic, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, and cocoa into a slow cooker.
3. Mix with a spoon until combined. Turn the slow cooked on low.
4. Rub the spices on all sides of each piece of beef short rib.
5. In a medium sized skillet, heat the oil until melted and it coats the pan. Sear beef short on all sides until brown. About one minute per side.
6. Add the seared beef short rib to the slow cooker and cover. Cook fpr 4-6 ours or until they are tender and fall off the bone.

A tasty slow cooker beef short rib requires a good cut of meat, some spices, a couple of other ingredients and of course a slow cooker. See how easy that is! Throw everything including your beef ribs into your slow cooker and let those scrumptious little beef short ribs simmer for a few hours.

No need to watch it. Just set a timer. Let the beef ribs simmer in their own juices.

The dutch processed cocoa in this recipe plays a very special part. It works like magic and pulls all the flavors together, creating an amazing savory sauce for the beef ribs.

You've heard of coffee amplifying flavors, right? Cocoa works the same way in this slow cooker short rib recipe and it adds its own special flavor to the sauce. And, no, it doesn't taste like chocolate. Please trust me on this and try it.

If you're not a meat eater, then I will apologize now because I don't have a good vegetarian or vegan substitution for you for this savory beef short rib recipe.

I wish I did. You're welcome to make the sauce and let it simmer on the stove top for an hour. I bet it would be scrumptious over veggies. I used the broccoli to wipe up the remaining sauce and was pretty pleased.

These Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, bursting with flavor, simple to make and are sure to have everyone at the table asking for seconds. You can double or triple the batch for a larger crowd.

How long does it take to cook beef ribs in a slow cooker?

It takes about 4-6 hours for most beef rib recipes in a slow cooker. It depends on how many pounds of beef short ribs you are slow cooking. If you have an instant pot I recommend using that if you are in a time-pinch. The instant pot speeds up the process without compromising on taste or texture in the instant pot beef short ribs.

What is a beef finger?

Beef rib Fingers are the thin strips of beef cut from between individual ribs. It's essentially the rib, but without the bone. It's nice an tender when cooked correctly.

This beef short ribs recipe is as simple as mixing the spices, or use your favorite rub, and sear the meat. Add in the other ingredients and let the slow cooker do it's magic.

As an added bonus, not only do you get to enjoy amazing beef short ribs, but the bones take on a spicy flavor and are super tasty when used to make bone broth.

Can I cook beef ribs from frozen ribs?

Yes. You can start with frozen beef short ribs for this beef short rib recipe. You'll need to add some time to the slow cooker, at least 30 minutes. We suggest defrosting frozen beef ribs, but you don't have to if you're in a crunch for time.

Making perfect slow cooker beef short ribs:

• Follow the directions and don’t skip steps.
• When you brown the beef ribs, make sure they have a good brown crust to them.
• Add the ingredients in the order they are listed. If you have questions on substations, just ask.
• When the beef short ribs are done. Allow them to sit in the slow cooker for at least 30 minutes.
• Make sure to spoon some extra sauce over the beef short ribs before serving.
• Store leftover beef short rib in the refrigerator with the sauce covering it. It will help keep the neat from drying out.

What to serve with Beef Short Ribs

You really can't go wrong with sides for beef short ribs. We like to serve them with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Here are some other sides you might like.

Instant Pot Broccoli - If you're looking for a quick and easy way to make broccoli, you'll want to make instant pot broccoli! This Instant Pot Broccoli is perfect served with Instant Pot Fried Rice. It's also a great side to Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken.

Roasted broccoli and potatoes - This is a simple side that you can pop in the oven. This dish is simple, uses only 6 ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, and cooks in under 20 minutes. The best part about roasted potatoes and broccoli is that it covers two food groups in one dish, and it's cooked all on one pan.

White Bean Salad - A simple yet refreshing white bean salad that's healthy and full of flavor. This white bean salad is perfect for pot lucks, BBQ's, and dinner parties. It only takes five minutes to make this white bean salad recipe but it can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

Instant Pot Carrots - An easy recipe for Instant Pot Carrots that makes the perfect side dish to most meals. If you've ever wondered how to cook carrots in an instant pot you've come to the right place. These pressure cooker carrots are cooked to perfection.

Cheesy Potatoes - A casserole that's ready to bake in five minutes. Serve these cheesy potatoes at your next holiday meal, pot luck, or BBQ. These gluten free cheesy potatoes can be prepared the night before and baked before serving.

Scalloped Potatoes - Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes are the ultimate in cheesy comfort food. Rich, creamy, savory, and filling, this casserole style side dish is a total crowd pleaser.

Did you make these easy slow cooker beef short ribs? Let me know what you thought of these beef ribs. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.