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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AN EASY SPICY BEEF SHORT RIBS RECIPE
An easy and healthy beef short ribs recipe made in the slow cooker. A perfect family dinner idea with a lot of flavor and which you can easily pair with any vegetable side dish (Keto and Paleo friendly.) See suggestions in note section!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon real butter, chopped
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 6 green onions, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 fresh whole thyme sprigs (full of leaves)
Instructions
- Divide the butter evenly over the bottom of a minimum 6-quart Crockpot-type-slow-cooker. Divide the onions on top of the butter. Season with salt and pepper, be generous with the pepper.
- Place the short ribs in a large bowl and season with one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of Cayenne pepper. Toss the meat around and ensure to rub the ribs with the spices evenly. Add the short ribs to the slow cooker on top of the green onions.
- With the side of a knife flatten the garlic. Add on top of the meat in the slow cooker and top off with fresh thyme leaves.
- Set cooker on high, cover and cook for 6 hours.
Notes
Pair it with any of the following vegetable side dishes:
ana says
I need to make these asap! They look so good!