These Orange Braised Beef Short Ribs are beyond tender and the sweet and spicy sauce is amazing. I use boneless beef short ribs to keep it fuss free along with everyday ingredients to make this two hour braise seem like it cooked all day.
What are Beef Short Ribs?
Short ribs are the cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck or rib area of the cow and are typically cooked low and slow for that fall apart, tender meat. 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.
For this recipe I chose boneless beef short ribs. There’s no bones to deal with that you really don’t need, say like you would eating my Memphis Style Ribs, St. Louis Style Ribs, Huli Huli Ribs or Grilled Country Style Ribs. Now those you need the bones to grab hold of, right?!
You can purchase them with bone in or without. I love both as a bone in adds more flavor, but the boneless keep it easier to cook and work with like in my Szechuan Sticky Beef Short Ribs recipe.
The short ribs get browned in a Dutch oven and then the aromatics like carrots, onion, celery, tomato paste and spices go in and brown. Next, add the orange juice and water to the pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and in go the orange zest and browned short ribs.
Why this Recipe Works
What happens is the connective tissue and fats render and break down in the meat for a delicious, tender cut of meat and the basics for the citrus sauce is made right there in the Dutch oven as it cooks!
Simply discard the zest pieces after it’s cooked.
I then remove the vegetables and beef short ribs to a platter, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm, then boil and reduce that amazing sweet, spicy and tangy orange sauce to pour over everything.
I like to serve this over mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Orange Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 4 lbs boneless beef short ribs (4-6 inch ribs)
- salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 3 medium carrots peeled, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 large orange 6 wide strips of peel + 1 tsp zest
- 3 cups orange juice
- 3 cups water
- 3 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Season the short ribs all over with the kosher salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy pot over medium heat. Brown the short ribs on all over, about 3 minutes each side. Transfer to a platter.
- Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, dried oregano, ground coriander, ground cumin and red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir often over medium high heat, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the wide strips of orange zest (I use a vegetable peeler), orange juice and water to pot, scraping up any browned bits and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Add ribs with any juices from the platter, pressing them down into the vegetables until they’re submerged. Cover pot and braise ribs in the oven for 2 hours.
- Carefully remove vegetables and short ribs to a platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Bring the braising liquid to a boil on the stovetop, then stir in the cornstarch mixed with some water, lower heat and stir until thickened.
- Place the short ribs on mashed potatoes and pour the orange sauce over the short ribs. Top with cilantro leaves, remaining teaspoon of orange zest serve with braised vegetables.
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.
Love that you have both orange juice and peel in these short ribs, Kevin! They look SO flavorful and melt in our mouth tender!
Love that citrus flavor!
What a lush looking recipe, Kevin! Short ribs are a real treat and are so delicious! Love the pairing with orange here…must smell (and taste) AMAZING!
The flavors here are wonderful. We added more chili pepper flakes for a bigger kick and it works so well with the citrus. Thanks Dawn!
What an awesomely flavorful short rib dish Kevin! When I mention the word short ribs around here, it’s smiles all around! Can’t beat the tenderness of that meat. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
I’m a huge short ribs fan too! Thanks Mary Ann!