Baked Short Ribs with Gremolata

Baked short ribs with gremolata are pure comfort food, and better than a restaurant dish. Make this recipe for an easy gourmet-style meal!

With the holiday season coming up on us fast, I think show stopping meals are in order. This year, I challenge you to skip the traditional prime rib roast or holiday ham. There will be no carving a turkey this year, because these beyond tender baked short ribs can be cut with a butter knife.

Instead of braising beef short ribs, this recipe calls for them to be covered so they can bake slowly. The fat renders down and the meat becomes beyond tender. The herb and citrus gremolata is served over to accent and cut through the richness of the meat.

Types of short ribs

Bone-in short ribs are the cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck or rib area of the cow. They have a decent amount of connective tissue and fat, so the cooking method of choice is usually a low and slow bake.

Boneless beef short ribs are cut from either the chuck or plate, and consist of rib meat that the butcher has separated from the bone.

Making baked short ribs

After their salt and pepper rub, all these bad boys need next is a cup of beef broth or water to add to the roasting pan. Place the ribs meaty side up in the pan, cover pan with aluminum foil and cook in a 325°F oven until meat is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Uncover the roasting pan and bump up the oven temperature to 400°F. Roast until ribs are browned on top, about 25 minutes longer.

What temperature should short ribs be cooked to?

What we’re looking for is super tender, fall apart baked short ribs. To achieve this, the internal temperature should be between 190°F and 205°F. The meat collagens and fats melt at this temperature and that’s what makes the meat more tender and juicy.

NOTE: Don’t be shocked at the small size of your baked short ribs; they shrink down quite a bit during cooking.

What is a gremolata?

A typical gremolata is simply fresh herbs chopped and mixed with garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and breadcrumbs. It’s similar to fresh herb condiments like pesto and cilantro chimichurri.

This one gets kicked up with a slight punch from prepared horseradish (or grated peeled horseradish) and it is wonderful.

The herb and citrus gremolata is served over the baked short ribs to accent and cut through the richness of the fall apart tender meat.

No knives required for this dinner! The tender, baked ribs easily give way and fall apart with the fork alone.

This post, first published on Kevin is Cooking June 3, 2014, was last updated with new content on Sept. 18, 2021

Baked Short Ribs with Gremolata

Baked short ribs with gremolata are pure comfort food, and better than a restaurant dish. Make this recipe for an easy gourmet-style meal!

4.86 from 7 votes

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Course: Dinners

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs 10” English-style
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (See Note 1)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Generously season ribs all over with salt and pepper. Allow to rest one hour or overnight, uncovered and refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Toast Panko breadcrumbs on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, set aside.
• Add a cup of beef broth or water to add to the roasting pan. Place the ribs meaty side up in the pan, cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in oven until meat is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• While ribs bake mix garlic, parsley, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, breadcrumbs, and oil in a small bowl. Season gremolata with salt and pepper to taste. Set aide, covered, in the refrigerator.
• Uncover the roasting pan and bump up the oven temperature to 400°F. Roast until ribs are browned on top, about 25 minutes longer.
• Spoon the gremolata over the short ribs before serving.

Notes

1. If you can, use a Meyer lemon for the juice and zest. I prefer it for the lemon/orange essence.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 848mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 5mg

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