Slow Cooker Short Ribs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should ribs be submerged in slow cooker? ›

Try your hardest to get the short ribs as submerged in the liquid as you can. Cook for 7-8 hours on HIGH or 11-12 hours on LOW. You'll know it's ready when it begins fall apart with only your fork.

Like other tough cuts of meat, when slow cooked, short ribs break down and become incredibly tender and delicious.

If you've cooked your short ribs in the crockpot for 7-8 hours, but they seem tough, do not worry. Before you start to think that you may have overcooked them, just take a deep breath, and continue cooking them on low for another 30 minutes to an hour, and eventually they will nearly fall apart from being so tender.

You want liquid to come about a quarter and no higher than half way up the side of the meat. Because of the curvature of the dino ribs, we'll be cooking them on their sides, so they make a crescent in the pan. Then, of course, you must cook them.

You may, if desired, spritz or mop your ribs while smoking with a liquid of your choice. Apple juice or cider, butter, Dr. Pepper, apple cider vinegar, beer… there are plenty of options.

Technically, yes. Anything can become overcooked in the slow cooker if it goes for too long. Fortunately, since there's plenty of liquid in a stew, there's very little risk of that happening in this recipe. Still, I don't recommend cooking longer than the 8 hours listed!

Short Ribs & Braising:

You don't need any special equipment to braise ribs. First, brown or sear the ribs at a high temperature then cook them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. This is an excellent cooking method for tougher cuts of meat that will become tender after prolonged cooking!

The braising liquid needs to fill the pan enough to cover most of the meat, which gives it time to break down the sinews and connective tissue. However, if you use too much liquid, you run the risk of diluting flavor and having a runny sauce.

Braising, which is actually slow simmering (after browning in a bit of oil or butter), brings irresistibly tender and boldly flavored results to this meaty cut of beef. Because short ribs require long, slow cooking for tenderness and flavor, braising is the perfect technique for cooking them.

Because of the connective tissue in this cut, short ribs are less tender than other cuts of meat. However, short ribs also have great flavor because of the ratio of fat, bone, and meat.

How do you keep short ribs moist? ›

To keep ribs moist while smoking on a grill or oven, use a spray bottle to mist them with liquid (e.g., apple juice) every 20-30 minutes. Consider brining or marinating beforehand, maintaining a consistent temperature, and wrapping the ribs in foil to trap steam.

Braising liquid is traditionally stock and wine; however, beer emphasizes other flavors in meats. Stock emphasizes the meat flavor, while wine and beer diversify the profile. Wine works in any braise, increasing depth, nuance and acidity.

The ideal short rib serving size varies by the weight of the short rib pieces and the style they're cut in, but you can estimate that you'll need between one to three short ribs per person. You'll want to serve each person approximately one pound of bone-in short ribs.

When cooking in a slow cooker, the meat does not need to be submerged completely in liquid or sauce. Add your juicy pork cut of choice, herbs, spices, and any sauces or stocks and cook away! How long do you slow cook a pork roast? Low and slow is always the go for a tender pork roast.

Your liquid should not cover your pork in the slow cooker: it should only come up about a quarter of the way up the sides. The pork will make more liquid as it cooks, and you need to leave room for that. And 10 hours later, this huge hunk of meat is tender and ready.

Cooking any kind of meat for too long will usually leave it dry, tough, and utterly unappealing. In all honesty, cooking BBQ ribs to perfection is something of an artform. It's not something the home chef does very often, and overcooking the ribs is a common way to disappoint yourself when you sit down to eat.

Use a water pan: Placing a water pan in the smoker or grill helps create a moist cooking environment. The water evaporates slowly, adding humidity to the cooking chamber, which helps prevent the ribs from drying out. 6.