Perfectly spiced with just the right punch of heat, these braised sriracha short ribs will become a new dinner favorite. While these short ribs will surely impress anyone, they couldn't be easier to make, and you can prepare them ahead of time for easy entertaining.
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Why You Need to Make This Recipe
I have a deep, true love for short ribs. Usually, I default to my favorite red wine-braised short ribs -- and for good reason. These short ribs make anyone feel like a fancy, accomplished home chef, and they never disappoint.
But sometimes it's fun to change it up, so I did a little at-home scouting to come up with a new short rib recipe. After a quick scan of my refrigerator contents, my eyes locked on that bottle of sriracha, and my short rib inspiration hit.
Besides, who doesn't love sriracha? I've never met a person who doesn't smother sriracha over everything in sight, so I knew combining that beloved red chile sauce with tender short ribs would make for a guaranteed crowd-pleasing meal.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now let's get to it. We start by dusting our short ribs with plenty of salt, pepper and flour to give our meat the perfect crust. Just a touch of flour will do.
With our short ribs dusted, we're ready to sear them in oil to turn that flour into our perfect brown crust and develop that beefy flavor. To properly brown our short ribs, we don't want to overcrowd the pot, so we'll have to do this in two batches. Once they're perfectly brown, we set the short ribs aside and start on our braising broth.
For this step, we begin by cooking chopped onions with garlic for a nice flavor base and then add beef stock, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder and sriracha.
If you don't have sriracha, you can substitute another red chile sauce, but you may want to add by taste since another brand will have a different heat level.
Oh, and don't skimp on the Chinese five-spice powder. The seasoning blend adds an incredible depth of flavor, and this recipe won't be the same without it. You can find it in the baking aisle with the rest of the spices and seasonings.
From here, we add our short ribs back to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, put on the top and turn off the heat.
How Long to Braise
Now we move our short ribs to the oven to braise. This process generally takes about three and a half hours at 300 degrees, but don't judge doneness by time. Use the three and a half hours more as a guideline.
The short ribs are ready when they're fork tender and can easily separate from the bone. If we remove the ribs before they're ready, they'll be tough and sad. No one wants tough and sad short ribs.
How to Make Short Rib Gravy
Once our short ribs are ready, we're left with a delicious sauce, but it won't be very thick. While we could spoon on the sauce as is, you may want to thicken it up to make it like a gravy, though this step is optional.
To do this, we make a cornstarch slurry. This is as simple as mixing together cornstarch and cold water until the lumps smooth out. We then pour that into our sauce, give it a stir and let the mixture come to a boil. We continue to boil for a few minutes, and just like that, we have our sriracha short rib gravy.
Now we serve with coconut-lime rice, take our first bite and take a moment to feel thankful that food as delicious as these braised sriracha short ribs entered our lives.
Can You Make in Slow Cooker?
Braising short ribs in a Dutch oven is my favorite method. I truly believe something magical happens in the oven, but I get it. Sometimes you can't babysit short ribs for hours at a time. In that case, we can use our trusty slow cooker.
For the slow cooker, we still brown our short ribs and then throw everything in the slow cooker on low for about six to eight hours. If you'd like, you can even brown the short ribs the night before, so all you have to do is throw everything together the next morning.
Can You Make Ahead of Time?
You sure can! Braising short ribs may take time, but you can make them two or three days ahead of time, store in the juice and then reheat on the stove.
That's what's so great about braising short ribs for entertaining. Most of the cooking is hands-off time, and you can push the bulk of that work to another day. And if that's not enough, short ribs are always an impressive meal, so why wouldn't you serve this delicious meal at your next gathering?
Perfect Pairing
You'll love a saison when looking for a beer pairing. The yeast from the saison gives it a peppery, spicy quality that's a delicious match, and it's body is bold enough to stand against the rich ribs.
If you're in the mood for wine, I like a zinfandel with these ribs. Like the saison, I love how the peppery notes work with the sriracha and Chinese five-spice blend while the jammy fruit offers a nice contrast and cooling effect.
When you need simple but impressive meal, I hope you try these braised sriracha short ribs.
Cheers!
Need More Comfort Food?
- Mexican meatballs with avocado-crema sauce
- Beer-braised Mexican shredded beef
- Chicken and mushroom pie
- The best coq au vin
- Maple-braised turkey legs and thighs
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment with a five-star rating — or simply hit the five-star button in the recipe card. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, and you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.
📖 Recipe
Braised Sriracha Short Ribs
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 8 short ribs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Flour for dusting
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 5 garlic cloves grated or minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 5 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch optional
- ½ lime juiced
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
Oven Directions
- Let short ribs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Generously sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Without overcrowding the pan, brown about half of the short ribs on both sides, about five minutes each side. Remove first batch of short ribs and repeat with the second batch. Transfer browned short ribs to a plate.
- Lower heat to medium. Cook onions until softened, about four to five minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the soy sauce, scrapping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in beef broth, sriracha and Chinese five-spice seasoning blend.
- Add short ribs back to the Dutch oven. The liquid should come about halfway up the short ribs. If necessary, you can add more beef broth if your short ribs are especially large, but 5 cups should do in most cases. Bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat, put on the lid and place in the oven. Cook until the short ribs are fork tender and can easily be removed from the bone, about three and a half hours.
- If you'd like to thicken the sauce, remove short ribs from Dutch oven. Mix together cornstarch and just enough water in a small cup to make a slurry. Stir into the sauce. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for a few minutes to thicken. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. If desired, garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
For Slow Cooker
- In a large Dutch oven or skillet, heat oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Without overcrowding the pan, brown about half of the short ribs on both sides, about five minutes each side. Remove first batch of short ribs and repeat with the second batch.
- In a slow cooker, stir together the onions, garlic, soy sauce, beef broth, sriracha and Chinese five-spice seasoning blend. Add the browned short ribs. Cook on low for six to eight hours until fork tender and you can easily remove the ribs from the bone.
- If you'd like to thicken the sauce, strain the broth into a skillet over medium heat. Mix together cornstarch and just enough water in a small cup to make a slurry. Stir into the sauce. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for a few minutes to thicken. Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. If desired, garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- Oven braising is my favorite method in case you're on the fence between the two.
- I love serving these short ribs with coconut-lime rice, but you could also do your favorite rice variety, mashed potatoes or polenta. While the last two don't really fit with the sriracha theme, they're still delicious.
- While checking to see if the ribs could easily remove from the bone, I don't actually remove them from the bone. I still serve bone-in, but that's a good way to make sure it's tender enough for serving.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Vanda Blok says
Mmmmmmm.
I can still taste this in my sleep. Such a perfect recipe.
Just one issue: when the heck did short ribs get SOOOO EXPENSIVE?
Doesn’t matter, because this recipe is the bomb. 11/10
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I hear you on the short rib prices! I wish I had a magic wand to control that. But so happy you loved the recipe!
Aline says
You had me at sriracha!! ahaha I found some short ribs in the freezer and this recipe is now in this weeks meal schedule! I cannot wait to dive in!!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Yay! I bet you'll love them.
Sharon says
These are not your average short ribs. The sriracha adds a whole new level of flavor that makes these ribs so good.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So glad you enjoyed!
Analida Braeger says
This dish had the most incredible flavors! My whole family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So glad to hear that and you're welcome!
Tatiana says
This recipe is a must if you love ribs! It was delicious, easy to follow and no short rib was left. No doubt I'll be doing it more often!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So, so glad to hear that! Thanks, Tatiana!
Candice says
Holy cow... this recipe is fantastic! So flavorful, so incredible, and just the right amount of spice. Will be in the regular rotation, for sure! Thank you for the great recipe.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're very welcome!
Paula Montenegro says
These look mouthwatering, and I have 5 spice powder that I rarely use, so I'm loving this recipe so much! Thanks for sharing.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're so welcome! It's a great way to use it.
Anna says
We are huge fans of both in our house, ribs and sriracha, so this combines best of both for us! Fantastic recipe that I'm really looking forward to trying!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Sounds perfect for you!
Bernice Hill says
Wow! This recipe looks like a good one. I love short ribs...the feeling of accomplishment is always present when I serve them. And usually they require very little effort!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
They really do! They may take a while, but it's pretty hands-off.
veenaazmanov says
Moist, flavorful and delicious and a treat by itself.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks!
Phenie says
Sriracha is a staple in my household and this recipe looks fantastic! I'm sure my family will enjoy these! What would you recommend as a side dish? (We're trying to eat less rice)
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I bet they will! If you’re looking for a low-carb option, I bet mashed cauliflower would be great and sop up the gravy.
Milena says
These look scrumptious! I was just eating a salad with burrata and that reminded me of your blog - so happy to see this recipe. And coconut rice is a great side for them. Pinned!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Awww, I love that! Hope you get a chance to make these short ribs!