Dijon Balsamic Short Ribs are fall-apart tender. This simple, flavorful, and hearty meal will bring warmth and comfort to your dinner table. Actually, you will find comfort in this meal long before it lands on your table.
Even though we most often think of our meal starting once we have food on our plate, we start eating long before taking our first bite. The scents of cooking food slowly fill your kitchen and then your house. Your mouth begins to water in anticipation. What will it taste like? What memories do the smells bring to mind? Despite not having tasted the food, your mind has already begun the meal.
As meal time gets closer, tummies get hungrier. If your family is anything like mine, they start milling around in the kitchen more frequently. Maybe it’s the smell of the beef and onions roasting in the rich wine and mustard broth. Or it could be the subtle sweetness from the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Even our dog anxiously awaits any accidental bits that may fall to the floor.
With these enticing aromas, no wonder you have a fan club awaiting their meal. I love these moments. We have not started eating and the meal is already bringing us together. Food is powerful. Food is community.
Cooking Method – slow method or fast method?
Fortunately, these Dijon Balsamic short ribs can be adapted to your schedule. How much time do you have to prepare the meal? Depending on your answer, you can use the slower method or the faster method.
If time isn’t a factor, go for the slower method. Although the end result can be virtually the same, there is something transcending in giving the meat time rather than rushing it to the table.
Using the low (temperature) and slow (longer duration) approach allows us even longer to anticipate our meal. While you patiently wait for dinner, the aromas from the short ribs will tantalize your taste buds. Just when you think your mouth can’t water any more, the ribs will be done. As the meat falls apart, you’ll know they were well worth the wait.
Let’s flip the situation. Are you short on time? Don’t feel like standing over the stove or having oven heat up your home? I get it. We all have those moments. Follow the Instant Pot pressure cooker recipe instead and your dinner will be ready in a little over an hour.
Are you a fan of Instant Pot recipes like this one? If so, you may also like my Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Chuck Roast recipe. My Instant Pot Leek and Olive Chicken is also a favorite.
Now, get your glass of wine, sit down, and relax while your food cooks. Once you open the pressure cooker, your kitchen will also be filled with the delicious aromas as well.
Making it a complete meal
Although these Dijon Balsamic ribs can easily stand on their own, my family loves them with some creamy mashed potatoes or polenta. Potatoes are our absolute favorite making this meal extra comforting. You could also pair them with rice. Whether potatoes, polenta, or rice, the starch will absorb the sauce and flavors from the meat.
Other vegetables like sweet potatoes and parsnips can also be pureed or mashed and paired with the meat. We tend to stick with the less sweet starches, but you should go with what works for you and the others at your table.
If you do make this recipe, I would love to hear about it below in the comments section. You can also tag me on Instagram if you love taking photos of your food as much as I do. Seriously, I don’t know if I take more pictures of food or my children.
Enjoy your meal, your family, your friends, or whoever you share this meal with and, yes, that includes yourself!
Dijon Balsamic Short Ribs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Short ribs bone-in
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp coconut oil ghee, or another animal fat
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth may need more
- ½ cup red wine
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Season all sides of short ribs thoroughly with kosher salt.
- In medium mixing bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic. Coat all sides of short ribs with mixture. For extra flavor marinate over night. Reserve any of remaining balsamic mixture for later in recipe.
- Heat cast iron (See note) or other pan to medium-high heat. Once warm, add in fat of choice. Once melted and hot, but not smoking, sear all sides of short ribs until brown. Do in batches to avoid overcrowding pot. Set aside on plate.
- Place sliced onions in large baking dish. Nestle the short ribs into the onions. Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes around the meat. Pour in any of remaining balsamic mixture into meat along with red wine. Gently stir to combine the liquids. Add broth to baking dish until it comes up to midway point on short rib or just above one knuckle deep (Using your finger to measure.)
- Cover with foil and bake in oven for 2-3 hours until very tender. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Optional step: remove meat from pot. Ladle remaining sauce and veggies into medium sauce pan. Reduce over medium-low heat. Once reduced, you can either strain out veggies or puree all together using an immersion blender. Use this as a sauce over your meat. Also is delicious over roasted potatoes or rice.
Instant Pot Leek and Olive Chicken. Caramelized leeks, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and briny green olives bring harmony to this deliciously, satisfying summer chicken stew.
Coconut lemongrass rice with mushrooms! Even the name of this recipe makes me start to crave it. Don’t let the simplistic nature of this rice fool you. This rice packs a punch of flavor and is easily paired with various proteins. With that said, I could easily sit down to a bowl of this rice alone and be completely content.
Rice is now totally a thing in my life. I actually look forward to the dinners I plan that include rice. Although white rice itself doesn’t have much nutrition to offer, we have found ways to spruce it up a bit. We tend to cook the rice in chicken or beef broth as well as had some quality butter and salt. Also, try to remember that not all food must offer the ideal nutrient density. Sometimes we eat foods for how they make us feel or the memories we share.
Most often, I make this rice using our Instant Pot pressure cooker which has been our go-to ever since our rice cooker fizzled out. That was a very sad day by the way. Just in case you prefer to use your rice cooker or the stove pot, please do so. The stovetop directions are included in recipe. If you are using your rice cooker, modify the liquid amounts as necessary for your cooker trying to maintain similar coconut to broth ratio.
I love mushrooms! Mushrooms cooked in butter are even better. By the time I am done “sampling” the mushrooms as they cook, my pan looks empty. I really need to start doubling the mushroom amount to account for my sneaky fingers.
When I cook the mushrooms, I let my butter start to brown slightly (not burn) then add in my mushrooms giving them a slight brown butter flavor. You want the mushrooms to have an almost sweet, golden brown flavor. Some crispy bits are always a nice contrast as well. Seriously, I love mushrooms cooked in butter.
I had to think fast. Enter the brilliance of the Instant Pot. I rummaged through our freezer of meat and discovered a pork shoulder. Problem solved, hopefully. Using some of the same spices that I had for the ham, I made a spice blend to rub all over the pork. No time for marinating so I plopped it into the Instant Pot and let it work its magic. Less than two hours later our dinner was saved!
