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! All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.