Root Beer Glazed Short Ribs

These fork tender root beer glazed short ribs are the perfect meal for a cold winter night. Serve them over mashed potatoes for a dinner that’s sure to earn rave reviews from family and friends!

In my opinion, short ribs are an underrated cut of meat. They’re relatively inexpensive, packed with flavor, and become meltingly tender after a long trip through the oven. These short ribs are glazed in a unique root beer sauce that adds a complex and unexpected flavor.

The first step to making this recipe is to brown your short ribs. You can use bone-in or boneless short ribs; here I’ve opted to go with the boneless style short ribs. If you use bone-in short ribs, you’ll want to increase the amount of meat the recipe calls for by a pound since the yield is lower on the bone in ribs.

After the short ribs are browned, carrots and onions are added to the pot. Keep in mind that the veggies will cook for an extended period of time, so you can cut them as large (or as small!) as you’d like. You can even add potatoes for a heartier dish.

The short ribs are simmered in a combination of beef broth and root beer. You want to look for a high quality root beer to use in this recipe since it’s the major flavor component. Look for a root beer that’s made with real cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Diet root beer will not work here! The ribs cook in a low heat oven for 4 hours until they’re fork tender.

The final step in the process is to skim the fat off the braising liquid, then add a little corn starch to thicken it up. Serve your short ribs over mashed potatoes and get ready for all the compliments that are about to come your way!

These root beer glazed short ribs are elegant enough for company, yet simple enough to make for a family dinner. If you haven’t tried cooking short ribs before, this is definitely the recipe to get you started!

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Root Beer Glazed Short Ribs

5 from 1 vote

These fork tender root beer glazed short ribs are the perfect meal for a cold winter night. Serve them over mashed potatoes for a dinner that's sure to earn rave reviews from family and friends!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 1/2 pounds boneless short ribs or can use 4 1/2 pounds bone-in short ribs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 medium onion sliced
• ▢ 3 carrots peeled and sliced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 2 cups beef broth
• ▢ 1 cup root beer
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions 

• Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Season the short ribs with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Add half the short ribs to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.
• Repeat the process with the remaining short ribs.
• Remove the meat from the pan; place on a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Add the carrots and onions to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Place the meat back into the pan; add the beef broth and root beer and bring to a simmer.
• Cover and bake the short ribs for 4 hours.
• Remove the short ribs from the pan. Skim the fat off the top of the cooking liquid.
• In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water.
• Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer on the stove, then whisk in the cornstarch. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.
• Return the short ribs to the pan and coat with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 52gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 496mgPotassium: 1085mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5095IUVitamin C: 1.8mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 5.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!