An Easy Spicy Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Transform these beef short ribs bone in into a tender cooked and full of flavor weeknight dinner. It is so easy to prepare, and it becomes a hands-off recipe once everything goes into the slow cooker. 

BEEF SHORT RIBS BONE IN SLOW COOKER

If you haven't invested in a slow cooker yet, I highly recommend you get one.  You have a lot of budget-friendly options, and it has become my go-to kitchen staple for busy weeknights. It is so easy to spend a little time in the morning or at lunch to prep your ingredients, and then 6 to 8 hours later you have the perfect dinner ready! Healthy cooking doesn't get any easier than that. It is especially true for this beef short ribs recipe because I use simple seasoning and ingredients that you should already have in your pantry to create an incredible flavor. Then it all goes into the crockpot to make bone-in ribs incredibly tender. 

In case you are curious, I use a simple slow cooker from Hamilton Beach and have this one now for a couple of years. I didn't put a lot of thought into buying one. I just looked at an easily programmable kitchen gadget that has a 6-quart capacity—ample enough to feed a family of 4. Here is the one I have, in case you are interested.

HOW TO MAKE SHORT RIBS

I kept it very simple for this recipe. Especially for busy weekdays, I don't want to do a lot of prep work, but I also don't want to compromise on flavor. So I am combining a couple of herbs, healthy fats, and some veggies to give these ribs a fantastic aroma and an extra savory taste.

• First, add butter at the bottom of the crockpot. I love ribs with a slightly buttery taste, and it also makes them extra juicy. The butter will even beautifully glaze the veggies.
• Add the onions! Green onions are mild in taste, and when cooked, they become slightly sweet, beautifully complementing the spicy ribs. 
• Generously rub the beef short ribs on both sides—I bought mine from our local farmers market—with pure spices, such as salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. 
• Garlic adds incredible savory flavors to this dish while thyme gives these ribs a pleasant aroma and a slightly minty flavor.
• Let everything slow cook for at least 6 hours, on a high setting, to get those almost fall-off-the-bone short ribs.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

In the notes section below, I give some suggestions for delicious and healthy vegetable side dishes that are low carb and pair beautifully with these short ribs.

But I often serve this dish with a large refreshing and nutritious green salad for dinner that I can quickly prepare in 5 minutes. Here are some options:

• Pair romaine lettuce with half a cucumber, one red bell pepper, and one avocado. Coarsely chop the ingredients and season with a tad of salt, extra virgin olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
• Toss a chopped cucumber with one chopped avocado and a handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped. Season the same as suggested above. 
• Or pair this dish with my healthy Spicy-Mango avocado salad. The sweetness of the mango is a nice contrast to the spiciness of the cayenne herbs in this recipe.

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